Single Page User Guide
Table of Contents
1. Overview
2. Install and Run
2.1 Mac OS
2.2 Linux
2.3 Windows
2.4 Supplementary Directory
3. Main Window
3.1 Main Window Fields
3.2 Top Menu Bar
4. Loading Data
4.1 Open a TID Directory
4.2 Move Between TIDs
4.3 Open Archives
4.4 TID Explorer
4.5 Archive Downloader
4.6 Load a Telemetry Database
4.7 Export Housekeeping Data
5. Opening Viewers
5.1 Open Viewer Files
5.2 Viewer Finder
5.3 Make HK Viewer
5.4 Quick Graph
5.5 Set Viewer Refresh Rate
5.6 Clear Viewer Data
6. Built-In Viewer Reference
6.1 Science and Radiance Viewers
6.2 Counts and Statistics Viewers
6.3 DDC Viewers
6.4 SSM Viewers
6.5 GSE Viewers
6.6 Packet, Cache, Marker, and Test Viewers
7. Common Viewer Controls
8. Earth Image Workflow
9. Radiance vs. Time Workflow
10. Spectral Radiance Workflow
11. DDC Raw Workflow
12. Saving and Restoring Windows
13. Setup Menu
14. OCI Settings
15. Limits Monitor
16. Preferences
17. Help
18. Troubleshooting
18.1 No Data Appears in a Viewer
18.2 Opening a Telemetry File Fails
18.3 Archive Download Fails
18.4 The UI Is Slow
19. Documentation Maintenance Notes
1. Overview
OCI Data Viewer is an application for viewing telemetry data.
It provides the following features:
View data in real-time. Supports TCP or reading from a file.
Load archives to post-process data. Supports CCSDS or 699 packets. Additional formats can be
supported upon request.
Generic displays (viewers) of telemetry data:
Tabular view
Time series plots
Packet statistics
Event log
Data rate
Raw packets as hex
Custom viewers to meet a mission's needs
Generic and mission specific settings
Display science data and housekeeping telemetry data together
Save and load viewer configurations
Multiple models per mission to support per model configuration
Supports interpretation of the ITOS and ASIST mnemonic definition formats
The Data Viewer can be run on Windows, Mac OS and Linux.
2. Install and Run
2.1 Mac OS
Mac OS versions are distributed as an Apple Disk Image (dmg). The dmg contains a single .app
which can be placed anywhere on your machine and then run. The recommended location is in your
Applications directory. The .app contains all required dependencies.
2.2 Linux
The Linux version is distributed as an AppImage which are similar to the Mac OS .apps. All
dependencies are contained within the AppImage which makes it easy to distribute and run. The user
or sys admin does not need to manage dependencies. The AppImage can also be run from any directory
by double clicking it or running it from the terminal:
cd
./
If you are not able to run it, you may need to make it executable:
cd
chmod +x
2.3 Windows
The Windows version is distributed as a zip file that contains the executable and all dependencies.
The zip file can be extracted to any location. After extraction, the .exe can be run by double
clicking on it.
2.4 Supplementary Directory
We use a separate repository for each mission to store released versions of the Data Viewer, config
files, and other miscellaneous applications and files. The repository is used for more than just the
Data Viewer. For example, on OCI we have an ocigse Git repository that's maintained on the
gs490v-gitlab GitLab. We use the version control to provide updates to the workstations and end
users.
The instructions to setup the gse repository is mission specific, but can generally be boiled down
to:
Acquire permissions to access the repository. Usually a NAMS request.
Checkout the repository
Perform initial one-time setup
If a machine does not have direct access to the repository, the supplementary directory may instead
be distributed as a zip file.
The instructions to setup the ocigse directory are maintained in the README.md of the repository:
https://gs490v-gitlab.ndc.nasa.gov/497_OCI/OCI_XINA
3. Main Window
The main window displays info about the loaded data. Closing this window will close the application.
3.1 Main Window Fields
Field
Description
Archive
Active telemetry archive file name. Blank when receiving network data.
Full path
Full path to the active telemetry file.
Model
Model associated with the data, or Unknown if unresolved.
meta
Metadata file path. It can identify the file, model, config, and DB patches.
Relative t0
Time origin, in seconds, used for relative telemetry times.
