cfdm

The cfdm Python package is a complete reference implementation of the CF data model <https://www.geosci-model-dev.net/10/4619/2017>_ for CF-1.11, that identifies the fundamental elements of the CF conventions <http://cfconventions.org/>_ and shows how they relate to each other, independently of the netCDF <https://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf/>_ encoding.

The central element defined by the CF data model is the field construct, which corresponds to a CF-netCDF data variable with all of its metadata.

A simple example of reading a field construct from a file and inspecting it:

>>> import cfdm
>>> f = cfdm.read('file.nc')
>>> f
[<Field: air_temperature(time(12), latitude(64), longitude(128)) K>]
>>> print(f[0])
Field: air_temperature (ncvar%tas)
----------------------------------
Data            : air_temperature(time(12), latitude(64), longitude(128)) K
Cell methods    : time(12): mean (interval: 1.0 month)
Dimension coords: time(12) = [0450-11-16 00:00:00, ..., 0451-10-16 12:00:00] noleap
                : latitude(64) = [-87.8638, ..., 87.8638] degrees_north
                : longitude(128) = [0.0, ..., 357.1875] degrees_east
                : height(1) = [2.0] m

The cfdm package can

• read field and domain constructs from netCDF and CDL datasets,
• create new field and domain constructs in memory,
• write and append field and domain constructs to netCDF datasets on disk,
• read, write, and manipulate UGRID mesh topologies,
• read, write, and create coordinates defined by geometry cells,
• read and write netCDF4 string data-type variables,
• read, write, and create netCDF and CDL datasets containing hierarchical groups,
• inspect field and domain constructs,
• test whether two constructs are the same,
• modify field and domain construct metadata and data,
• create subspaces of field and domain constructs,
• incorporate, and create, metadata stored in external files, and
• read, write, and create data that have been compressed by convention (i.e. ragged or gathered arrays, or coordinate arrays compressed by subsampling), whilst presenting a view of the data in its uncompressed form.

Documentation

https://ncas-cms.github.io/cfdm

Tutorial

https://ncas-cms.github.io/cfdm/tutorial

Installation

https://ncas-cms.github.io/cfdm/installation

Command line utility

During installation the cfdump command line tool is also installed, which generates text descriptions of the field constructs contained in a netCDF dataset.

Source code

This project is hosted in a GitHub repository <https://github.com/NCAS-CMS/cfdm>_ where you can access the most up-to-date source.