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TSoft A software package for the analysis of Time Series and Earth Tides

One of the Top-50 most cited articles published in Computers & Geosciences 2005-2010 doi:10.1016/j.cageo.2004.11.015
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  • Package (v2.2.15, 2017-09-03) cheksum: 9b81af6ef9be29bf2e61564c06cc1e54 396 KB
  • Manual (updated version 2.2.10 23-04-2015) cheksum: 6193acf6b65b8afe7ef3b2158c307209 1 MB

TSoft, created by Paul Vauterin, is a software package for the analysis of time series and Earth Tide series, developed at the Royal Observatory of Belgium.

In contrast to most of the existing systems, it allows the user to process the data in a fully interactive and graphical way, taking advantage of the extended graphics capabilities of the current computer systems.

This approach has a number of important advantages, particularly in the field of error correction of (strongly perturbed) data, and the detection and processing of special events (e.g. free oscillations after Earthquakes).

In addition, TSoft offers the possibility to write scripts, which allow one to simplify and speed up routine tasks considerably.

Tsoft can also be used as a nice and attractive educational tool, e.g. for signal processing (Calculation of spectra, aliasing, filtering, transfer function, ...).

The software offers the following tools:

  • Import and export of a variety of file formats;
  • Convenient visualization and printing of data channels;
  • Arithmetical calculations between different data channels;
  • Changing sample rate & sample frame, using anti-aliasing filters;
  • Calculation of synthetic tides and residuals, provide latitude dependent tidal parameter set;
  • Automatic and interactive correction of spikes, earthquakes, steps, etc.;
  • Time-dependent, nonlinear calibrations;
  • Compensation of varying time shifts & calculation of time delay between channels (correlation);
  • A wide range of filters (FFT, LSQ, Butterworth, polynomial.);
  • Multilinear least squares fits using different drift models;
  • Moving-window time dependent least square fits;
  • Frequency-dependent admittance determination;
  • Calculation of spectra and power spectra, using different data windowings;
  • Moving-window time dependent spectra;
  • Phase graphs, Allan variance, autocorrelation;
  • Calculation of transfer function (step response, sine waves);
  • Calculation of gravity gradient (multilinear least squares fits)

Requirements

The software runs on PC compatibles using Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 , Windows XP, Windows NT, Windows 7 or Windows 10.

Graphical images can be printed out in black and white or in colour on any Windows printer.

In addition, the software can export images to other Windows applications using the clipboard.

Install

On Windows
  1. Download TSoft package;
  2. Uncompress the files in a "C:\Tsoft" directory (or "D:\Tsoft" or "E:\Tsoft" ...).
    You will find 8 files and the 2 required sub-directories \macro (1 file) and \tidata (1 file).
Think about making a back up of your *.TSD (database) and *.TSM files (\macro directory) on a regular basis.
On Mac OS X
Read this. Thanks to Gilles Celli!
On Linux
Try Sun Virtual Box

For more information, please read the manual.