File Size
Current active telemetry file size, formatted as bytes, KB, MB, or GB.
Pkt Count
Number of packets currently loaded in the telemetry cache.
Created
Generated timestamp for the telemetry data, or Unknown if unavailable.
tmdb(s)
Loaded telemetry databases and patches used to decode, scale, and name fields.
archive load
Time required to parse and load the archive, in milliseconds.
db load
Time required to load database files and patches, in milliseconds.
viewers load
Time required to reload open viewers after data and caches are ready.
3.2 Top Menu Bar
The top menu bar provides access to data-loading commands, viewer windows, application setup, and
help resources.
File
Opens telemetry data and data-management tools.
Use this menu to open a TID directory, open one or more archives, move to the next or previous
TID, show the TID Explorer, show the Archive Downloader, load a telemetry database, or export
housekeeping data.
Data Viewers
Opens and manages viewer windows.
Use this menu to open viewer definition files, search with Viewer Finder, create an HK viewer,
build a Quick Graph, set the viewer refresh rate, clear all viewer data, or open built-in OCI
viewer windows.
Setup
Controls saved layouts, chart behavior, live-data tools, playback tools, and OCI processing
settings.
Use this menu to save or restore window configurations, enable or disable chart animations,
choose plot series colors, open the FEDS Client or FEDS Control windows, open Local Playback, or
edit OCI Settings.
Limits
Opens the Limits Monitor when limit monitoring is enabled in settings.
This menu is hidden when the limit monitor is disabled.
Options
Opens the application Preferences dialog for the active ground software configuration group.
Use this menu to review or edit environment-level paths and settings.
Help
Shows application information and support resources.
Use this menu to open the About dialog, view What's New release notes, or find the configured
issue-reporting contact.
4. Loading Data
4.1 Open a TID Directory
Use File > Open TID... or Ctrl+O.
Select a TID directory. The selected directory will be searched for a telemetry file.
4.2 Move Between TIDs
Use:
File > Open next TID... or Ctrl+Right
File > Open prev TID... or Ctrl+Left
These actions look for adjacent TID directories beside the current TID directory. They only work
after a TID has already been opened and when neighboring directories follow the expected naming
convention.
4.3 Open Archives
Use File > Open Archives....
Select one or more archive files to load.
4.4 TID Explorer
Use File > TID Explorer or Ctrl+E.
The TID Explorer opens a browser rooted at the configured data root. Click a test directory or
archive in the explorer to open it.
The data root comes from the active ground software configuration group. For OCI, this is the
data_root setting in the active Config699 group. Open Options > Preferences to review or change
the configured data root. The same data root is also used as the default starting location for
File > Open TID... and as the default save location for archive downloads.
When a telemetry metadata file identifies a different model or configuration group, OCI Data Viewer
can switch to that group while opening the data. In that case, future data-root lookups use the
newly active group.
4.5 Archive Downloader
Use File > Archive Downloader or Ctrl+D.
The downloader can find and download daily archives. Select:
Date
Save to
Model
Then click Find Archives. Matching archives appear in a table with start and end times. Click
Download on the desired row to download that archive. The downloader checks available disk space
before starting and shows progress in the table.
The downloader supports these model choices:
PACE-OCI (Science + HK)
PACE-spacecraft (HK)
4.6 Load a Telemetry Database
Use File > Load database....
Select a telemetry database file. The loaded database patch list and load time are shown on the main
splash page. If loading fails, the splash page records the failure message.
4.7 Export Housekeeping Data
Use File > Export HK Data....
This opens the HK export dialog for the currently loaded telemetry file. Open telemetry data before
using this workflow.
5. Opening Viewers
The Data Viewers menu manages all viewer windows.
5.1 Open Viewer Files
Use Data Viewers > Open....
Select one or more viewer definition files from the configured viewers directory. Supported file
types are:
.hk
.sc
.rt
.grf
5.2 Viewer Finder
Use Data Viewers > Viewer Finder or Ctrl+N.
Viewer Finder searches the configured viewer directory and opens the selected viewer.
5.3 Make HK Viewer
Use Data Viewers > Make HK Viewer or Ctrl+M.
This opens the HK viewer builder for creating or editing housekeeping viewer definitions.
5.4 Quick Graph
Use Data Viewers > Quick graph... or Ctrl+G.
