• Formats provide syntax for data.
• Formats typically provide more than one way to represent data semantics.
• Conventions are agreements about a single way to represent data semantics, for example
  • units of measure
  • coordinate systems
  • meanings of grid cells and cell boundaries
• Conventions make tools more interoperable
• Conventions also add value to formats
  • useful abstractions, such as coordinate systems
  • customizations for specific communities (e.g. climate modeling)

2009 Unidata NetCDF Workshop for Developers and Data Providers > Best Practices