NC File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .nc
MIME Type application/x-netcdf
Developer Unidata
Format Type Binary
Main Usage Scientific data storage
Support for Multidimensional Data Yes
Data Compression Yes, optional
Data Types Supported Byte, char, short, int, float, double
Platform Independent Yes
Multiple Variables in One File Yes
Dimensionality Unlimited
Metadata Storage Yes, extensive
Libraries / APIs Availability Libraries available for C, Java, Python, Fortran, etc.
Support for Time Series Yes
Coordinate Systems Supports Cartesian and curvilinear systems
Interoperability High, with tools and software for various scientific fields
Usage in Software Widely used in meteorology, oceanography, astronomy, and other sciences
File Size Limitation Depends on the version: NetCDF-3 (2GB or 4GB, platform-dependent) and NetCDF-4 (no practical limit)
Parallel IO Support Yes, in NetCDF-4
Portability High, with support for major operating systems