GONet Images

A GONet image is usually stored as a JPEG file, but it should not be thought of as a simple photograph. In the GONet acquisition configuration, the file can contain both an ordinary JPEG image and an appended raw Bayer data block. It also carries metadata that describes the observation and camera state.

A useful mental model is:

GONet image file
├── JPEG image data
├── raw Bayer sensor data
├── EXIF metadata
└── GONet-specific observational metadata

GONet Wizard exists largely to make these components accessible through a common interface.

JPEG component

The JPEG component is the image that ordinary viewers open. It is useful for:

  • quick visual inspection;

  • previews in the GUI;

  • display-oriented plots;

  • checking framing, clouds, gross image quality, or obvious acquisition issues.

Because the JPEG is processed and compressed, it should not be treated as the most reliable source for quantitative sensor-level measurements. When a standard display-oriented JPEG product is needed outside the original GONet RAW container, use the split RAW images tool to write a converted .jpeg file.

Raw Bayer component

The raw Bayer component stores the sensor measurements in a packed 12-bit format. Every pixel belongs to one position in the Bayer mosaic, so the raw array must be interpreted in terms of color-filter positions before it can be split into channels.

GONet Wizard parses this raw block and exposes the resulting data through channel arrays. Those arrays are the basis for channel display, full-array construction, extraction workflows, and conversion to standard TIFF/JPEG products through the split RAW images tool.

Metadata

GONet images also contain metadata. Depending on the file and acquisition context, this can include information such as:

  • camera and acquisition settings;

  • exposure information;

  • timestamp information;

  • location or observing context;

  • weather or environment-related fields, when available.

The exact available fields may vary between files. GONet Wizard therefore uses a structured metadata model rather than assuming every file contains every field.

Converted TIFF and JPEG products

Original GONet RAW files normally use the .jpg extension because the file contains a JPEG component. Converted products should be treated differently:

.tiff

A standard TIFF image written from the parsed RAW data. GONet Wizard keeps TIFF white balance disabled by default in the split RAW workflow so the output remains better suited to quantitative follow-up.

.jpeg

A standard JPEG image written for display. GONet Wizard uses the .jpeg extension for converted JPEGs to distinguish them from the original RAW .jpg containers. JPEG white balance is enabled by default because these products are usually intended for visual inspection.

For conversion instructions, see split RAW images tool guide.

How GONet Wizard reads image files

When GONet Wizard opens a supported image file, it builds an internal object that combines the image arrays and metadata. This object is usually a GONetFile or, when the separate Bayer-plane representation is needed, a GONetFileRaw.

Those objects are described conceptually in The GONetFile Object and in more detail in the API Reference.

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