User:Markf129/Earth sciences data format interoperability: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:33, 9 September 2010

Revision as of 16:00, 9 September 2010

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When designing a convention, certain principles are considered. Some principles may include metadata requirements, interpretation of the data, ease of use, descriptions, and naming.

==Conversion techniques==

==Interoperability guidelines==

When converting between the various formats, the translating software must assemble the data and records into similar variables, dimensions, and coordinates. For example, often all GRIB dimensions are seldom present. In order to assemble related records into NetCDF like variables, sometimes a single dimension must be used. In this example, the variable is given the same name as the NetCDF dimension. Dimensions are often established by first sorting grid data in a coherent order. Attributes, such as the start time, may not change from record to record. In these cases, the same attribute value may be assigned to the subsequent variables. Every attempt to assign correct values to each element is made, however, if a dimension is not present it will be absent in the conversion. It is a good practice to still convert data even when elements are missing, but warn the user of potential problems.

GRIB dimensions are seldom all present. That is, in general, GRIB coordinate variables can have the same name as the NetCDF dimension

assemble related records into NetCDF-like variables with named dimensions and coordinate variables

==Conversion tables==