  With the advent of a new generation of telescopes (INTEGRAL, Fermi, H.E.S.S.,
MAGIC, VERITAS, MILAGRO) and the prospects of planned observatories such as CTA
or HAWC, gamma-ray astronomy is becoming an integral part of modern
astrophysical research. Analysing gamma-ray data is still a major challenge,
and today relies on a large diversity of tools and software frameworks that
were specifically developed for each instrument. With the goal of facilitating
and unifying the analysis of gamma-ray data, we are currently developing an
innovative data analysis toolbox, called the GammaLib, that enables gamma-ray
data analysis in an instrument independent way. We will present the basic ideas
that are behind the GammaLib, and describe its architecture and usage.
