Software Tools
Software & Scripts - Information & Downloads
Introduction & Philosophy
If I have gone to the effort of coding up something to address a specific
problem, chances are it is a problem someone else might have been seeking
a solution for too. In that vein, below are a few tools I have developed
or helped develop that you are welcome to download.
Software Projects:
At the moment, there are three major software projects I am working on:
MORPHED and ooCAESAR are very closely related. MORPHED is specifically focused on coupling morphodynamic and ecohydraulic models; whereas ooCAESAR is a much broader more generic modular scenario modelling framework (that MORPHED fits within). Visit the project pages for each to learn more.Scripts
The handful of scripts I am sharing below are relatively simple scripts for working with ASCII rasters. They are probably most helpful as simple code examples to get new users started. There are more efficent ways to work with Rasters, but these are easy to follow and manipulate for when you're beginning.
Matlab Scripts
| Name | Description | Link to Download |
| DEM_Detrend | A simple algorithm, which detrends an elevation model (in Arc Ascii format) based on a specified valley-slope and saves result to a new file. | DEM_Detrend.m |
| Raster2XYZ | Converts ASII format rasters to csv files in XYZ format. | Raster2XYZ.m |
ArcSripts
Scripts written for ArcGIS should really be distributed in ESRI's ArcSripts Web Site. Below are a few Python scripts I have posted primarily for batch-processing (did not exist in V 9.1, exists but is not as fast as this in V 9.2). These are easy to modify for other toolbox commands and Python is simple to use.
| Name | Description | Link to Download |
| ASCII Raster to Grid Format (Batch) for 9.1 | Batch conversion of ASII format rasters to Arc-Grid format. | ESRI ArcSripts |
| ASCII Raster to Grid Format (Batch) for 9.2 | Batch conversion of ASII format rasters to Arc-Grid format. | ESRI ArcScripts |
Conditions of Download
I am a firm believer in the principle of Open
Source Software. As such, the software and
Matlab scripts I am making available above are all licensed under the
GNU General Public License.
By downloading any above software, you agree to the terms of this
license (see here
for full text). In a nutshell, this allows me to share software and its
source code with anyone who might find it useful. Moreover, anyone can
modify the source code as they wish, but all subsequent modifications
of the source code can only ever be released under the GNU General Public
License, and the source code and software must always remain free.
Some argue that you should not share your code because:
- other users may not understand what the tool are doing (black-box argument)
- others may not apply the tools correctly
- if there are mistakes in the code, this may cause others problems
- it may reveal what a horrible programmer you are (i.e. people like me with no formal training)
While all the above may be relevant risks, I think the alternative of
not sharing ideas has a potentially worse impact. No warranty or guarantee
is implied in any of the tools I provide, and the burden is on the user
to weigh up the above risks. However, even if the user does not like exactly
how I have decided to approach a problem, they can at least see transparently
what I have done and modify it as they see fit for their own purposes.
There are varying degrees of documentation (from a few comments in the
source code), to more detailed help files. In a perfect world I would
document everything clearly and professionally. However, time dictates
otherwise. None of the tools are 'supported' per se, but I have provided
a discussion board for these scripts on the River
Basin Bulletin Boards under the Scripts
from joewheaton.org.uk Discussion Forum. Feel free to post questions,
bugs, suggestions, etc. there.