Woods Hole Image Processing System Software implementation; using NetCDF as a software interface for image processing

The Branch of Atlantic Marine Geology has been involved in the collection, processing and digital mosaicking of
high, medium and low-resolution side-scan sonar data during the past 6 years. In the past, processing and digital
mosaicking has been accomplished with a dedicated, shore-based computer system. With the need to process sidescan
data in the field with increased power and reduced cost of major workstations, a need to have an image processing
package on a UNIX based computer system which could be utilized in the field as well as be more generally
available to Branch personnel was identified. This report describes the initial development of that package referred to
as the Woods Hole Image Processing System (WHIPS). The software was developed using the Unidata NetCDF software
interface to allow data to be more readily portable between different computer operating systems.