AN ADVANCED USER INTERFACE FOR PROCESSING AND DISPLAYING INTERFEROMETRIC AND SPECTRAL DATA - SPECTROPLOT

A powerful graphically-based software shell for processing, displaying and manipulating interferometric and spectral data is described. This program (SpectroPlot) was developed to support an ultraviolet-visible Fourier transform spectrometer and runs on Macintosh computers. It allows users to handle multiple data sets in independent windows and permits extensive direct user interaction with the data through an advanced user interface. In the first instance, a wide range of data viewing options (i.e. zoom and selection operations) are available for data display and study. Also with the program the user can implement a wide range of mathematical operations and statistical calculations on individual data sets and between multiple data sets. The mathematical operations range from basic arithmetical calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, integration. and differentiation) to more complex procedures such as fast Fourier transforms, digital filtering, spectral interpolation, peak searching, and apodization. Finally, a range of options is provided for the transfer of data sets to and from external application programs. Although developed for a Fourier transform spectrometer, SpectroPlot is a powerful and generic program for the graphical manipulation and analysis of spectrochemical data for Macintosh computers. This article is an electronic publication in Spectrochimica Acta Electronica (SAE), the electronic section of Spectrochimica Acta B (SAB). The hardcopy text is accompanied by disks containing the program SpectroPlot, some useful external routines, sample data sets, and a manual.