[GSoC 2026] Modular echoshader application

[LOCEANlloydizard]

Overview

This issue tracks the Echoshader GSoC 2026 project aiming to evolve Echoshader into a modular application.
It links the main architectural and feature sub-issues defining the project scope.

Key components:

• Core viewer + module architecture
• Tab-based interface
• YAML-based configuration system
• New visualisation modules
• Deployment and demonstrations

---

Architecture

• Core app architecture (viewer + module system) #235 (new feature)
• Tab-based interface #236 (new feature)
• YAML configuration system #237 (new feature)
• Need jupyter_bokeh to use Panel interactively in notebooks #196 (small fix)

Visualisation modules

• Review existing tools (Matecho, ParaView) (exploration)
• Connect echogram and ship track #179 (existing functionality: echogram and ship track plotting already exist, but linked interaction is new)
• Sequential Viewing of Single-Day Echograms for Detailed Analysis #83 (new feature)
• Plotting Echogram with Environmental Variables for Hypothesis Generation #84 (new feature)
• 3D curtain in Plotly #51 (existing prototype: plotly-based 3D curtain already tested, needs refinement and integration as an option)
• Add colormaps commonly used for plotting echograms? #231 (new feature/design task: add or package echogram-specific colormaps beyond the current existing one?)
• Combine single and tricolor echogram plotting #230 (existing function/refactor: revive prior work from refactor_main and merge into main)
• Mooring visualisation module (to discuss)
• Broadband visualisation module (to discuss)

Overlay system

• Export the dataset from regions drawn or modified from polygon select #124 (existing prototype: export functionality already implemented in engine_echo_data_viz, needs integration)
• Allow plotting histogram based on lasso or polygon regions #180 (existing prototype/exploration: lasso-based region selection was already being investigated in HoloViews)
• Add functionality to allow users to draw a polygon to be an analysis region #181 (existing prototype: implementation already exists in engine_echo_data_viz, to be ported into echoshader)
• Add functionality that allows users to draw polygons to define analysis regions #220 (existing prototype: interactive polygon drawing already explored, needs integration)
• Add region browser functionality #219 (new feature: UI layer for navigating existing region objects)

Deployment

• Cloud deployment demo