Common Tools
It's easy to get started in geospatial & hyperspectral processing due to the abundance of free and open source tools available! This is a short list on some of the most common tools available, however the geospatial community is filled with excellent packages and tools for you to explore.
QGIS
Free
GUI
Open Source
QGIS is a free, open-source geospatial toolkit that is widely used by GIS professionals and researchers for working with spatial data. It allows users to view, edit, and analyze geospatial data, and create custom maps and graphics. QGIS supports a wide range of file formats and is compatible with other open-source and commercial GIS software. It also has a large and active user community that contributes to its development and provides support and resources for users. QGIS is a powerful and versatile tool for working with spatial data, especially considering that it is completely free software.
ArcGIS
Paid
GUI
Closed Source
ArcGIS is a powerful and widely used GIS software developed by Esri. It allows users to create, manage, and analyze spatial data, and create custom maps and graphics. ArcGIS has a user-friendly interface and a wide range of tools and functions for working with spatial data. It also has strong integration with other Esri products and services, such as ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Enterprise. ArcGIS is widely used by GIS professionals, businesses, governments, and organizations around the world. It is available in several different versions, including a desktop version and a cloud-based version.
ENVI
Paid
GUI
Closed Source
ENVI is a geospatial toolkit developed by NV5 Geospatial Solutions for working with hyperspectral imagery. It is widely used by remote sensing professionals, researchers, and organizations for processing, analyzing, and visualizing hyperspectral data. ENVI has a wide range of tools and functions for working with hyperspectral data, including tools for spectral analysis, image processing, and feature extraction. It also has strong integration with other Harris geospatial products, such as IDL and Geomatica. ENVI is available in several different versions, including a standalone version and a version integrated with ArcGIS and other GIS software.
Python
Free
Code
Open Source
Python is a popular and versatile programming language that is widely used for geospatial processing and analysis. It has a large and active community of users and developers, and a wide range of tools and libraries specifically designed for working with geospatial data. For example, the Python packages NumPy and Pandas are commonly used for working with arrays and tabular data, and the Python library version of GDAL is widely used for working with raster and vector data. Python also has strong integration with other GIS software, such as QGIS and ArcGIS, which allows users to automate and extend the functionality of these tools. Overall, Python is a powerful and versatile tool for working with geospatial data.
R
Free
Code
Open Source
R is a popular programming language and environment for statistical computing and data analysis, which is widely used by researchers, statisticians, and data scientists. It has an active community of users and developers, and a wide range of tools and packages specifically designed for working with geospatial data. For example, the R packages sp, rgdal, and rgeos are commonly used for working with vector data, and the package raster is widely used for working with raster data. R also has strong integration with other GIS software, such as QGIS and ArcGIS, which allows users to automate and extend the functionality of these tools.
GDAL
Free
Code
Open Source
GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library) is a widely used open-source library for working with geospatial data. It provides a common interface for working with a variety of different file formats and data sources, and allows users to perform a wide range of geospatial operations, such as projection, resampling, and warping of raster data, and geometry operations on vector data. GDAL is written in C++ and includes bindings for several other programming languages, including Python, R, and C#. It is used by a wide range of GIS software, including QGIS, ArcGIS, and ENVI, and is an essential tool for many geospatial professionals and researchers.