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SeaDAS Release Notes

Access an archive of SeaDAS release notes going back to version 8.0.0.

SeaDAS General Overview

Sea, earth, atmosphere Data Analysis System (SeaDAS) is an open-source comprehensive software package for the processing, display, analysis, and quality control of remote-sensing Earth data. SeaDAS serves as the official distribution point of the NASA OBPG Science Software. The science processing component of SeaDAS applies the OBPG algorithms to satellite data in order to characterize and calibrate the data and generate science quality OBPG products.

The SeaDAS platform (an extension of the ESA SNAP platform) serves as an application platform to the NASA SeaDAS Toolbox and the ESA Optical Toolbox. The core elements of NASA SeaDAS science processing (both command line and GUI-based) are contained within the SeaDAS ToolBox. The NASA satellite mission data file readers and the ESA processors for the Sentinel-3 missions are contained within the Optical Toolbox.

NASA's Ocean Biology Distributed Active Archive Center (OB.DAAC) archives release notes for the SeaDAS data tool. These release notes depict the primary changes which have occurred since the previous release. 

Version 12.0.0 was released on October 19, 2026.

Getting Started with SeaDAS

See: SeaDAS Download, Installation, and Run Instructions

SeaDAS Legacy Software Overview

  • SeaDAS 11 series integrated the ESA SNAP 13 software .
  • SeaDAS 10 series integrated the ESA SNAP 12 software .
  • SeaDAS 9 series continued an integration with the ESA SNAP software (used JAVA 11)
  • SeaDAS 8 series began an integration with the ESA SNAP software (used JAVA 8)
  • SeaDAS 7 series contained the NASA OBPG processors and the GUI is a variant of the BEAM software. This series culminated in version 7.5.3 and will no longer be revised. It won't use the latest NASA processors.
  • SeaDAS 6 series was based on IDL and is no longer supported.

Version 12.0.0

These release notes depict the primary changes which have occurred since the previous release (SeaDAS 12.0.0).

Versioning

Users installing the non-JRE versions can refer to the detailed setup instructions in the SeaDAS User Guide for Installers Without Bundled JRE.

Operating Systems and Platform

  • Uses JAVA 21
  • Runs on Ubuntu 22.04 and up for Linux
  • Increased default virtual memory to 12 Gig.

Deprecation Notice: SeaDAS 9.2.0 was the final version to support Intel-based Macs. All future Mac OS releases of SeaDAS will run only on Apple Silicon.

SeaDAS Installer

Modifications to the SeaDAS application installer.

  • (For Windows):
    • Introduced a new setup program that installs SeaDAS in Program Files
    • Creates a desktop shortcut to launch SeaDAS
    • Adds an uninstall entry.
    • The non-JRE installer automatically detects an existing Java installation.
  • (For Linux)
    • Creates a desktop shortcut to launch SeaDAS
    • Creates an application menu entry to launch SeaDAS

Earthdata-Cloud Tools

Tools which use Earthdata cloud services.

  • Earthdata Cloud Data Browser:
    • Supports searching for multiple products in single search
    • Supports text-based search filter for filename
    • Supports downloading the data file URL locations
    • Improves configuration of data download directory
    • Shows browse images for both NRT and refined data
    • Supports search for HARP2 and SPEXone data
    • Displays the Earthdata Cloud Subset Tool access button only for level-2 files.
    • Updated help page
  • Earthdata Cloud Subset Tool:
    • Supports HARP2 and SPEXone level-2 data (spatial subset and variable subset)
    • Bug Fix: supports retention of level-2 flags when subsetting by variable

File Readers

Modifications to the file readers.

