GDAL 提供了不少小工具，其中， gdal_translate 可用于网格数据的格式转换。

GDAL 的安装方法如下：

1. Ubuntu/Debian 下:

   sudo apt-get install gdal-bin
   

2. CentOS/Fedora 下:

   sudo yum install gdal
   

3. Windows 下，到 http://www.gisinternals.com/ 下载安装包，安装后命令位于 C:\Program Files (x86)\GDAL\gdal_translate.exe。如果偶尔用一次，直接用 命令的完整路径即可；如果经常使用，可以将 C:\Program Files (x86)\GDAL\ 添加到环境变量 PATH 中

下面的命令可以将 GeoTiff 格式的数据转换为 GMT 可识别的 netCDF 格式:

gdal_translate -of GMT srtm_56_05.tif srtm_56_05.nc

gdal_translate 的语法如下:

Usage: gdal_translate [--help-general] [--long-usage]
       [-ot {Byte/Int16/UInt16/UInt32/Int32/Float32/Float64/
             CInt16/CInt32/CFloat32/CFloat64}] [-strict]
       [-of format] [-b band] [-mask band] [-expand {gray|rgb|rgba}]
       [-outsize xsize[%] ysize[%]]
       [-unscale] [-scale[_bn] [src_min src_max [dst_min dst_max]]]* [-exponent[_bn] exp_val]*
       [-srcwin xoff yoff xsize ysize] [-projwin ulx uly lrx lry] [-epo] [-eco]
       [-a_srs srs_def] [-a_ullr ulx uly lrx lry] [-a_nodata value]
       [-gcp pixel line easting northing [elevation]]*
       [-mo"META-TAG=VALUE"]* [-q] [-sds]
       [-co"NAME=VALUE"]* [-stats] [-norat]
       src_dataset dst_dataset

-of 后接要转换的数据格式，使用 gdal_translate --long-usage 可以看到，支持的格式如下:

VRT: Virtual Raster
GTiff: GeoTIFF
NITF: National Imagery Transmission Format
HFA: Erdas Imagine Images (.img)
ELAS: ELAS
AAIGrid: Arc/Info ASCII Grid
DTED: DTED Elevation Raster
PNG: Portable Network Graphics
JPEG: JPEG JFIF
MEM: In Memory Raster
GIF: Graphics Interchange Format (.gif)
FITS: Flexible Image Transport System
XPM: X11 PixMap Format
BMP: MS Windows Device Independent Bitmap
PCIDSK: PCIDSK Database File
PCRaster: PCRaster Raster File
ILWIS: ILWIS Raster Map
SGI: SGI Image File Format 1.0
SRTMHGT: SRTMHGT File Format
Leveller: Leveller heightfield
Terragen: Terragen heightfield
GMT: GMT NetCDF Grid Format
netCDF: Network Common Data Format
HDF4Image: HDF4 Dataset
ERS: ERMapper .ers Labelled
JPEG2000: JPEG-2000 part 1 (ISO/IEC 15444-1)
FIT: FIT Image
RMF: Raster Matrix Format
RST: Idrisi Raster A.1
INGR: Intergraph Raster
GSAG: Golden Software ASCII Grid (.grd)
GSBG: Golden Software Binary Grid (.grd)
R: R Object Data Store
PNM: Portable Pixmap Format (netpbm)
ENVI: ENVI .hdr Labelled
EHdr: ESRI .hdr Labelled
PAux: PCI .aux Labelled
MFF: Vexcel MFF Raster
MFF2: Vexcel MFF2 (HKV) Raster
BT: VTP .bt (Binary Terrain) 1.3 Format
IDA: Image Data and Analysis
USGSDEM: USGS Optional ASCII DEM (and CDED)
ADRG: ARC Digitized Raster Graphics
BLX: Magellan topo (.blx)
Rasterlite: Rasterlite
SAGA: SAGA GIS Binary Grid (.sdat)