Add load_* functions to support more remote relief datasets

[seisman]

Description of the desired feature

The GMT side is working on the lunar relief dataset for remote use and it's close to being finished (GenericMappingTools/gmtserver-admin#167). Similar to other load_earth_* functions (xref #1786), we need to add a load_moon_relief function to download and load the data.

• Moon relief dataset Add load_moon_relief to load Moon relief dataset in various resolutions and registrations #2674
• Mars relief dataset Add load_mars_relief to load Mars relief dataset in various resolutions and registrations #2847
• Mercury relief dataset Add load_mercury_relief to load Mercury relief dataset in various resolutions and registrations #3028
• Pluto relief dataset Add load_pluto_relief to load Pluto relief dataset in various resolutions and registrations #3027
• Venus relief dataset Add load_venus_relief to load Venus relief dataset in various resolutions #2906
• GSHHG Earth Distance to Shoreline Remote datasets: Add "load_earth_dist" to load "GSHHG Earth distance to shoreline" dataset #3706
• IGPP Earth East-West Deflection and IGPP Earth North-South Deflection Remote datasets: Add load_earth_deflection to load "IGPP Earth east-west and north-south deflection" datasets #3728
• IGPP Earth Free-Air Anomaly Uncertainty to pygmt.datasets.load_earth_free_air_anomaly Remote datasets: Add "uncertainty" parameter to "load_earth_free_air_anomaly" to load the "free-air anomaly uncertainty" dataset  #3727
• CNES Earth Mean Sea Surface Remote datasets: Add "load_earth_mean_sea_surface" to load "CNES Earth Mean Sea Surface" dataset #3717
• CNES Earth Mean Dynamic Topography Remote datasets: Add "load_earth_mean_dynamic_topography" to load "CNES Earth Mean Dynamic Topography" dataset #3718

[michaelgrund]

Would like to work on this if the GMT-side implementation is done!

[Esteban82]

Not just the Moon. Also Mercury, Venus, Mars and Pluto.

[seisman]

Not just the Moon. Also Mercury, Venus, Mars and Pluto.

Thanks, I've updated the PR title.

[seisman]

As shown in GenericMappingTools/gmtserver-admin#219, the building of the planetary relief datasets is almost finished. These new datasets are still not available on the GMT main server but are available on the candidate server (http://candidate.generic-mapping-tools.org/server/).

I think @PaulWessel decided to release these new datasets at the same time as the GMT 6.5 release, which may happen shortly (maybe in a few weeks).

It would be great if we could add load_* function to support these new datasets. When the new datasets are released with GMT 6.5, we can add the following sentence to the announcement：

You may also want to try the latest PyGMT dev version, which already provides the load_xxx_relief functions to help you load these new datasets as xarray.DataArray.

We can also decide if these new functions are worth a new PyGMT release, i.e., releasing GMT 6.5, the new datasets, and PyGMT v0.11.0 at the same day, although PyGMT v 0.10.0 was released only a few days ago.

[Esteban82]

I think @PaulWessel decided to release these new datasets at the same time as the GMT 6.5 release, which may happen shortly (maybe in a few weeks).

Most likely, because in order to access the highest resolution of the some planets a new GMT version is needed (see GenericMappingTools/gmtserver-admin#171 (comment)). Maybe will you have the same issue?

[seisman]

I think @PaulWessel decided to release these new datasets at the same time as the GMT 6.5 release, which may happen shortly (maybe in a few weeks).

Most likely, because in order to access the highest resolution of the some planets a new GMT version is needed (see GenericMappingTools/gmtserver-admin#171 (comment)). Maybe will you have the same issue?

Didn't realize the issue yet. Will read and see what happens.

[weiji14]

We can also decide if these new functions are worth a new PyGMT release, i.e., releasing GMT 6.5, the new datasets, and PyGMT v0.11.0 at the same day, although PyGMT v 0.10.0 was released only a few days ago.

Probably just need a patch release (v0.10.1) to support GMT 6.5? Depends on how backward incompatible things are. It sounds like most other functions should still be ok, just the remote datasets are affected.

[seisman]

Depends on how backward incompatible things are. It sounds like most other functions should still be ok, just the remote datasets are affected.

See GenericMappingTools/gmtserver-admin#171 for more discussions if you're interested. As far as I can see, there are no backward incompatibilities between 6.4 and 6.5. GMT 6.4 can access all these new remote datasets except a few full-resolution grids (e.g., pluto grid with a 52.0732883317s increment), while GMT 6.5 can.

Probably just need a patch release (v0.10.1) to support GMT 6.5?

The point is to provide more load functions (e.g., load_moon_relief in PR #2674) to load the new datasets into xarray.DataArray object. These are new features and should be included in v0.11.0. The question is, do we want to release v0.11.0 in Jan, 2024 following our quarterly release policy, or release earlier, on the same day as GMT 6.5.

[weiji14]

The question is, do we want to release v0.11.0 in Jan, 2024 following our quarterly release policy, or release earlier, on the same day as GMT 6.5.

When is the planned release date for GMT 6.5? October? November?

[seisman]

The question is, do we want to release v0.11.0 in Jan, 2024 following our quarterly release policy, or release earlier, on the same day as GMT 6.5.

When is the planned release date for GMT 6.5? October? November?

Ping @PaulWessel

[PaulWessel]

We are close but I have many non-GMT days next 2 weeks so maybe Oct 15

[yvonnefroehlich]

Two questions:

• Do we want to have a combined function for the or the "IGPP Earth South-North Deflections" and "IGPP Earth West-East Deflections" datasets, similar as for the Earth relief and Earth magntic field datasets?

• Do we want to include the "IGPP Earth Free-Air Anomaly Errors" dataset within the already existing function load_earth_free_air_anomaly for the "IGPP Earth Free-Air Anomaly" dataset?

[yvonnefroehlich]

Would like to work on this if the GMT-side implementation is done!

@michaelgrund you showed interest in working on this issue some time ago. Just wanted to ask on which of the remaining datasets you prefer to work 🙂.

[seisman]

• Do we want to have a combined function for the or the "IGPP Earth South-North Deflections" and "IGPP Earth West-East Deflections" datasets, similar as for the Earth relief and Earth magntic field datasets?

Yes

• Do we want to include the "IGPP Earth Free-Air Anomaly Errors" dataset within the already existing function load_earth_free_air_anomaly for the "IGPP Earth Free-Air Anomaly" dataset?

Yes.