  • File/Sensor Support: Support includes features such as reading a file, adding band groupings, flipping scene data, etc.
    • Bug Fix: decimal wavelengths now displayed for support data files
    • Bug Fix: HARP2, SPEXone, OLCI S3A and OLCI S3B level-2 data are now displayed correctly regarding east-west orientation
    • Bug Fix: HARP2 L1C 3D bands are displayed with more accurate band names
    • Supports Version-4 of HARP2 and SPEXone level-2 data
    • Improves system performance loading large level-3 mapped files of cylindrical equidistant projection
    • Allows users to choose in the Preferences whether to skip bad navigation lines at the beginning and the end of the data set
    • Supports upcoming format changes to level-2 files which includes use of "alternate_wavelength" field for new product "Lt_interp".

General Tools

Modifications to the general tools.

  • Bug Fix: fixes display issue where highly zoomed-in images were not precisely aligning the data image of the pixel with the pixel borders.

Science Processors

Modifications to the GUI support of the SeaDAS science processors (OCSSW)

  • L2Bin GUI:
    • Bug Fix: fixes broken preference default value
    • Bug Fix: fixes issues where duplicate entries were being displayed in the suite selector
  • L3Mapgen GUI:
    • Bug Fix: fixes issues where duplicate entries were being displayed in the suite selector
  • L3BinDump GUI:
    • Adds output file 'ofile' field (and autofills it based on input file).

Docker

  • SeaDAS starts the OCSSW Docker container automatically when needed, starting Docker Desktop and downloading the seadas/ocssw-run:12.0.0 image if necessary, and restarts it if it stops.
  • SeaDAS sets up the OCSSW and shared folders and copies the Earthdata Login .netrc file into the container.
  • The seadas/ocssw-run image is now built from the SeaDAS source code; OCSSW is installed into it through the SeaDAS GUI.
  • Bug Fix: L2Gen "problem creating Parameter XML file" error fixed (applies to using Docker, virtual machine or remote-server OCSSW).
  • Bug Fix: missing Landsat band files error fixed (applies to using Docker, virtual machine or remote-server OCSSW).
  • Validated (on Windows) PACE OCI installation and running of L2Gen (with OCSSW tag V2026.5)

Known Issues (New)

Highlights some new or newly identified known issues.

  • Science Processors:
    • Long OCSSW mission-package downloads may also require a stable network connection and the computer to remain awake until installation completes.
  • Docker:
    • On Windows systems using Docker Desktop, WSL 2 must be installed and enabled.

Known Issues (Recurring)

Highlights some known issues and offers helpful hints for users encountering stumbling blocks

  • General:
    • Time Series Tool:
      • This tool is currently unavailable as of SeaDAS 10.0.0. This is due to the merge with SNAP 12.0, where this tool has compatibility issues. We do hope to restore this tool in a future SeaDAS release.
    • Open File/Product:
      • Seems to not open a file if the directory has 400+ files with some of the files not being netCDF files.
    • Layer Editor:
      • Can get out of sync with selected layer in Layer Manager (user workaround: the layer editor still works, but it is one-layer click event behind, and the user can activate the desired layer by clicking another layer in Layer Manager)
    • Band Selection:
      • Clicking a view window tab selects the view window as the active view, but does not auto-select the corresponding band as the active band. This can lead to confusion when run band-based tools. (user workaround: click the band in the File Manager will auto-select both the band and its view window and will avoid this issue).
    • System performance:
      • This is a concern with large files and the user should adjust the settings in the "Performance" preferences page which defaults VM to 12Gig. But 12Gig virtual memory may not be enough for some files, so if the user has a computer with sufficient RAM then this VM can be increased if needed.
  • Science Processors
    • Mac OS (only). Opening SeaDAS GUI via clicking the Seadas App can have issues where a few minor processors such as 'l1bextract_oci' won't run. This can be resolved by instead clicking the SeaDAS executable instead of the SeaDAS App. Note: in the Mac OS Finder window, the SeaDAS executable is the file that has the black icon, whereas the SeaDAS App is the file that has the SeaDAS icon.
  • GPT:
    • gpt (graph processing tool) command line entries require full file path.
    • Coastline, Land and Water mask tool operator not available at gpt command line.
    • Bathymetry tool operator not available in gpt.