Cseppformát

Cseppformát, literally meaning "drop format" in Hungarian, is a term used to describe data formats designed to encode information about liquid droplets. It is not a single universal standard; rather, it denotes various formats employed in fields such as spray technology, inkjet research, meteorology, and related disciplines to capture measurements of droplets in experiments, simulations, or production processes.

Typical implementations of cseppformát are text-based, such as CSV, JSON, or XML variants, or binary, and they commonly begin with a metadata section that describes experimental conditions, measurement units, and data provenance. A per-droplet record usually includes fields for timestamp, diameter or volume, spatial position, velocity vector, and optionally temperature, refractive index, charge, and imaging-derived metrics. Many formats also provide links or references to raw images, sensor indices, or processing steps.

Common features and considerations include support for batch and streaming data, explicit unit definitions, optional uncertainty data, and data dictionaries that document field meanings. Because there is no single governing standard, interoperability can be challenging; researchers often publish a schema or data dictionary specific to their project to facilitate reuse and comparison across studies.

Applications of cseppformát span characterization of spray nozzles, inkjet printing quality, agricultural spraying, aerosol and atmospheric research, and fuel spray modeling. The term generally implies a practical, project-oriented approach to recording and sharing droplet-related measurements rather than a single, formal specification.