Researchers can quickly add new functionality, at the IDL command line, and the extensions will automatically be added to the pull-down menu. Pierce's graphical interface provides easy access, not only to statistics and number-crunching, but also to powerful visualization techniques. A subregion of interest can be selected from a dataset simply by drawing a region on a map with a mouse. Selecting a time domain is just as easy. Sliders determine the starting and ending dates and buttons can be used to select particular months or seasons.
Animations deliver understanding into global climate trends and changes.
Hardcopy maps can be saved to any number of standard bitmap formats or PostScript. Individual modules could be debugged on the fly without requiring exiting the program, recompiling and relinking, then restarting. Applications that efficiently turn dense mounds of data into significant, revealing imagery will prove to be increasingly useful as data collection processes become more accurate and the volume of data builds.