Particle Data Management Software for 3DParticle Tracking Velocimetry and Related Applications – The Flowtracks Package

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5334/jors.101

Keywords:

3D-PTV, hdf5, trajectory database, particle tracking, velocimetry

Abstract

The Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) community employs several formats of particle information such as position and velocity as function of time, i.e. trajectory data, as a result of diverging needs unmet by existing formats, and a number of different, mostly home-grown, codes for handling the data. Flowtracks is a Python package that provides a single code base for accessing different formats as a database, i.e. storing data and programmatically manipulating them using format-agnostic data structures. Furthermore, it offers an HDF5-based format that is fast and extensible, obviating the need for other formats. The package may be obtained from https://github.com/OpenPTV/postptv and used as-is by many fluid-dynamics labs, or with minor extensions adhering to a common interface, by researchers from other fields, such as biology and population tracking.

Author Biography

Alex Liberzon, School of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University

Experimental fluid dynamics in complex and turbulent flows, Lagrangian fluid dynamics using the three-dimensional particle tracking velocimetry. Fluid dynamics of free shear, boundary layer and drag-reducing flows in three dimensional settings.

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Published

2016-06-16

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2016)

Section

Software Metapapers

License

Copyright (c) 2016 The Author(s)

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