Visualization

sidescanpy.viz draws one result per call and returns matplotlib Axes / Figure; nothing is saved. Requires the [viz] extra.

Waterfalls, grids and tracks

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
from sidescanpy.viz import plot_waterfall

fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(12, 6))
plot_waterfall(ds, x_axis="across_track", y_axis="along_track", ax=ax, show_colorbar=True)
fig.savefig("waterfall.png")

x_axis	Meaning	Needs
sample (default)	sample index, port mirrored	nothing
ground_range	across-bottom distance, signed by side	geometric
across_track	signed across-track distance (pitched fan beam)	geometric

y_axis	Meaning
ping (default)	ping number (ping_offset keeps survey-wide numbering for a slice)
time	ping timestamp
along_track	cumulative geodesic distance

Colour limits default to the 1st–99th percentile of finite values (vmin_pct / vmax_pct, or fixed vmin / vmax); gamma applies a power-law display stretch without changing the colorbar’s units. The default colormap is copper; NaN cells render in a neutral colour.

Also: plot_survey_overview (whole survey compressed), plot_gridded_raster, plot_grid_coverage (cell opacity set by samples per cell), plot_track_and_scanlines, plot_track_with_targets, plot_target_position_scatter, contact_sheet, render_target_context. Basemaps behind georeferenced plots need the [maps] extra.

Analysis plots

One per analysis result: plot_value_histograms, plot_units_distribution, plot_sample_ping, plot_outlier_comparison, plot_cross_track_profile, plot_nadir_zoom, plot_nadir_waterfall, plot_beam_geometry, plot_usable_range, plot_segments_overview, plot_navigation_summary, plot_mean_vs_range, plot_tvg_gain_curve, plot_per_ping_profiles, plot_multi_frequency_comparison, plot_altitude_bin_comparison, plot_tvg_fit (a fit_tvg_models result and, below it, a check_tvg result). Deprecated, removed in 0.12: plot_candidate_fit, plot_range_decay_fit, plot_range_decay_residuals, set_fit_window_limits.

Multi-panel figure layouts are the caller’s; the Examples build them from these functions.