<p>There seems to be many options for a single problem, but each with different approaches and complications, and that makes is confusing and time consuming for this beginner to work out which to use.  I'd like to make an image like:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/q3eqK.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/q3eqK.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

<p>Each solution/environment/analysis platform seems to have particular benefits, but also perhaps things missing, and each takes a while to learn and surmise its feasibility and adaptability.  I'm worried I'll get involved in a software that ends up more difficult or only useful in a certain limited aspects of my study/investigation/research. Some famous platforms used in earth science look to be matlab, R, IDL, NCL, grids, COD, Fortran, ArcGIS, geode, global mapper, eradas, e.t.c.</p>

<p><strong>Among all of these which one is more user friendly, easier to learn, and more efficient for making a plot similar to the one attached?</strong></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-07T05:48:40.267Z
i do not understand what you are asking,can you make the question clearer.
trond hansen
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-07T11:13:19.097Z
It comes down to what type of data you have & what you want to do with it. Some software will do some things well & other thing not so well. There is no "one size fits all". One word of warning, Fortran is a scientific computer programming language, where you have to write the code to do everything.
Fred
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-07T11:15:13.000Z
In which software we can make plot similar to attached sample?
irfan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-07T21:12:33.060Z
To be honest, I feel like I totally get your pain with the many tools in computing when learning to work with geospatial data.  I've fiddled with enough through the years, but each seems to come up being poorer at certain angles, and frustratingly quirky/complex when trying to dig into some angles.  Same with computer tools in generally really. That has definitely led to hesitation in getting started at certain projects at times, almost a feeling of "I don't even know where to begin".
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-07T21:15:31.623Z
Hope the edits to the question were alright and in line with what you're asking.  Not sure such a question will work, since it's opinion bases, and so each person may have their own subjective answer.  But it's such a common problem that whole SE communities sprung up to be more welcoming to them... software recommendations and hardware recommendations.  I hope we'll be friendly to such a question here, but if not, you could try subsequently posting the question there and making users here aware of the question in chat.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-07T21:18:49.857Z
Out of the tools I've used so far, I've found GrADS to probably be the more intuitive one... but it still took a lot of effort to get files into the format I needed (that was a few years ago, I think the file format options have improved some)... and while more visual than some software, still wasn't quite as snazzy and shiny as some (I believe the increased options in OpenGrADS may solve some of that, but never had situation to dig into it).
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-07T21:22:31.950Z
GIS tools like ArcGIS are probably the most robust and widely used... but may end up requiring a lot of learning to do some things (I've been fiddling with making some river plots in QGIS after a recent question here, and it's one stumble after another :-/)  More fully programming-centric approaches like Fortran (blech!) probably add more extendibility (Fortran is a bit archaic and so may be a challenge to handle certain things, but newer focuses like Python avoid some of that).
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-07T21:26:27.080Z
So GrADS feels a fair balance between the more graphical side and the more adaptable programming side. Still I haven't used half of the ones you listed to start comparing with great authority (and I doubt TOO many have!). So I'd just choose one and get started. I'd think making a plot like this one could be done pretty fairly in GrADS or a GIS tool like QGIS/ArcGIS (if you have good data available!). And perhaps you could chat through the process and get more input in our chat (since it'll more involved in detail than a question can really cover). But I definitely share your pain! Good luck!
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-08T01:53:37.957Z
Jeopardy Tempest, Thanks for your response. May I know the way to do chat with someone directly?
irfan
<climate-change><geography><snow>
Which software is easiest to use to create plots like these?
irfan
# Which software is easiest to use to create plots like these?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-11-07)

There seems to be many options for a single problem, but each with different approaches and complications, and that makes is confusing and time consuming for this beginner to work out which to use. I'd like to make an image like:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/q3eqK.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/q3eqK.jpg)

Each solution/environment/analysis platform seems to have particular benefits, but also perhaps things missing, and each takes a while to learn and surmise its feasibility and adaptability. I'm worried I'll get involved in a software that ends up more difficult or only useful in a certain limited aspects of my study/investigation/research. Some famous platforms used in earth science look to be matlab, R, IDL, NCL, grids, COD, Fortran, ArcGIS, geode, global mapper, eradas, e.t.c.

**Among all of these which one is more user friendly, easier to learn, and more efficient for making a plot similar to the one attached?**

**Tags:** climate-change, geography, snow

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: i do not understand what you are asking,can you make the question clearer.  
> **username_2**: It comes down to what type of data you have & what you want to do with it. Some software will do some things well & other thing not so well. There is no "one size fits all". One word of warning, Fortran is a scientific computer programming language, where you have to write the code to do everything.  
> **username_0**: In which software we can make plot similar to attached sample?  
> **username_3**: To be honest, I feel like I totally get your pain with the many tools in computing when learning to work with geospatial data.  I've fiddled with enough through the years, but each seems to come up being poorer at certain angles, and frustratingly quirky/complex when trying to dig into some angles.  Same with computer tools in generally really. That has definitely led to hesitation in getting started at certain projects at times, almost a feeling of "I don't even know where to begin".  
> **username_3**: Hope the edits to the question were alright and in line with what you're asking.  Not sure such a question will work, since it's opinion bases, and so each person may have their own subjective answer.  But it's such a common problem that whole SE communities sprung up to be more welcoming to them... software recommendations and hardware recommendations.  I hope we'll be friendly to such a question here, but if not, you could try subsequently posting the question there and making users here aware of the question in chat.  
> **username_3**: Out of the tools I've used so far, I've found GrADS to probably be the more intuitive one... but it still took a lot of effort to get files into the format I needed (that was a few years ago, I think the file format options have improved some)... and while more visual than some software, still wasn't quite as snazzy and shiny as some (I believe the increased options in OpenGrADS may solve some of that, but never had situation to dig into it).  
> **username_3**: GIS tools like ArcGIS are probably the most robust and widely used... but may end up requiring a lot of learning to do some things (I've been fiddling with making some river plots in QGIS after a recent question here, and it's one stumble after another :-/)  More fully programming-centric approaches like Fortran (blech!) probably add more extendibility (Fortran is a bit archaic and so may be a challenge to handle certain things, but newer focuses like Python avoid some of that).  
> **username_3**: So GrADS feels a fair balance between the more graphical side and the more adaptable programming side. Still I haven't used half of the ones you listed to start comparing with great authority (and I doubt TOO many have!). So I'd just choose one and get started. I'd think making a plot like this one could be done pretty fairly in GrADS or a GIS tool like QGIS/ArcGIS (if you have good data available!). And perhaps you could chat through the process and get more input in our chat (since it'll more involved in detail than a question can really cover). But I definitely share your pain! Good luck!  
> **username_0**: Jeopardy Tempest, Thanks for your response. May I know the way to do chat with someone directly?  

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## 0 answers

