SeaSenseLib Overview

SeaSenseLib reads oceanographic sensor data from many instrument formats, standardizes it, and lets you convert or visualize it — all through a single, consistent interface built on xarray Datasets.

This page describes how the pieces fit together. For installation see Installation, for the full list of formats see Supported File Formats, and for detailed signatures see API Reference.

Where it fits in a data workflow

A typical SeaSenseLib workflow has three steps:

  1. Read a raw instrument file into an xarray Dataset. During reading, an optional processing pipeline normalizes variable names and units, derives parameters, and adds CF/ACDD-compliant metadata.

  2. Process the Dataset further if needed — subset, resample, or compute statistics — using standard xarray operations or the built-in processors.

  3. Write the Dataset to a standard format (NetCDF, CSV, Excel), or plot it (depth profile, time series, T-S diagram).

raw instrument file
       │
       ▼
  ssl.read()  ──►  xarray.Dataset  ──►  ssl.write()  ──►  .nc / .csv / .xlsx
     (+ pipeline)        │
                         └──────────►  ssl.plot()   ──►  figure

A minimal example

import seasenselib as ssl

# Read a SeaBird CNV file. Format is auto-detected from the extension.
ds = ssl.read("station001.cnv")

# Inspect it — it is a standard xarray Dataset.
print(ds)

# Write it out as a CF-compliant NetCDF file.
ssl.write(ds, "station001.nc", file_format="netcdf")

# Or make a T-S diagram.
ssl.plot("ts-diagram", ds, output_file="station001_ts.png")

When automatic format detection is not enough (ambiguous extensions such as .mat or .hex), pass an explicit file_format key — see Supported File Formats.

The processing pipeline

By default, reading applies a processing pipeline that turns raw data into a standardized Level-1 dataset. You can choose how much processing to apply with the pipeline_profile argument:

ds = ssl.read("station001.cnv", pipeline_profile="minimal")  # mapping only
ds = ssl.read("station001.cnv", pipeline_profile="default")  # conservative L1
ds = ssl.read("station001.cnv", pipeline_profile="full")     # all stages

  • minimal — variable-name mapping and finalization only.

  • default — conservative Level-1 processing (no unit conversion).

  • full — the complete Level-1 pipeline with all stages and handlers.

For raw, unprocessed data, use the CLI --raw-only flag or skip the pipeline stages you do not want. The pipeline is fully configurable; its stages, profiles, and public API are described in User Guide and API Reference.

Command-line interface

Everything above is also available from the command line:

seasenselib convert -i station001.cnv -o station001.nc
seasenselib list readers

Run seasenselib --help to see all commands.