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[netCDF #YEC-124697]: NetCDF Data Types

Lee,

ESRI adopted and supports netCDF-3 in their ArcGIS software since version 9.2.

However, the netCDF-3 data model is inadequate for representing relational
data and spatial data by itself, without awkward contortions and using one
file per relational table.

The netCDF-4 model, with its support for compound types, variable length types,
and multiple unlimited dimensions, is much closer to adequate for representing
relational data and GIS data in particular.  Mike Folk led an HDF5 study that
designed an HDF5-based representation for Shapefiles, a common format for
interchanging data among GIS users, and I think they concluded it worked
without
significant performance or space penalties.  The same representation can be
supported in netCDF-4.

The OGC GALEON project is also dealing with this issue, providing OGC Web
Coverage
Services for netCDF data that make it easy to overlay visualizations on maps.
The original WCS standard had some shortcomings for this purpose, and efforts
are underway to correct those limitations in a new WCS standard that will
suport netCDF data.

So there is some hope for interoperability between netCDF and GIS.  But we're
not there yet ...

--Russ

Russ Rew                                         UCAR Unidata Program
address@hidden                     http://www.unidata.ucar.edu



Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: YEC-124697
Department: Support netCDF
Priority: Normal
Status: Closed