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SAGA GIS

Introduction to SAGA GIS​

SAGA GIS (System for Automated Geoscientific Analyses) is an open-source GIS software designed for geospatial analysis and modeling. It provides a comprehensive set of tools for raster and vector data processing, terrain analysis, hydrology, and more. SAGA GIS is widely used in environmental research, geosciences, and spatial data analysis.

SAGA GIS is known for its user-friendly interface and powerful geoprocessing capabilities. It supports scripting and automation, making it suitable for both beginners and advanced users. For more details, visit the official SAGA GIS documentation.

Using SAGA GIS with Modules​

To use SAGA GIS on the terrabyte HPC system, load the SAGA GIS module with the following command:

# consider adding the module use line to your ~/.bashrc to always make terrabyte modules available 
module use /dss/dsstbyfs01/pn56su/pn56su-dss-0020/usr/share/modules/files/
module load saga

Once loaded, you can start SAGA GIS in command-line mode by typing:

saga_cmd

Starting SAGA GIS Graphically​

SAGA GIS can also be started graphically via the remote desktop on the terrabyte portal. To do this:

  1. Log in to the terrabyte portal.
  2. Open the remote desktop environment.
  3. Launch SAGA GIS by typing module load saga; saga_gui in a terminal within the remote desktop.

Usage Examples​

Example 1: Perform Terrain Analysis​

To calculate the slope and aspect of a digital elevation model (DEM):

saga_cmd ta_morphometry 0 -ELEVATION input_dem.sgrd -SLOPE slope.sgrd -ASPECT aspect.sgrd

Example 2: Reproject Raster Data​

To reproject a raster file to a different coordinate reference system (CRS):

saga_cmd pj_proj4 0 -SOURCE input.sgrd -TARGET output_reprojected.sgrd -CRS_TARGET "+proj=longlat +datum=WGS84"

Example 3: Export Raster Data​

To export a raster file to GeoTIFF format:

saga_cmd io_gdal 2 -GRIDS input.sgrd -FILE output.tif

For additional usage instructions and configuration details, refer to the SAGA GIS documentation.