Introduction

What is HyperSpy

HyperSpy is an open source Python library which provides tools to facilitate the interactive data analysis of multidimensional datasets that can be described as multidimensional arrays of a given signal (e.g. a 2D array of spectra a.k.a spectrum image).

HyperSpy aims at making it easy and natural to apply analytical procedures that operate on an individual signal to multidimensional datasets of any size, as well as providing easy access to analytical tools that exploit their multidimensionality.

New in version 1.5: External packages can extend HyperSpy by registering signals, components and widgets.

External packages can extend HyperSpy to e.g. implement features to analyse a particular sort of data. For details on how to register extensions see Writing packages that extend HyperSpy. For a list of packages that extend HyperSpy follow this link.

Note

From version 2.0, HyperSpy will be split into a core package (HyperSpy) that will provide the common infrastructure and a number of HyperSpy extensions specialized in the analysis of different types of data.

HyperSpy’s character

HyperSpy has been written by a subset of the people who use it, a particularity that sets its character:

  • To us this program is a research tool, much like a screwdriver or a Green’s function. We believe that the better our tools are, the better our research will be. We also think that it is beneficial for the advancement of knowledge to share our research tools and to forge them in a collaborative way. This is because by collaborating we advance faster, mainly by avoiding reinventing the wheel. Idealistic as it may sound, many other people think like this and it is thanks to them that this project exists.

  • Not surprisingly, we care about making it easy for others to contribute to HyperSpy. In other words, we aim at minimising the “user becomes developer” threshold. Do you want to contribute already? No problem, see the Introduction for details.

  • The main way of interacting with the program is through scripting. This is because Jupyter exists, making your interactive data analysis productive, scalable, reproducible and, most importantly, fun. That said, widgets to interact with HyperSpy elements are provided where there is a clear productivity advantage in doing so. See the hyperspy-gui-ipywidgets and hyperspy-gui-traitsui packages for details. Not enough? If you need a full, standalone GUI, HyperSpyUI is for you.