Version 2.2.15
  • Polar motion: appropriate error message if IERS series is not available;
  • If no IERS series: undetermined value 9999.999 instead of 0.
Version 2.2.14
  • Files « .res » are automatically considered as « free preterna » format;
  • Allan variance: now exports actual value instead of log ones.
Version 2.2.11
  • Scripts corr_detectgaps - corr_detectgaps - corr_detectsteps all were limited to 800 : now accepts 8000.
Version 2.2.10
  • Script "corr_detectspikes" takes "creategaps" and "diagnostic only" into account.
    It is optional, Tsoft can work with old scripts which do not contain this information as before.
  • New script "addcomment"
  • New script "BPLSQfilter" ( double lcutoff , double hcutoff , int window , string freq , int nr )
  • Possibility to make submenus in the script menu
  • Bug in “detide”: incorrect frequencies if sampling rate differs from 1 s. Corrected.
  • Two more spectra can be added in the FFT Spectrum window: 6 can be seen at the same time in stead of 4.
  • When filling gaps using the "auto detect gaps" tool: newly created data remained unselected in the gaps. Corrected.
Version 2.2.5
  • Could not handle files when the sampling rate is not integer but larger than 1 s. Repaired.
  • Could not process corrections when larger than 200,000. Can now process up to 500,000.
Version 2.2.2
  • Considers automatically .txt as free format
Version 2.2.0
  • Allan variance
  • Autocorrelation
  • Time integration: Sometimes Tsoft unable to take undetermined (9999.999) values into account: corrected
  • Multilinear regression: Testing the significance of the correlation coefficient
  • Tides: location database: When saving, Tsoft sorts alphabetically the stations
  • More shortcuts
Version 2.1.16
  • When correcting for gaps, Tsoft crashes when a gap is closed to the begining of the file: corrected
Version 2.1.15
  • New script instruction: savedatabase(); Launching Tsoft from command line is documented
Version 2.1.14
  • Loading: previous versions accepted only name starting with s (e.g. like sM2); now accepts also waves like M2 or fM2. See also improved manual concerning ocean loading
Version 2.1.10
  • DeCAC: Removing annual composite signal
Version 2.1.2
Version 2.0.14
  • Browser when changing database; new scripts chgdatabase and apply steps; calculates polar motion using IERS coordinates
Version 2.0.11
  • "[COMMENTS]" no more limited to 20 lines (200 are possible now).
Version 2.0.9
  • Free PRETERNA format (column width can be different than 10 char);
  • "Cumulative" tool and Linear interpolation type in "Change sampling rate";
  • Calculates latitude dependent tidal parameters for an inelastic non-hydrostatic Earth (Wahr dehant Defraigne model);
  • Calculates Ocean Loading effects (needs a specific parameter set, which Tsoft does not yet calculate).
(See updated Manual for details)
Version 2.0.5
  • New Scripts functions (mergechannel, FFT & LSQ filters, Spectrum calculation, Openfile, append data file, Time derivative & integration, time shift, MultiLinear fit).
  • Create new data set : allows one to create a data set without any existing file;
  • Functions atan & gamln available;
  • Merge channels;
  • Scripts: new functions getpar & setpar give the user the possibility to define and use parameters;
  • Accepts Kinemetrics' ".EVT" data file format.
  • Log-Log, Lin-Log, Log-Lin spectra.
  • Time integration.
  • Gravity gradient (+ improved multilinear regression: correlation matrix available).
  • Nakamura method.
  • High- and band-pass filters (LSQ and 2 poles Butterworth);
  • Tides-related tools installed in a specific menu (open location data base, calculate/fit tidal model, detide, ....).
  • Accepts GSE and free formats, Correlation.
(2015-04-23 Version 2.2.10)
  • Script "corr_detectspikes" takes "creategaps" and "diagnostic only" into account.
    ! It is optionnal, Tsoft can work with old scripts which do not contain this information as before.
  • New script "addcomment"
  • New script "BPLSQfilter" ( double lcutoff , double hcutoff , int window , string freq , int nr )
  • Possibility to make submenus in the script menu
  • Bug in “detide”: incorrect frequencies if sampling rate differs from 1s. Corrected.
  • Two more spectra can be added in the FFT Spectrum window: 6 can be seen at the same time in stead of 4.
  • When filling gaps using the "auto detect gaps" tool: newly created data remained unselected in the gaps. Corrected.
  • Filling gaps with zeroes is now possible (better before computing FFTs)

TSoft is a public domain software, which means that everyone is allowed to get a copy free of charge.

When citing Tsoft, please refer to: Van Camp, M., and Vauterin, P., "Tsoft: graphical and interactive software for the analysis of time series and Earth tides"
Computers & Geosciences, 31(5) 631-640, doi: 10.1016/j.cageo.2004.11.015, 2005. One of the Top-50 most cited articles published in Computers & Geosciences 2005-2010

Please have a look to bugs list here below before reporting bugs, and ensure that the encountered problems are really due to the new TSoft version.

