Installation

Alternative: Manual installation

Prerequisites

Executables

  • Python 2.7 or greater
  • 6S v1.1 (installation instructions below)

NB: Py6S is an interface to 6S, not a replacement, so to use Py6S the 6S executable MUST exist on your system.

Python modules

  • nose
  • numpy
  • scipy
  • python-dateutil
  • matplotlib (optional: only used for plotting spectra)
  • pysolar >=0.9 (optional: only required for setting the geometry from a location and time)
  • pandas (optional: only required for importing AERONET data)
  • ipython (recommended)

An easy way to sort all of this out is to use Anaconda or the Enthought Python Distribution, either of which will install Python plus many modules which are often used for scientific computing.

Installing 6S

6S is provided as a number of Fortran 77 source-code files from the 6S website, and must be compiled for your specific computer system. Detailed instructions are provided in the sections below.

  1. Download UNIX tools: (Windows only)

    1. We need to download the make and tar tools to allow us to install 6S. The easiest way to get these is through a project called GNUWin32. Go to the GnuWin32 project and choose the setup link next to tar and make and download the files.
    2. Run the two executable files you just downloaded and work through the setup wizard for each, accepting the default options.
  2. Install the Fortran compiler:

    Windows:

    To compile the 6S code we will need a Fortran 77 compiler. These are a little difficult to find, as most compilers are now based on the (more modern) Fortran 95 standard. However, for some reason 6S does not compile using the newer compilers, so we need to find a Fortran 77 compiler. The best place I’ve found to get one for Windows is: http://www.cse.yorku.ca/~roumani/fortran/ftn.htm. #. Download the FORT99.zip file, and extract it somewhere.

    1. Copy the G77 folder to the root of the C drive (so that the folder is C:\G77).

    2. Right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop, or the Computer item on your Start Menu and select Properties.

    3. Choose the Advanced System Settings option on the left-hand side of the resulting window and then click the Environment Variables button in the next dialog.

    4. Scroll down in the bottom list box until you find a variable called PATH. Click Edit and add the following string to the end of its contents:

      C:\Program Files\GNUWin32\bin;C:\G77\bin
      
    OS X:

    Install gfortran with Homebrew.

    $ brew install gcc
    
    Linux:

    This may already be installed in your system. To find out,run:

    $ gfortran -v
    

    If you don’t get an error, it is installed. If not, install it using the standard installation method for your distribution. You can often do this via a GUI tool, such as Synaptic Package Manager, or via the command-line, for example:

    $ sudo apt-get install gfortran  # Debian/Ubuntu-based distributions or...
    $ sudo emerge gfortran           # Gentoo or...
    $ sudo pacman -S gfortran        # Arch or... etc.
    
  3. Download the source code for 6SV1.1.

    Do not use the current available versions (v2.1 or v1.0Beta) from http://6s.ltdri.org/ as they are not yet supported by Py6S

  4. Extract the download:

    Windows:

    Open the command window by opening the Start Menu and typing ‘cmd’. In the terminal:

    $ MD C:\Users\robin\source
    $ MD C:\Users\robin\build\6SV\1.1
    $ MOVE C:\Users\robin\Downloads\6SV-1.1.tar C:\Users\robin\source
    $ CD C:\Users\robin\build\6SV\1.1
    $ tar -xvf C:\Users\robin\source\6SV-1.1.tar .
    $ CD 6SV1.1
    
    Linux/OS X:
    $ mkdir source
    $ mv ~/Downloads/6SV-1.1.tar source/
    $ mkdir -p build/6SV/1.1
    $ cd build
    $ tar -xvf ../source/6SV-1.1.tar .
    $ cd 6SV1.1
    
  5. Edit Makefile:

    Windows:

    Browse to the 6SV1.1 folder in Windows Explorer (it should in your Downloads folder). Inside the folder you should find a file called Makefile. Open the file by double-clicking on it, and selecting Notepad (not Word) when asked which program to open the file with. When the file has opened, find the text saying -lm (it will be near the end of the file) and delete it. Save the file.

    Linux/OS X:

    The Makefile that comes with 6S expects to use the g77 compiler, so we need to instruct it to use gfortran instead. Open the file called Makefile in an editor of your choice, for example:

    $ nano Makefile
    

    Change the line:

    FC      = g77 $(FFLAGS)
    

    to:

    FC      = gfortran -std=legacy -ffixed-line-length-none -ffpe-summary=none $(FFLAGS)
    
    (*Note:* The ``-ffpe-summary=none`` flag isn't available when using
    GCC 4.8.4. Some people have had success leaving it out, but others
    have found problems. Ideally use GCC > 4.8.4, but if that is impossible
    then try without this flag.)
    
