Origin (software)

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This article is about scientific graphing and data analysis software. For the content delivery platform, see Origin (content delivery).
Origin
Developer(s) OriginLab Corporation
Stable release 9.1 / October 22, 2013 (2013-10-22)
Operating system Microsoft Windows
Available in English, German, and Japanese.
Type Data Analysis
License Proprietary
Website www.originlab.com

Origin is a proprietary computer program for interactive scientific graphing and data analysis. It is produced by OriginLab Corporation, and runs on Microsoft Windows. It has inspired several platform-independent open-source clones like QtiPlot or SciDAVis.

Graphing support in Origin includes various 2D/3D plot types.

Data analyses in Origin include statistics, signal processing, curve fitting and peak analysis. Origin's curve fitting is performed by the nonlinear least squares fitter which is based on the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm.

Origin imports data files in various formats such as ASCII text, Excel, NI TDM, DIADem, NetCDF, SPC, etc. It also exports the graph to various image file formats such as JPEG, GIF, EPS, TIFF, etc. There is also a built-in query tool for accessing database data via ADO, and an enhanced Digitizer tool to capture data from images of existing graphs.

Features

Origin Workbook with sparklines above data columns, this allows a quick glance of the data without plotting them.

Origin is primarily a GUI software with a spreadsheet front end. Unlike popular spreadsheets like Excel, Origin's worksheet is column oriented. Each column has associated attributes like name, units and other user definable labels. Instead of cell formula, Origin uses column formula for calculations.

Origin also has a scripting language (LabTalk) for controlling the software, which can be extended using a built-in C/C++-based compiled language (Origin C).

Origin can be also used as a COM server for programs which may be written in Visual Basic .NET, C#, LabVIEW, etc.

Origin project files (.OPJ) can be read by the open-source library liborigin. There is also a free component (Orglab8) maintained by Originlab that can be used to create(or read) OPJ files. A free Viewer application is also available .

Editions and support

Origin is available in two editions, the regular version Origin and the pricier OriginPro. The latter adds additional data analysis features like surface fitting, short-time Fourier Transform, and more advanced statistics.[1] A Student Version[2] based on OriginPro is available starting at $69.

Technical support is available to registered users via e-mail, online chat, and telephone. A user forum http://originlab.com/forum is also available, and posts are routinely answered by OriginLab staff and others in the user community.

History

Origin was first created for use solely with microcalorimeters manufactured by MicroCal Inc. (A Riverside Partners company acquired by GE Healthcare in 2008[3]) The software was used to graph the instruments data, and perform nonlinear curve fitting and parameter calculation.

The software was first published for the public in 1992 by Microcal Software, which later was renamed to OriginLab Corporation,[4] located in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Release history

  • 2013/10 Origin 9.1[5] SR0 added support for Piper diagram, Ternary surface plot etc.
  • 2012/10 Origin 9 with high performance OpenGL 3D Graphing
  • 2011/11 Origin 8.6, first version in 64bit
  • 2011/04 Origin 8.5.1
  • 2010/09 Origin 8.5.0
  • 2009/10 Origin 8.1
  • 2009/08 Origin 8 SR6
  • 2007/12 Origin 8 SR1[6]
  • 2007/10 Origin 8[7]
  • 2006/01 Origin 7.5 SR6
  • 2003/10 Origin 7.5
  • 2002/02 Origin 7.0
  • 2000/09 Origin 6.1
  • 1999/06 Origin 6.0
  • 1997/08 Origin 5.0
  • 1995/02 Origin 4.1
  • 1993/?? Origin 2[8]

Alternatives and clones

Similar proprietary software includes:

Open-source projects inspired by Origin:

  • SciGraphica, dormant since 2005

Other open-source graphing and data analysis software:

References

  1. ↑ Review article in Scientific Computing (OriginPro 8)
  2. ↑ Scientific Computing Aug 18,2011:OriginPro Student Version Offers Useful Enhancements
  3. ↑ GE Healthcare Acquires MicroCal Broadening Capabilities in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research, GE Healthcare press release, September 30, 2008.
  4. ↑ EVISA Company Database
  5. ↑ Business Wire Oct 23, 2013
  6. ↑ Drug Discovery & Development magazine: Vol. 11, No. 2, February, 2008, pp. 30-32
  7. ↑ NASA Tech Briefs Product of the Month
  8. ↑ J. Am. Chem Soc., Vol. 115. No. 8, 1993, p. 3396

External links

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