2009 Unidata NetCDF Workshop for Developers and Data Providers > Overview of netCDF
3.2 NetCDF Features
NetCDF has many features that make it useful for storing and accessing
geoscience data.
- Self-Describing: A netCDF file may include metadata as
well as data: names of variables, data locations in
time and space, units of measure, and other useful information.
- Portable:
Data written on one platform can be read on other platforms.
- Direct-access:
A small subset of a large dataset may be accessed efficiently,
without first reading through all the preceding data.
- Appendable:
Data may be efficiently appended to a
netCDF file without copying the dataset or redefining its
structure.
- Sharable:
One writer and multiple readers may simultaneously access the
same netCDF file. With Parallel netCDF, multiple writers may
efficiently and concurrently write into the same netCDF file.
- Extensible:
Adding new dimensions, variables, or attributes to netCDF files does
not require changes to existing programs that read the files.
- Archivable:
Access to all earlier forms of netCDF data will be supported by
current and future versions of the software.
2009 Unidata NetCDF Workshop for Developers and Data Providers > Overview of netCDF