[netcdf-java] DODSNetcdfFile constructor slow

[Godin, Michael]

I am trying to open a DODS file and read a few values from it quickly.  However, one of its coordinate variables has about 4 million double values, which are always cached when a DODSNetcdfFile is created due to the default preload setting.  Thus, reading a few values involves at least 32MB of network traffic, which can take quite a while.

I have a workaround (a subclassed version of DODSNetcdfFile that allows me to toggle preload), but it would certainly seem more elegant to allow one to specify in the DODSNetcdfFile constructor whether to preload, or to set some constraints on when preloading occurs (for example, if the coordinate axis contains less than X values). Would it be possible to put this on the "feature list" for the next version of netcdf-java?

Thanks, Mike

_____________________________________________
Michael A. Godin
Software Engineer
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Phone: 831-775-2063  http://www.mbari.org