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Harmonizing NetCDF Metadata Workflows: A Collaborative Initiative for Enhanced Data Integration and Reusability

Talk
In session Metadata , Sept. 4, 2025, 09:00 – 10:15
Exact timing: 09:30 – 09:45
Room info: Lecture Hall

Fösig, Romy1ORCID iD icon , Saß, B.2ORCID iD icon , Barthlott, S.1ORCID iD icon , Getzlaff, K.3ORCID iD icon , Kerzenmacher, T.1 , Kottmeier, D.4 , Loewe, K.1 , Loup, U.5ORCID iD icon , Lorenz, C.1ORCID iD icon , Obersteiner, F.1ORCID iD icon , Pörsch, A.6ORCID iD icon , Rebmann, C.1ORCID iD icon , Söding, E.3ORCID iD icon , Sommer, P. S.2ORCID iD icon
  1. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
  2. Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
  3. GEOMAR Helmholtz-Zentrum für Ozeanforschung Kiel
  4. Alfred-Wegener-Institut - Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung
  5. Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
  6. GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences

To ensure FAIR data (Wilkinson et al., 2016: https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.18 ), well-described datasets with rich metadata are essential for interoperability and reusability. In Earth System Science, NetCDF is the quasi-standard for storing multidimensional data, supported by metadata conventions such as Climate and Forecast (CF, https://cfconventions.org/ ) and Attribute Convention for Data Discovery (ACDD, https://wiki.esipfed.org/Attribute_Convention_for_Data_Discovery_1-3 ).

While NetCDF can be self-describing, metadata often lacks compatibility and completeness for repositories and data portals. The Helmholtz Metadata Guideline for NetCDF (HMG NetCDF) Initiative addresses these issues by establishing a standardized NetCDF workflow. This ensures seamless metadata integration into downstream processes and enhances AI-readiness.

A consistent metadata schema benefits the entire processing chain. We demonstrate this by integrating enhanced NetCDF profiles into selected clients like the Earth Data Portal (EDP, https://earth-data.de ). Standardized metadata practices facilitate repositories such as PANGAEA ( https://www.pangaea.de/ ) and WDCC ( https://www.wdc-climate.de ), ensuring compliance with established norms.

The HMG NetCDF Initiative is a collaborative effort across German research centers, supported by the Helmholtz DataHub. It contributes to broader Helmholtz efforts (e.g., HMC) to improve research data management, discoverability, and interoperability.

Key milestones include:

  • Aligning metadata fields across disciplines,
  • Implementing guidelines,
  • Developing machine-readable templates and validation tools,
  • Supporting user-friendly metadata entry.

This presentation outlines key challenges, solutions, and the anticipated impact on the geoscientific community. We will present a first version of NetCDF metadata attribute guidelines and invite you to join this initiative.