Select one or more housekeeping items and a time mode. OCI Data Viewer creates a temporary graph
viewer with the selected traces.
5.5 Set Viewer Refresh Rate
Use Data Viewers > Set Viewer Refresh Rate.
Available refresh rates:
Disabled
1 Hz
2 Hz
10 Hz
Custom...
Disabling refresh stops live updates. A higher refresh rate updates viewers more often but can
increase CPU and UI load.
5.6 Clear Viewer Data
Use Data Viewers > Clear all data.
This clears cached telemetry, science cache data, marker cache data, and viewer data, then resumes
updates if viewer refreshing is enabled.
6. Built-In Viewer Reference
The built-in viewers are listed directly in the Data Viewers menu. Use this section as the guide's
viewer index.
6.1 Science and Radiance Viewers
Viewer
Use
Earth Image
Build scan-line image products and export current or RGB images.
Image
View OCI image-style science data.
Radiance vs. Time
Plot radiance over time by CCD, wavelength, HAM side, and scan line.
Radiance vs. Time Summed
Plot summed radiance over time.
Sci Pixel 3D
Inspect science pixel data in a 3D visualization.
Spectral Radiance
View spectral radiance with optional FPA and SDA model overlays.
Spectral Radiance Stats
View statistical spectral radiance summaries.
Spectral Waterfall
View spectral data as a waterfall plot.
6.2 Counts and Statistics Viewers
Viewer
Use
Counts Per Pixel vs. Time
Plot count data per pixel over time.
Counts Per Tap (and SSM CH)
Plot counts per tap and SSM channel data.
Stats Per Pixel vs. Time
Plot selected pixel statistics over time.
Stats Per Tap vs. Time
Plot selected tap statistics over time.
6.3 DDC Viewers
Viewer
Use
DDC Func Verification
Verify DDC functional behavior.
DDC Raw
Inspect DDC reset, video, CDS, ADC, tap, and CDS SD charts.
DDC Scope Mode
Inspect DDC scope-mode captures.
DDC Sci Packet
Inspect DDC science packets.
6.4 SSM Viewers
Viewer
Use
SSM Ch Stats Table
View SSM channel statistics in table form.
SSM Ch Stats vs. Time
Plot SSM channel statistics over time.
SSM Func Verification
Verify SSM functional behavior.
SSM Line Check
Check SSM line consistency.
SSM Sci Packet
Inspect SSM science packets.
SSM Trend
Trend SSM data over time.
6.5 GSE Viewers
Viewer
Use
GSE FW Det vs. Time
Plot GSE filter wheel detector data over time.
GSE Radiance vs. Time
Plot GSE radiance data over time.
GSE Spectral Radiance
View GSE spectral radiance data.
GSE Spectral Waterfall
View GSE spectral data as a waterfall plot.
6.6 Packet, Cache, Marker, and Test Viewers
Viewer
Use
DAUC Dwell vs Time
View DAUC dwell values over time.
Markers
View OCI markers and marker-derived context.
PRBS 9
Inspect PRBS9 verification statistics.
Sci Cache
Inspect the science cache state.
7. Common Viewer Controls
Viewer controls vary by data type, but many viewers use common patterns:
Reload updates the viewer using the current settings.
Go Live moves the chart to new data.
Pause stops live chart following.
Control Table opens a selector for choosing scan-line related settings from control-table data.
y auto or Y Axis Auto Scale lets the chart scale the Y axis from displayed data.
Time Window controls how much recent data is shown on time plots.
Line Avg and Scan Avg control spatial or scan averaging where supported.
Max Points Per Series limits the amount of plotted data for performance.
8. Earth Image Workflow
Open telemetry data with File > Open TID... or File > Open Archives....
Open Data Viewers > Earth Image.
Choose dark subtraction, HAM side, line start, and line end.
Select wavelengths to sum.
Set the scan window.
Click Reload.
Adjust the color scale manually or enable Auto.
Use Export Current Image to save the current image.
Use Export RGB Images to export red, green, and blue image outputs.
9. Radiance vs. Time Workflow
Open telemetry data.
Open Data Viewers > Radiance vs. Time.
Set CCD ID, wavelength, dark mode, HAM side, scan line, line average, and scan average.
Click Add to create a series.
