Radio Astronomy data analysis software

There are a growing number of software packages for reduction and analysis of data from radio astronomy facilities. They have many capabilities in common, with differences related to the instrument which provided the data, and to the user interface.

The ATNF also hosts a list of software tools.

You may also be interested in the annual conference on Astronomical Data Analysis Software & Systems.

Data Analysis Software

fitsplode fitsplode is a simple tool for extracting spectral line data that is stored in binary FITS tables. It works for Effelsberg raw data in MBFITS format and Arecibo raw data in CIMAFITS format.
MeqTrees MeqTrees is a software package for implementing Measurement Equations. This makes it uniquely suited for simulation and calibration of radioastronomical data, especially that involving new radiotelescopes and observational regimes.
Obit Obit is a group of software packages for handling radio astronomy data, especially interferometric and single dish OTF imaging.
AIPS Classic AIPS
AIPS++ Astronomical Image Processing System ++
(frozen in October 2006, replaced by...)
CASA Common Astronomy Software Applications, developed in collaboration by NRAO, ATNF, and ASTRON.
xs developed by Per Bergman at the Onsala Space Observatory for the 20m, 25m, and the Odin satellite
GIPSY Groningen Image Processing SYstem, orginally developed for the Westerbork Synthesis Telescope, now capable of handling a number of instruments
GILDAS Grenoble Image and Line Data Analysis System
CLASS Continuum and Line Analysis Single-Dish Software, developed at IRAM
DEAP Data Extraction and Analysis Program, based on Python and PGPlot, developed by NRAO for the GBT. This project appears to be dead (last update February 2004).
SPC Spectral Line Reduction Package for Parkes & Mopra
ASAP ATNF Spectral Analysis Package, developped at ATNF for single-dish, single-pointing telescopes, especially ATNF instruments. This package is intended as a replacement for SPC.
MIRIAD Multichannel Image Reconstruction, Image Analysis and Display, developed for the Berkeley Illinois Maryland Association (BIMA) Array
SpecX Millimetre wave spectral line reduction package developed for the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope.
SPLAT Spectral Analysis Tool: SPLAT is a graphical tool for displaying, comparing, modifying and analysing astronomical spectra stored in NDF, FITS and TEXT files as well as the new NDX format. SPLAT is part of the STARJAVA collection of starlink, and is integrated in the Virtual Observatory AstroGrid.
GBTIDL Greenbank Telescope package based on IDL
unipops developed at NRAO
pleinpot an environment designed for astronomical data reduction and analysis developed at Université de Lyon
Karma toolkit, applications, and data visualisation tools developed by Richard Gooch
IRAF Image Reduction and Analysis Facility, used by many infrared astronomers
SAOImage DS9 Astronomical Data Visualization Application developed by Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
PulsarAstronomy all the stuff for pulsar astronomy

Data Manipulation Environments

Python and friends Python is the popular object-oriented scripting language and when combined with a number additional packages, it becomes an extremely powerful data manipulation environment for astronomy. I use Python together with iPython and SciPy including NumPy and matplotlib, and I rely heavily on PyEphem and PyFITS. Other pacakages for astronomy include PySpecKit, astropy, and astLib.
IDL Interactive Data Language
GDL GNU Data Language “A free IDL (Interactive Data Language) compatible incremental compiler ”
PerlDL Perl Data Language “gives standard Perl the ability to compactly store and speedily manipulate the large N-dimensional data arrays which are the bread and butter of scientific computing.”
MatLab “The Language of Technical Computing”
GNU Octave GNU Octave “provides a convenient command line interface for solving linear and nonlinear problems numerically, and for performing other numerical experiments using a language that is mostly compatible with Matlab.”
MathCAD “The unique Mathcad visual format and scratchpad interface integrate standard mathematical notation, text, and graphs in a single worksheet”
Mathematica Mathematica is an “integrated system to deliver unprecedented workflow, coherence, reliability, and innovation.”
Scilab “The open source platform for numerical computation”
last update 2016 April 17, 08:14 UTC by Steve Torchinsky. See changelog.