is a translator library for raster geospatial data formats that is released under an X/MIT style Open Source license. As a library, it presents a single abstract data model to the calling application for all supported formats. The related OGR library (which lives within the GDAL source tree) provides a similar capability for simple features vector data. The NEWS page describes the March 2005 GDAL 1.2.6 release.

Master Page: http://www.gdal.org
Mirror Page: http://www.remotesensing.org/gdal
Mirror: http://gdal.maptools.org
Download: http at gdal.org, ftp at remotesensing.org, http at maptools.org
Primary Maintainer: Frank Warmerdam.

Primary Sponsor

ER Mapper has generously provided ongoing primary sponsorship for GDAL since February 2005 to support work on GDAL improvement efforts not focused on any particular client project.

User Oriented Documentation

Developer Oriented Documentation

Mailing List

The gdal-dev@remotesensing.org mailing list can be used for discussion of development and user issues related to GDAL and related technologies. Subscriptions can be done, and archives reviewed on the web. The mailing list is also available by NNTP at news://news.gmane.org/gmane.comp.gis.gdal.devel and by HTTP at http://news.gmane.org/gmane.comp.gis.gdal.devel.

Bug Reporting

GDAL bugs can be reported, and can be listed using BugZilla.

Related Information

My other projects, many of which are incorporated into GDAL or use GDAL.
GDAL Bindings into R by Timothy H. Keitt.
Preliminary perl GDAL bindings have been implemented by Schuyler Erle.

Projects Using GDAL

GRASS: A raster/vector open source GIS uses GDAL for raster import (via r.in.gdal).
OpenEV: An OpenGL/GTK/Python based graphical viewer which exclusively uses GDAL for raster access.
OSSIM: Another geospatial viewing and analysis environment which uses GDAL as one of several plugins.
UMN MapServer: A popular web mapping application with GDAL support.
Virtual Terrain Project: The VTP libraries now use GDAL.
Thuban: A multi-platform interactive geographic data viewer.
Quantum GIS (QGIS): A Geographic Information System (GIS) built for Linux/Unix. QGIS supports vector, raster, and database formats.
Demeter: A another OpenGL based terrain engine somewhat similar to VTP.
Cadcorp SIS: A Windows GIS with a GDAL plugin.
FME: A GIS translator package includes a GDAL plugin.
ScanMagic: Commercial Win32 application for visualization, analysis and processing of remote sensing data (lite version for free).
MS MacroSystem: 3D DEM Viewer.
gstat: a geostatistical modelling package.
flighttrack: GPS track viewing and downloading software for Mac.