Planetary Data Reader: One Tool to Read Them All

The Planetary Data Reader (pdr) is an open-source Python tool by Million Concepts intended to read all PDS-compliant data products with one command: pdr.read(). Its first stable version was released last year and development is ongoing. It has a simple, robust interface, is highly optimized (e.g. 14 Mastcam-Z images in ~250 ms, metadata from 1000 Diviner products in ~1.5 s) and designed for maximum compatibility with the standard scientific Python stack. These qualities have allowed it to serve as an essential component of multiple production applications, including tactical-timeline multispectral analyses for M2020 Mastcam-Z and PDS3 -> PDS4 conversion pipelines for M3, Clementine, and Viking data sets. We estimate that pdr currently has regression-tested ("official") support for >50% of PDS products and probable support for >90%. Continuing development will add official support for even more datasets. To request priority support for datasets of interest, see instructions at github.com/MillionConcepts/pdr.