PyBDSF (the Python Blob Detection and Source Finder, formerly PyBDSM) is a tool designed to decompose radio interferometry images into sources and make available their properties for further use. PyBDSF can decompose an image into a set of Gaussians, shapelets, or wavelets as well as calculate spectral indices and polarization properties of sources and measure the psf variation across an image. PyBDSF uses an interactive environment based on CASA that will be familiar to most radio astronomers. Additionally, PyBDSF may also be used in Python scripts.
The documentation is currently hosted at http://www.astron.nl/citt/pybdsf
Installation is done through pip, e.g. pip install . if you cloned the repository or pip install https://github.com/lofar-astron/PyBDSF/archive/v1.9.1.tar.gz to install the latest release.
External requirements include the ubuntu packages (or similar packages in another Linux distribution):
gfortranlibboost-python-devlibboost-numpy-dev(Only if boost > 1.63)python-setuptools.
Also, a working numpy installation is required. At runtime, you will need scipy and either pyfits and pywcs or python-casacore or astropy.
If you install as a user not using conda, use pip install --user. Make sure to use similar versions for gcc, g++ and gfortran (use update-alternatives if multiple versions of gcc/g++/gfortran are present on the system). In this case, the script pybdsf is installed in ~/.local/bin, so you might want to add that to your $PATH.
Installation on MacOS / OSX is more involved, you will need the packages mentioned above, for example installed with Homebrew. You will need to tell setup.py to use the same compiler for fortran as for C++. In case of problems, see lofar-astron#104 (comment) for some possible steps to try.
