netCDF4python

netCDF4python is a Python interface to the netCDF C library. It allows Python users to create, read, and write data in the NetCDF (Network Common Data Form) format. NetCDF is a common format for storing scientific data, particularly in fields like meteorology, oceanography, and climate science. The netCDF4python library supports both NetCDF version 3 and version 4 data models.

Version 4 of the NetCDF format is built on the HDF5 (Hierarchical Data Format version 5) file format, which offers enhanced capabilities such as support for larger datasets, better compression options, and more flexible data organization. The netCDF4python library provides access to these advanced features when working with NetCDF-4 files.

Key functionalities of netCDF4python include opening existing NetCDF files, creating new ones, defining dimensions, creating variables with specified data types and dimensions, and appending data to variables. It also supports reading data slices and entire variables, as well as managing attributes associated with the file, dimensions, and variables. The library is widely used in scientific computing for data manipulation and analysis in Python.