Repeat for additional series.
Use Reload All Changed Series after modifying existing series settings.
Use Copy To All Series when selected settings should be copied from one series to every series.
Adjust Time Window, y auto, normalized, and Max Points Per Series as needed.
10. Spectral Radiance Workflow
Open telemetry data.
Open Data Viewers > Spectral Radiance.
Choose dark mode, HAM side, scan line, line average, and scan average.
Click Control Table if you want to select a scan line from control-table data.
Click Reload.
Adjust Y-axis mode and auto-scaling.
Enable FPA Model or SDA Model overlays when requirements/model comparison is needed.
11. DDC Raw Workflow
Open telemetry data.
Open Data Viewers > DDC Raw.
Select the CCD/DDC ID.
Select export format and whether to fix CDS order.
Choose which charts are visible.
Adjust line window, Y-axis auto scale, synchronized axes, region display, and chart height.
Use Export ADC Charts or Export CDS SD Charts when a chart export is needed.
12. Saving and Restoring Windows
Use the Setup menu to preserve a working layout:
Setup > Save Windows or Ctrl+S
Setup > Restore Windows or Ctrl+R
When closing the application, OCI Data Viewer may prompt you to save the current window
configuration before quitting.
13. Setup Menu
The Setup menu contains application-level tools and display settings:
Save Windows
Restore Windows
Chart animations
Select Series Colors
FEDS Client
FEDS Control
Local Playback
OCI Settings
Use Chart animations to enable or disable chart animation globally. Disable animations if chart
motion makes analysis harder or if the UI is under load.
Use Select Series Colors to customize the color sequence used for plotted series.
14. OCI Settings
Use Setup > OCI Settings.
These settings affect science processing and can force all viewers to reload. Review changes before
saving.
Settings include:
Grande correction enablement and correction/uncertainty files.
Dark collect shifting.
Handling of scans with missing lines.
Ancillary data handling.
Whether scans with no lines are added.
DDC science packet CRC checking.
MCE HK scan buffer size.
SWIR science product offsets file.
SWIR high-speed ADC channel offsets file.
SWIR single-image ADC channel offsets file.
SWIR channel mapping file.
Expected SSM shorted-input counts and standard deviation ranges.
Dropping invalid SSM data or SSM reset data.
SSM line-delay handling.
CCD start-delay handling.
Number of dark collect scan lines to skip.
ADC latency mapping.
HK stale timeout.
15. Limits Monitor
If the limits monitor is enabled in settings, the Limits menu appears. Use
Limits > Limits Monitor or Ctrl+L to bring the monitor to the front.
16. Preferences
Use Options > Preferences.
Preferences open the ground software configuration dialog for the active configuration group. Use
this to review environment-level settings such as configured data, database, and viewer directories.
17. Help
The Help menu contains:
About
What's New...
Report an issue...
Use What's New... to read the built-in release notes. Use Report an issue... to find the
configured developer contact for bugs and suggestions.
18. Troubleshooting
18.1 No Data Appears in a Viewer
Check:
A TID or archive is open.
The loaded telemetry database matches the telemetry data.
Required decoder and transfer-function plugins loaded successfully.
The viewer scan/time/window settings include the data of interest.
Viewer refresh is enabled, or click Reload in the viewer.
18.2 Opening a Telemetry File Fails
Check:
The selected directory contains a supported telemetry file.
The telemetry database can decode the packets in the file.
Required metadata is present.
The file is readable by the current user.
18.3 Archive Download Fails
Check:
The selected date and model have available archive entries.
The destination directory exists or can be created.
At least 10 GB of disk space remains after the estimated download.
Network access to the archive source is available.
18.4 The UI Is Slow
Try:
Lowering Data Viewers > Set Viewer Refresh Rate.
Disabling Setup > Chart animations.
Reducing Max Points Per Series in time-based viewers.
Closing viewers that are not needed.
Clearing old viewer data with Data Viewers > Clear all data.
19. Documentation Maintenance Notes
When adding or changing a viewer:
Update the Built-In Viewer Reference table.
Add or revise a workflow section if the viewer has unique user actions.
Update menu descriptions if the menu text or shortcut changes.
Add screenshots after UI text stabilizes.
Update the table of contents and section numbers when sections are added, removed, renamed, or
moved.