[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

[netCDF #YRC-237402]: netcdf4 dimensions output comment out



> Hi Russ,
> 
> Thanks for your explanation.
> 
> Recently JPSS program converted some hdf5 files into netcdf4 by removing
> some meta data
> information.
> 
> One example of output netcdf4:
> ftp://ftp.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/corp/scsb/wchen/tmp/TATMS_npp_d20120911_t1359540_e1400256_b04529_c20120911202503549711_noaa_ops.nc
> 
> If viewed from hdfview, no those meta data, it's a netcdf4 file, right?  Or
> you think this still a
> hdf5 file?

It's a netCDF-4 file, as running the netCDF-4 ncdump utility shows:

  $ ncdump -k 
~/Downloads/TATMS_npp_d20120911_t1359540_e1400256_b04529_c20120911202503549711_noaa_ops.nc
  netCDF-4

Of course it's also an HDF5 file, because netCDF-4 files are just special kinds 
of 
HDF5 files with some added artifacts to support the netCDF-4 data model, which 
is 
different from the HDF5 data model.

> The input hdf5 used is:
> ftp://ftp.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/pub/corp/scsb/wchen/tmp/TATMS_npp_d20120911_t1359540_e1400256_b04529_c20120911202503549711_noaa_ops.h5

Yes, that's an HDF5 file that's not a netCDF-4 file, and the netCDF-4 file 
can't currently
read it, although the netCDF-4 library can read some HDF5 files that don't use 
the HDF5
features in this list:

  http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/netcdf/docs/faq.html#fv15

> That's the reason that lead me to think it's possible to skip meta data
> information in netcdf4 file.
> 
> All those red "A" on some original hdf5 fields are gone in output nc file.
> I guess they removed attributes.

h5dump should work on both files and make it clear what was removed.

--Russ

> address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> > Wanchun,
> >
> > > I used the simple C code: simple_xy_nc4_wr.c
> > >
> > http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/docs/netcdf-tutorial/simple_005fxy_005fnc4_005fwr_002ec.html#simple_005fxy_005fnc4_005fwr_002ec
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/docs/netcdf-tutorial/simple_005fxy_005fnc4_005fwr_002ec.html#simple_005fxy_005fnc4_005fwr_002ec
> > >
> > > But generated nc file simple_xy_nc4.nc has x and y besides data when I
> > > viewed it in hdfview, but I only want data, not x and y.
> > >
> > > Can you tell me in which part of netcd4 source code do those dimensions
> > > like x and y get written out?   I want to disable them or comment them
> > > out so that only data is kept in file.  I searched netcdf4 src directory
> > > and can not pinpoint which is the correct code to change.
> >
> > What you're asking for is not possible, because of a mismatch between the
> > netCDF-4
> > data model and the HDF5 datamodel.  NetCDF-4 has "shared dimensions" such
> > as x
> > and y that can be shared among multiple variables, to indicate a common
> > grid.  HDF5,
> > used as the storage layer for netCDF-4, lacks the concept of shared
> > dimensions, but
> > provides a different mechanism. "dimension scales", on which netCDF-4
> > shared
> > dimensions are implemented.  An HDF5 dimension scale is a special type of
> > HDF5
> > dataset, and must always be used for every netCDF-4 dimension, because it
> > is the
> > only HDF5 mechanism available for modeling shared dimensions.
> >
> > If netCDF-4 had "anonymous dimensions" such as HDF5 dataspaces, which
> > cannot be
> > shared among variables, then you could define a variable that had its own
> > dataspace,
> > with unnamed and unsharable dimensions.  If you must store just the data
> > but not the
> > metadata about dimensions, you probably want to use HDF5 rather than
> > netCDF-4.
> >
> > For more on netCDF-4 dimensions versus HDF5 dimension scales, see these
> > blogs by John
> > Caron, explaining the issues:
> >
> >    http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/blogs/developer/en/entry/dimensions_scales
> >    http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/blogs/developer/en/entry/dimension_scale2
> >
> > http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/blogs/developer/en/entry/dimension_scales_part_3
> >
> > http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/blogs/developer/en/entry/netcdf4_shared_dimensions
> >
> > --Russ
> >
> > Russ Rew                                         UCAR Unidata Program
> > address@hidden                      http://www.unidata.ucar.edu
> >
> >
> >
> > Ticket Details
> > ===================
> > Ticket ID: YRC-237402
> > Department: Support netCDF
> > Priority: Normal
> > Status: Closed
> >
> >
> 
> 
Russ Rew                                         UCAR Unidata Program
address@hidden                      http://www.unidata.ucar.edu



Ticket Details
===================
Ticket ID: YRC-237402
Department: Support netCDF
Priority: Normal
Status: Closed


NOTE: All email exchanges with Unidata User Support are recorded in the Unidata inquiry tracking system and then made publicly available through the web. If you do not want to have your interactions made available in this way, you must let us know in each email you send to us.