All versions
  • Not possible to print from some windows (Correlation, Frequency Dependent Regression, Histogram, Spectral Power Table, ...): problem not solved. To print, write the data with "EXPORT" and use any graphic editor.
2.2.15 (2017-03-09)
  • Before this version Tsoft provided an inappropriate error message (without any consequence on the result) when computing polar motion if IERS time series is not available
2.2.14 (2017-01-13)
  • Read a file using the format « free preterna »: crash when hour format is not HHMMSS (e.g. 10000 as 1h00m00s instead of 010000). This was an issue using file released by the new ETERNA34 package
  • Allan variance: showed log of the values. Now shows actual values, in log scale.
2.2.12 (< 2015-10-19)
  • Tsoft could not open files starting before 1950. Tsoft goes now back to 1901.
2.2.10 (only)
  • Bug in “corr_detectspikes” script: incorrect if contains only 5 inputs (see manual). Corrected.
2.2.5 (< 2015-04-23)
  • Bug in “detide”: incorrect frequencies if sampling rate differs from 1s. Corrected.
  • When filling gaps using the "auto detect gaps" tool: newly created data remained unselected in the gaps. Corrected.
    May be an issue e.g. when computing FFTs: gaps strongly perturb the spectra. Before this version one had to save the corrected file then open it again.
2.2.2 (< 2013-07-18)
  • Allan: time not normalized (acts as if it was 1 second data): corrected.
  • Allan: undetermined or unselected data were taken into account: corrected.
  • If sample rate integer but time ending with a fraction of a second: information lost when saved: corrected.
2.2.1 (2013-06-19, bug in 2.2.0)
  • Correlation = 0 when performing multilinear regression: corrected
  • No test of the significance of the correlation when using the script Multiregress: corrected
Before 2.2.0 (< 2013-06-05)
  • When using Change sample rate: if cancel is selected, Tsoft crashes: corrected.
  • Location database: before: first come, first served.
    Now, when saving the tide location database, Tsoft sorts your favorite stations alphabetically.
  • Script "changesamplerate" does not allow for "cumulative" mode: corrected.
  • Script "MultiRegress": according to the manual "drift" must be double precision: must be integer: manual corrected.
  • Time integration may work improperly when points are not selected (inactive data): corrected.
  • When applying the Multilinear regression tool: Tsoft provided abs(correlation) : corrected, provides the sign, now.
Before 2.1.13 (< 2011-07-08)
  • Minor trouble with the calibration database: solved.
Before 2.1.12 (< 2011-01-13)
  • Some troubles when opening a file by doubleclicking: solved.
Before 2.1.1 (< 2007-07-10) and > 2.0.4 (after April 2002)
  • Corrector are shifted by one sample intervall each time a Tsf file is loaded. Thanks to H. Wziontek.
Before 2.1.0 (< 2005-09-13)
  • Bug in the ocean loading routine: mistake in the wave arguments, such that an undesirable phase shift appeared in the calculated loading effect. Thanks to J. Beilin and O. Francis who helped to fix this problem.
Versions 1.1.2 to 2.0.14 (< 2004-08-20)
  • When LSQ band-pass filtering the sign of the results is incorrect.
Versions 2.0.9-10-11-12 (< 2004-03-12)
  • Mistake in the WDD tidal parameter set: wrong frequency for K1 wave (!! Due to this mistake, the amplitude of the diurnal wave was much too low!!!) Sorry!
Versions 2.0.10-11 (< 2004-01-19)
  • Problems when applying change sampling rate: wrong error message about “cumulative”
Versions 2.0.7-8 (< 2003-08-06):
  • Problems when appending Free Preterna files, problems using the spectrum moving window script: wrong cut-off frequency message corrected on Aug 06, 2003.
Version 2.0.5 (< 2002-11-18)
  • Unable to execute the "changesamplerate" script command properly: corrected on Nov 18, 2002
Version 2.0.4 (< 2002-04-10)
  • Unable to open (pre)terna files: corrected on Oct 17, 2002.
All versions < 2000-08-10
  • Small errors in the colours when colour printing: corrected.
Versions 1.1.3 & 1.1.4 (< 2000-08-10)
  • With long files (several years), error message when applying a filter with a too small cutoff frequency: corrected.
Version 1.1.2 (< 2000-06-05)
  • Writes negative times when saving too long files (longer than about 24 days): corrected
  • Problem with the append command, which does not work in the same way as before.It gives the message "merge error: incompatible sample frame" : corrected

For further information or to report a bug, please contact :

Email
Marc Hendrickx
Address
Royal Observatory of Belgium,
Circulaire, 3
1180 Uccle Belgium
Phone
0032.2.373.03.79

Web page & Tsoft maintained by Michel Van Camp