This archive contains answers to questions sent to Unidata support through mid-2025. Note that the archive is no longer being updated. We provide the archive for reference; many of the answers presented here remain technically correct, even if somewhat outdated. For the most up-to-date information on the use of NSF Unidata software and data services, please consult the Software Documentation first.
Hi Pauline,
Another resource for validating datasets against the CDM is available at
http://motherlode.ucar.edu:8080/thredds/cdmValidate.html
And I believe it is distributed with all TDS installations, so you could
try it locally at http://yourserver:port/thredds/cdmValidate.html
Which datasets can be served by the TDS depends on the service over
which you want to make them available. The HTTP bulk file download
service (/thredds/fileServer/) can serve any file. The OPeNDAP service
(/thredds/dodsC/) can serve any dataset that the netCDF-java library can
read (the file types that can be read are listed on the home page,
http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/netcdf-java/). The WCS service
currently only handles gridded data. The key here is that they have to
be recognized as gridded datasets by the netCDF-java library. The
library can recognize gridded data and the coordinates in the data using
a few different conventions. As Tom and/or Roy mentioned, CF is the
convention we recommend. The CDM validator above should give you more
clues on how well you dataset validates.
Hope that helps.
Ethan
Pauline Mak wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I'm currently setting up a THREDDS server to server our datasets. The
> setup was fairly easy! However, I'm running into problems with NetCDF
> files which doesn't conform to the "Common Data (Access) Model" - we
> want to serve all of our data through WCS (which comes for free with
> THREDDS data server!). I've searched high and low for documentation
> on how to 'correct' incompatible files. but failed to come up with
> anything. Am I missing something? Should all NetCDF files "just work"
> with the NetCDF-Java 2.2 library? I'm aware that files should be
> gridded and regular. Am I understanding correctly that gridded means
> the files should have an x and y axis with optional z and t? Is
> there a nice method to find out if a file is compatible and if it's
> not compatible, why it is so?
>
> My understanding of NetCDF file is rather shallow... so please bear
> with me if I'm asking a simple question...
>
> Thanks & cheers,
>
> -Pauline.
>
> --
> Pauline Mak
> Software Developer, Insight4
> Suite 2 / Level 1, 114 Murray St.
> Hobart, Australia 7000
> p: (03) 6234 5203
> f: (03) 6234 5603
> address@hidden <mailto:address@hidden>
--
Ethan R. Davis Telephone: (303) 497-8155
Software Engineer Fax: (303) 497-8690
UCAR Unidata Program Center E-mail: address@hidden
P.O. Box 3000
Boulder, CO 80307-3000 http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/
---------------------------------------------------------------------------