The MCD is primarily designed to operate in the UNIX environment on a workstation. Access software is written in FORTRAN77, for which a compiler is needed.
The data in the MCD are written using the Data Retrieval and Storage (DRS) library developed for the Program for (Terrestrial) Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison (PCMDI). The library is available (pre-compiled for common platforms or as source code) from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory World Wide Web server at
http://www-pcmdi.llnl.gov/drach/DRS.html
Please follow the instructions on how to install the library.
We also recommend that you install the Grid Analysis and Display System (GrADS) which is an excellent system for displaying graphical output from geophysical datasets. GrADS can read DRS files and display their contents using a few easy instructions. GrADS can be down loaded from the Institute for Global Environment and Society World Wide Web server at
http://grads.iges.org/grads