[cf-satellite] Sharing quality flags among multiple variables

• To: <cf-satellite@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Subject: [cf-satellite] Sharing quality flags among multiple variables
• From: "Randy Horne" <rhorne@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:12:58 -0400

In the application I am working on, there are specific types of products where 
where the same quality flags apply to multiple variables.  These products will 
be contained in a single NetCDF file.

The current CF conventions dictate that quality flags are attached to specific 
variables.  The implication is that comforming with CF conventions would 
require the same quality flags to be stored multiple times in our NetCDF 
product files.  This is potentially problematic due to the resulting increase 
in product file size.  Our variables have on the order of 10s of millions of 
data points where each has a distinct quality flag.

This issue has come up before, and any design to optimize flags has been 
dismissed due to the overriding objective of having variables that are 
self-describing.

Product file compression is a potential answer, but this presents its own set 
of performance issues.

Maybe flags could be handled in a similar manner as coordinates to allow 
sharing among variables ?
 

 
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• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: [cf-satellite] Sharing quality flags among multiple variables
    • From: Armstrong, Edward M (388M)
  • Re: [cf-satellite] Sharing quality flags among multiple variables
    • From: Upendra Dadi
  • Re: [cf-satellite] Sharing quality flags among multiple variables
    • From: Tom Whittaker