What is EddyPro?

EddyPro® Software processes raw eddy covariance (EC) data to compute biospheric/atmospheric fluxes of CO2, H2O, CH4, other trace gases, and energy. It is based on the ECO2S1 package, which was released as free software by the consortium participating in the IMECC-EU European project2. EddyPro is customized to efficiently process eddy covariance data logged to LI-COR® gas analyzers. It also supports other raw file types, including data stored as ASCII tables, binary files (including the TOB1 format), and SLT (EddySoft and EdiSol) formats.

In 2010, LI-COR selected this software platform as the foundation for the EddyPro data processing and analysis package. EddyPro 7 is the latest result of this effort. EddyPro is designed to provide easy, accurate EC flux computations.

EddyPro is released as open source software, with one official version that is fully documented, maintained, and supported by LI-COR®, Inc.

Suggested Documentation Reference: LI-COR, Inc. 2021. EddyPro® version 7.0 Help and User's Guide. LI-COR, Inc. Lincoln, NE.

Suggested Software Reference: EddyPro® Software (Version 7.0) [Computer software]. 2021. Lincoln, NE. LI-COR, Inc; Infrastructure for Measurements of the European Carbon Cycle consortium.

EddyPro® is a registered trademark of LI-COR in the United States and other countries. The EddyPro trademark policy is at licor.app.boxenterprise.net/s/b5sz25qc6f9wp2wfi3ia.

What to expect from EddyPro

EddyPro will calculate fluxes accurately, given the available data. The interface is simple, and even users with little-to-no knowledge of the underlying eddy covariance (EC) theory should be able to use it with ease.

How does EddyPro make this possible? Inspired by the ECO2S philosophy, LI-COR designed an innovative raw file format (called the .ghg format, denoted by a .ghg file extension) that embeds all relevant meta-information inside the data file. Because each raw file includes all the information needed to be properly interpreted and processed, each raw file can be handled independently from the others. LI-COR eddy covariance data files (.ghg extension) are automatically created by properly configured LI-COR data logging software. EddyPro also allows you to calculate corrected fluxes starting from raw files in other formats, such as generic ASCII, Binary, TOB1, and SLT files. In these cases, meta-information must be provided before proceeding through the EddyPro graphical interface.

Processing EC data requires a long sequence of operations including raw data filtering, calibration, and other algorithms for calculating and correcting fluxes. For many processing steps, several options are available. Despite many efforts, the scientific community has yet to reach definitive agreements on which of these are best. Making all these options available can only be done at the cost of increasing the complexity of the software. The solution in EddyPro is to provide two paths for data processing: Express Mode and Advanced Mode.

In Express Mode, EddyPro uses pre-determined processing settings that are well established and accepted in the research community. This approach dramatically reduces the need for user interaction, allowing you to get flux results with just a few clicks. Express Mode is suitable for most eddy covariance setups, including:

  • Systems operated over relatively flat and homogeneous terrain,
  • Systems with open path gas analyzers (e.g., LI-7500A/RS/DS, LI-7700),
  • Systems with closed path (LI-7000) or enclosed path (LI-7200/RS) gas analyzers with short or properly heated intake tubes, and
  • Systems that include up to three analyzers.

In Advanced Mode, you can choose how corrections are applied and configure these settings to suit your research needs, making it the correct choice for data collected in situations that deviate from those listed above. Effective use of Advanced Mode requires both a deeper level of understanding of the eddy covariance theory and a deeper interaction with the software.

Installing EddyPro

EddyPro is compatible with computers running the Windows® (7, 8, and 10) and macOS operating system. It is likely that EddyPro will run on older versions (Windows XP and onward and Mac OS X 10.7-Lion onward) but we no longer support or test those versions. The latest official version of EddyPro can be acquired from www.licor.com/eddypro. Installing the software is a simple matter of downloading it, and then launching the executable file that is stored on your computer. On Windows OS, the executable file is called eddypro.exe. On macOS, it is eddypro.dmg.

Launch EddyPro by clicking the icon on your desktop, or navigate to the EddyPro icon in your computer's Start menu (Windows) or the Applications folder (Mac).

Learning EddyPro

The simplest way to learn EddyPro is to use the software. Three levels of instruction are available directly through the software interface.

The first level—EddyPro Tips—provides several-sentence descriptions of each feature in the software when you hover your mouse over a feature. This is active by default, and it can be turned on or off through the Tools menu (click EddyPro Tips) feature.

The second level—guided mode—indicates when required fields have not been completed. For example, if you are processing data in the ASCII format and you wish to advance through the interface, EddyPro will prohibit you from advancing from the Project Creation page to the Basic Settings page until the metadata has been entered completely. Further, EddyPro will list the incomplete fields in the "Messages" panel. Messages in red font are essential. Messages in blue or green font appear when the information provided to EddyPro is adequate to complete the project. Messages are visible by default and can be turned on or off through the View menu (click EddyPro Messages).

The third level provides detailed descriptions of certain features when you click help question marks () in the interface. This takes you directly to the appropriate topic in the software documentation.