  6. Compile 6S:

    1. Compile the source code: $ make

    2. If no errors have been produced, then test the 6S executable by typing:

      Windows:$ sixsV1.1.exe < ..\Examples\Example_In_1.txt
      Linux/OS X:$ sixsV1.1 < ../Examples/Example_In_1.txt

      Note: on Windows, make sure you run this in the standard Command Prompt (cmd.exe), not Powershell (PowerCmd.exe).

    3. If this is working correctly you should see a number of screen’s worth of output, finishing with something that looks like:

      *******************************************************************************
      *                        atmospheric correction result                        *
      *                        -----------------------------                        *
      *       input apparent reflectance            :    0.100                      *
      *       measured radiance [w/m2/sr/mic]       :   38.529                      *
      *       atmospherically corrected reflectance                                 *
      *       Lambertian case :      0.22187                                        *
      *       BRDF       case :      0.22187                                        *
      *       coefficients xa xb xc                 :  0.00685  0.03870  0.06820    *
      *       y=xa*(measured radiance)-xb;  acr=y/(1.+xc*y)                         *
      *******************************************************************************
      

Using 6S

Once you have compiled 6S, you must place the executable (which is, by default, called sixsV1.1 or sixsV1.1.exe) somewhere where Py6S can find it. The best thing to do is place it somewhere within your system path, as defined by the PATH environment variable. There are three ways to do this:

  • Modify your system PATH to include the location of 6S: To do this, leave 6S where it is (or place it anywhere else that you want) and then edit the PATH environment variable (see above) to include that folder. The method to do this varies by platform, but a quick Google search should show you how to accomplish this.
  • Move 6S to a location which is already in the PATH: This is fairly simple as it just involves copying a file. Sensible places to copy to include /usr/local/bin (Linux/OS X) or C:\Windows\System32 (Windows).
  • Link 6S to a location on your PATH:
    Windows:$ MKLINK sixsV1.1.exe C:\Windows\System
    Linux/OS X:$ ln sixsV1.1 /usr/local/bin/sixs

If it is impossible (for some reason) to point to the 6S executable with PATH, it is possible to specify the location manually when running Py6S (see below).

Installing Py6S

Installation from PyPI

The easiest way to install Py6S is from the Python Package Index (PyPI; http://pypi.python.org/pypi). Simply open a command prompt and type:

$ pip install Py6S

If you get an error saying that pip cannot be found or is not installed, simply run:

$ easy_install pip
$ pip install Py6S

Installation from a .egg file

Py6S is also distributed as a Python Egg file, with a name like Py6S-0.51-py2.7.egg. You will need to choose the correct egg file for your version of python. To find out your Python version run:

$ python -V
Python 2.7.2 -- EPD 7.1-2 (64-bit)

Then simply run the following code, which will install PySolar (required for some Py6S functions), and then Py6S itself:

$ pip install PySolar
$ easy_install <eggfile>

Where <eggfile> is the correct egg file for your Python version.

Testing Py6S

To check that Py6S can find the 6S executable:

$ python
>>> from Py6S import *
>>> SixS.test()
6S wrapper script by Robin Wilson
Using 6S located at <PATH_TO_SIXS_EXE>
Running 6S using a set of test parameters
The results are:
Expected result: 619.158000
Actual result: 619.158000
#### Results agree, Py6S is working correctly

This shows where the 6S executable that Py6S is using has been found at <PATH_TO_SIXS_EXE>. If the executable cannot be found then it is possible to specify the location manually (this is unlikely to be necessary if you are using the conda-based installation method):

$ python
>>> from Py6S import *
>>> SixS.test("C:\Test\sixsV1.1")

If you choose this method then remember to include the same path whenever you instantiate the SixS class, as follows:

>>> from Py6S import *
>>> s = SixS("C:\Test\sixsV1.1")

To run the full test suite to verify that both 6S and Py6S have been installed correctly (recommended):

$ python
>>> import os.path
>>> import Py6S; print(os.path.dirname(Py6S.__file__))
<PATH_TO_PY6S_MODULE>
>>> exit()
cd <PATH_TO_PY6S_MODULE>
$ py.test