[galeon] WCS and MIME types

• To: "Unidata GALEON" <galeon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Steven Keens" <keens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Subject: [galeon] WCS and MIME types
• From: "Ben Domenico" <Ben@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:57:53 -0600

Hi,

Many of you may be aware, that, in the WCS Standards Working Group, a 
suggestion has arisen to:

 Use Parameterized MIME Types to transmit format request options (parameter 
values).  It is flexible, it is simple, and it is how most of the web 
negotiates formats.

As I understand it, this would mean that we would move in the direction of 
having netCDF or CF-netCDF formally registered with IANA as a MIME type.

As it is now, we could continue with the MIME type that is used in places but 
not recognized

 application/x-netcdf

and apply to have that registered formally.  Then  we could use a profile 
parameter to specify cf-netcdf3.  This would look like

 application/x-netcdf;profile=cf-netcdf3

That might be the cleanest approach for the moment and would probably require 
minimal consideration from the CF conventions community since we would not be 
applying for formal registration of CF as part of a MIME type.  MIME type 
issues are a bit troubling for us because it's an area most of us have only 
been involved in peripherally in the past.

Of course there are many other possible approaches for MIME types we could 
pursue, but, if we are going to pursue this at all, this seems to be the most 
straightforward.

Any thoughts on this?   Is it a good idea in general.  Are there other 
approaches we should consider?

-- Ben

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: [galeon] WCS and MIME types
    • From: John Caron
  • Re: [galeon] WCS and MIME types
    • From: John Caron