[CF-metadata] CF standard_name --> reference

From: Jonathan Gregory <j.m.gregory>
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2005 19:22:20 +0000

Dear Chris

I don't think CF currently suggests any standard ways of storing your
Categories and DataQuality information:

> float LATC(Time) ;
> LATC:units = "deg_N" ;
> LATC:long_name = "GPS-Corrected Inertial Latitude" ;
> LATC:standard_name = "latitude" ;
> LATC:Categories = "Position,Derived,Reference" ;
> LATC:DataQuality = "Preliminary" ;

Instead of defining new attributes, however, perhaps you might consider
standardising (for your purposes) the use of the source and comment attributes,
which CF proposes (2.6.2)? That would have the small advantage that software
designed for CF might take some notice of these attributes, although it
wouldn't know how to interpret them.

The provision for "ancillary data" (CF 3.4 and Appendix C) can handle the
situation where a status has to be provided for each element of a data
variable. Your DataQuality attribute applies to the entire variable. I don't
think we've proposed a handy convention for this. Possibly we could define
attributes with the same names as the the standard name qualifiers (Appendix
C). To be consistent with Appendix C you would then use the attribute name
status_flag instead of DataQuality.

Best wishes

Jonathan
Received on Tue Mar 22 2005 - 12:22:20 GMT