Configuring gediDB for custom use

This section provides guidance on modifying the data configuration file (data_config.yml). These files control how GEDI data is processed, stored, and queried, and can be customized to meet your project’s unique requirements.

Why customize configuration?

Customizing the data_config.yml file allows you to:

• Include new variables or exclude unnecessary ones as data needs change.

Customizing the data configuration file

The data_config.yml file manages which variables are extracted from GEDI h5 files, sets data filtering criteria, and defines spatial and temporal parameters. This flexibility allows you to customize data processing to suit your research needs.

Example: Adding new variables

To add a new variable (e.g., “sensitivity”) to the L2A product, open data_config.yml and locate the relevant section (in this case, level_2a). Then add the variable you want to extract:

level_2a:
  variables:
    shot_number:
      SDS_Name: "shot_number"
      ...
    beam_type:
      SDS_Name: "beam_type"
      ...
    sensitivity:                            # New variable added
      SDS_Name: "sensitivity"
      description: "Maxmimum canopy cover that can be penetrated"
      units: "adimensional"
      dtype: "float32"
      valid_range: "0, 1"
      product_level: 'L2A'

This configuration adds sensitivity to the variables processed from the L2A GEDI product.

By customizing these configuration files, you can adapt gediDB to handle a wide range of data needs while ensuring data consistency and efficiency.