- The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC®) membership seeks comments on an OGC candidate standard, the Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) NetCDF Enhanced Data Model Extension Encoding Standard. This document specifies an extension to the existing OGC Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) Core Encoding Standard version 1.0.

The OGC netCDF encoding supports electronic encoding of geospatial data, specifically digital geospatial information representing space- and time-varying phenomena. NetCDF (network Common Data Form) is widely used internationally to communicate and store many kinds of multidimensional data, although it was originally developed for the Earth science community. The netCDF data model is particularly well suited to providing data in forms familiar to atmospheric and oceanic scientists: namely, as sets of related arrays. NetCDF was developed and is maintained and actively supported by the Unidata Program Center (http://www.unidata.ucar.edu) of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR).

The netCDF classic data model has previously been established as the core OGC CF-netCDF standard. With this extension to the core standard for the enhanced data model, complex data structures can be represented very easily, allowing for more efficient programming. In performance-critical applications, the enhanced model provides significant benefits. Moreover, if existing HDF5 (Hierarchical Data Format, release 5) applications that depend on groups, user-defined types, unsigned types, or strings produce or use these data, the netCDF enhanced data model is required. The recently introduced candidate NetCDF Enhanced Data Model Extension Encoding Standard is the latest step in a longer-term plan for establishing CF-netCDF as an OGC standard for binary encoding, which will enable standard delivery of data in binary form via several OGC service interface standards, including the OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS), Web Feature Service (WFS), and Sensor Observation Service (SOS) Interface Standards.

The candidate OGC Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) NetCDF Enhanced Data Model Extension Encoding Standard and information about submitting comments on this document are available at  http://www.opengeospatial.org/standards/requests/88. The public comment period closes on July 1, 2012.

The OGC is an international consortium of more than 445 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geospatial standards. OGC Standards support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. OGC Standards empower technology developers to make geospatial information and services accessible and useful with any application that needs to be geospatially enabled. Visit the OGC website at http://www.opengeospatial.org/contact.