NetCDF - gher-uliege/Documentation GitHub Wiki

NetCDF stands for Network Common Data Form. It is self-describing, machine-independent data format, frequently used in ocean and atmospheric sciences.

General

Visualization of NetCDF files

There are several ways to have a quick view of the content of a NetCDF file:

  • ncBrowse (very easy to install on any platform, if you can get hands on the installer software; the ftp site seems to be down)
  • Ncview (easy on Linux, tricky on Windows), installation detailed [http://modb.oce.ulg.ac.be/mediawiki/index.php/NcView here]
  • Ferret: an interactive computer visualization and analysis environment.
  • ODV: lets you explore and visualize CF, COARDS, GDT and CDC compliant netCDF datasets.
  • Panoply: the NASA data viewer for netCDF, HDF and GRIB data.

Installation of the NetCDF library

Use a package manager to download libraries

See for example https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/netcdf for Ubuntu distribution.

Build from source

Follow the instruction from http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/docs/getting_and_building_netcdf.html

Operations on NetCDF files

ncdump

The command ncdump allows users to examine the content of a NetCDF file.

Examples are available here: http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/workshops/2011/utilities/NcdumpExamples.html

Display header information

ncdump -h time file.nc

Display a given variable

ncdump -v time file.nc

netCDF Operator (NCO)

NetCDF Operator (NCO) is a set of command-line programs that take netCDF files as input and perform operations on their content.

Ncclamp

ncclamp is another command-line tool for the replacement of values in files.

Note that you may have to modify the '''makefile''' before compilation of the code.

ncclamp northsea_TSM.nc TSM nan -999 eq
replaces all the NaN's by -999

CDO

CDO stands for Climate Data Operator. A collection of command line Operators to manipulate and analyse Climate and NWP model Data.