Re: handling of time (was: NetCDF Digest - Vol 1 : Issue 40)

• To: ryan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Ryan McLean)
• Subject: Re: handling of time (was: NetCDF Digest - Vol 1 : Issue 40)
• From: Steve Emmerson <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Wed, 24 Mar 93 08:35:16 -0700

>Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 18:13:15 PST 
>From: ryan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Ryan McLean)
>To: netcdfgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: NetCDF Digest - Vol 1 : Issue 40 

In the above message you wrote:

>       I am also dealing with time values.  I have been using
>the UNIX time to deal with dates and times at the resolution 
>of one second.  For finer times, I use a zero time between
>two time systems.  I am also interested in how others deal
>with the issue of time.

Though I can't speak officially, I believe that the Unidata Program Center
(birthplace of the netCDF package) recommends the use of the UDUNITS
package for the handling of units of time and other physical quantities.
It's freely-available via anonymous FTP:

        host: unidata.ucar.edu
        file: pub/sdm/udunits.tar.Z.

The User's Guide in the latest netCDF release (version 2.3) also contains a
section on time, units and the UDUNITS package.

--------
Steve Emmerson   <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

• References:
  • Re: NetCDF Digest - Vol 1 : Issue 40
    • From: Ryan McLean