Assuming you're talking about netcdf-3, the definition of the file format is
only a page or two long, and software that reads it can be implemented by an
experienced programmer in a day. thats what makes it a good long-term archive,
possibly coupled with compression like zip.
So, I would recommend that the netcdf-3 file format definition be placed in any
"time capsule" for when the intelligent cockroaches try to decipher the data
formats of the previous civilization. Oh, I suppose that the C and Java source
could be placed in it also.
I wouldnt put it inside the files themselves, though.
Dan Wilkinson wrote:
I am participating in the planning for large future archive that will
rely heavily on NetCDF, and this question came to mind. Should some
sort of NetCDF software time capsule be included in the meta data to
insure that the NetCDF data could be interpreted many decades hence?
The prudent thing to do would be to perform a format migration every few
years, however, I can see how very large volume archives might be
neglected in that regard.
Thanks,
Dan
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