pysatCDF

Self-contained Python reader for NASA CDF file format

Uses standard and extended Fortran CDF interfaces to load Common Data Format (CDF) files into Python.

Example

import pysatCDF
with pysatCDF.CDF(filename) as cdf:

    # All variable data loaded into dictionary in .data
    cdf.data
    data = cdf.data[name]
    # Attributes dictionary
    cdf.meta
    attribute = cdf.meta[name][attr_name]

    # CDF variable information available by name
    cdf[name]

    # Data access similar to other packages
    data = cdf[name][...]
    attribute = cdf[name].attrs[attr_name]

    # Export data to pysat data and metadata format
    data, meta = cdf.to_pysat()

Installation

Actual CDF loading is performed by the [NASA CDF libraries] (http://cdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/html/sw_and_docs.html) which are included with pysatCDF.

To install pysatCDF

git clone https://github.com/rstoneback/pysatCDF.git
cd pysatCDF
python setup.py install

Testing

pysatCDF has been tested on Mac OS X and Ubuntu 15.04. Support is included for building on other platforms but has not been verified.

If installation fails because of an incorrect name, or similar issue, after fixing the issue remove the build directory initially created in pysatCDF to force the system to re-compile.

Motivation

Provide simple, robust access to CDF data in Python and simplify adding instruments to pysat.