[netcdf-java] supporting unsigned byte data

• To: Java NetCDF <netcdf-java@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Subject: [netcdf-java] supporting unsigned byte data
• From: Tom Whittaker <whittaker@xxxxxxxx>
• Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:53:20 -0500

I found there has been some discussion about having a variable
attribute "_Unsigned" that would allow for unsigned byte data to be
supported.  Well, one of our people created a netCDF file with bytes
which he treated as "unsigned"....but when he read the file and
specified a (float) scale and offset, he got the "wrong"
answers...until he started treating the byte values as signed -- his
unhappiness is that IDL apparently treats bytes as unsigned, so he
cannot easily use his file in both (IDV is the other one) places.  I
tried a few combinations in the toosUI, using NCML, but could not get
anything to work...

Is this supported?  If so, is there some magic?  (I'm running netCDF-java 4.1).

Thanks...

tom

-- 
Tom Whittaker
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Space Science & Engineering Center (SSEC)
Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)
1225 W. Dayton Street
Madison, WI  53706  USA
ph: +1 608 262 2759

• Follow-Ups:
  • Re: [netcdf-java] supporting unsigned byte data
    • From: John Caron