[CF-metadata] longitude wrapping creates non-monotonic coordinate values

From: John Caron <caron>
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:25:13 -0600

  I have a file with a longitude coordinate variable whose values stay
withhin [0,360] and therefore are not monotonic:

   double lon(lon=359);
      :units = "degrees_east";
      :long_name = "longitude coordinate";
      :standard_name = "longitude";


lon =
   {258.0, 259.0, 260.0, 261.0, 262.0, 263.0, 264.0, 265.0, 266.0,
267.0, 268.0, 269.0, 270.0, 271.0, 272.0, 273.0, 274.0, 275.0, 276.0,
277.0, 278.0, 279.0, 280.0, 281.0, 282.0, 283.0, 284.0, 285.0, 286.0,
287.0, 288.0, 289.0, 290.0, 291.0, 292.0, 293.0, 294.0, 295.0, 296.0,
297.0, 298.0, 299.0, 300.0, 301.0, 302.0, 303.0, 304.0, 305.0, 306.0,
307.0, 308.0, 309.0, 310.0, 311.0, 312.0, 313.0, 314.0, 315.0, 316.0,
317.0, 318.0, 319.0, 320.0, 321.0, 322.0, 323.0, 324.0, 325.0, 326.0,
327.0, 328.0, 329.0, 330.0, 331.0, 332.0, 333.0, 334.0, 335.0, 336.0,
337.0, 338.0, 339.0, 340.0, 341.0, 342.0, 343.0, 344.0, 345.0, 346.0,
347.0, 348.0, 349.0, 350.0, 351.0, 352.0, 353.0, 354.0, 355.0, 356.0,
357.0, 358.0, 359.0, 0.0, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0,
10.0, 11.0, 12.0, 13.0, 14.0, 15.0, 16.0, 17.0, 18.0, 19.0, 20.0, 21.0,
22.0, 23.0, 24.0, 25.0, 26.0, 27.0, 28.0, 29.0, 30.0, 31.0, 32.0, 33.0,
34.0, 35.0, 36.0, 37.0, 38.0, 39.0, 40.0, 41.0, 42.0, 43.0, 44.0, 45.0,
46.0, 47.0, 48.0, 49.0, 50.0, 51.0, 52.0, 53.0, 54.0, 55.0, 56.0, 57.0,
58.0, 59.0, 60.0, 61.0, 62.0, 63.0, 64.0, 65.0, 66.0, 67.0, 68.0, 69.0,
70.0, 71.0, 72.0, 73.0, 74.0, 75.0, 76.0, 77.0, 78.0, 79.0, 80.0, 81.0,
82.0, 83.0, 84.0, 85.0, 86.0, 87.0, 88.0, 89.0, 90.0, 91.0, 92.0, 93.0,
94.0, 95.0, 96.0, 97.0, 98.0, 99.0, 100.0, 101.0, 102.0, 103.0, 104.0,
105.0, 106.0, 107.0, 108.0, 109.0, 110.0, 111.0, 112.0, 113.0, 114.0,
115.0, 116.0, 117.0, 118.0, 119.0, 120.0, 121.0, 122.0, 123.0, 124.0,
125.0, 126.0, 127.0, 128.0, 129.0, 130.0, 131.0, 132.0, 133.0, 134.0,
135.0, 136.0, 137.0, 138.0, 139.0, 140.0, 141.0, 142.0, 143.0, 144.0,
145.0, 146.0, 147.0, 148.0, 149.0, 150.0, 151.0, 152.0, 153.0, 154.0,
155.0, 156.0, 157.0, 158.0, 159.0, 160.0, 161.0, 162.0, 163.0, 164.0,
165.0, 166.0, 167.0, 168.0, 169.0, 170.0, 171.0, 172.0, 173.0, 174.0,
175.0, 176.0, 177.0, 178.0, 179.0, 180.0, 181.0, 182.0, 183.0, 184.0,
185.0, 186.0, 187.0, 188.0, 189.0, 190.0, 191.0, 192.0, 193.0, 194.0,
195.0, 196.0, 197.0, 198.0, 199.0, 200.0, 201.0, 202.0, 203.0, 204.0,
205.0, 206.0, 207.0, 208.0, 209.0, 210.0, 211.0, 212.0, 213.0, 214.0,
215.0, 216.0, 217.0, 218.0, 219.0, 220.0, 221.0, 222.0, 223.0, 224.0,
225.0, 226.0, 227.0, 228.0, 229.0, 230.0, 231.0, 232.0, 233.0, 234.0,
235.0, 236.0, 237.0, 238.0, 239.0, 240.0, 241.0, 242.0, 243.0, 244.0,
245.0, 246.0, 247.0, 248.0, 249.0, 250.0, 251.0, 252.0, 253.0, 254.0,
255.0, 256.0}

my code considers this a defective file, and im considering workarounds.
I have in the past recomended that the writer change the file to go from
258 to 616 (or -102 to 256).

should CF consider this file valid or not? Its probably a common enough
problem.
Received on Mon Apr 12 2010 - 15:25:13 BST