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Helmholtz Metadata Guidelines for NetCDF

In the Helmholtz Association’s Research Field Earth & Environment, the standardized structuring and description of NetCDF files is a central building block for effective data exchange and sustainable reuse. These guidelines are aimed at all scientists who generate, process or share NetCDF data and provide concrete recommendations for the harmonized use of metadata.

The Helmholtz Metadata Guideline for NetCDF (HMG NetCDF) initiative aims to apply existing standards such as CF and ACDD consistently and across domains. This enables seamless integration of data into portals, repositories and analysis workflows.

The recommendations presented here promote the implementation of the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) according to Wilkinson et al. (2016)[1] and contribute to improved findability, interoperability and reusability of geoscience data.

What you can expect:

• Standardized specifications for global attributes, variable names and file structure

• Clear mapping of metadata to variables

• Alignment with established standards and controlled vocabularies

• Tools for machine-readable validation and user-friendly implementation

You need an introduction about NetCDF?

Checkout the quick intro chapter

How to use these Guidelines?

These guidelines help you create publishable, CF-compliant NetCDF datasets. They provide:

• Best practices for structuring your metadata in your NetCDF files,

• Recommendations for naming conventions, units, and attributes,

• Guidance on meeting Convention conformance requirements for interoperability.

If you need it from scratch, start with the Basics:

• Understand NetCDF structure and CF conventions, checkout the intro chapter.

• Validate Your Files: Use CF compliance checkers to ensure your dataset meets the standards (chapter is coming soon).

• Iterate and Improve: Apply examples provided in the guidelines, checkout the examples.

Get involved: with your Feedback or your super power

These guidelines are part of a collaborative, continuously evolving process within the Helmholtz Association. Your contribution is welcome! Send your suggestions and feedback for improvements directly into our issue board via email.

Email us your Feedback

Learn more about us

To learn more about the HMG NetCDF initiative, which is currently developing and refining the guidelines, please check here.

You find the source code of this documentation publicly available on our gitlab codebase.

General File Specifications

• File naming
  • Special case file namings

Global Attributes

• Global Attributes
  • General Global Attribute Index
  • General Global Attribute Details
  • Modeling Global Attribute Index
  • Modeling Global Attribute Details
• General remarks on global attributes
  • Format: person name
  • Format: string or list-like

Global attributes in alphabetical order

• Index

Variables

• Variables
  • Variable Attributes
  • Variable specifications
  • Coordinates
  • Missing Data handling
  • Ancillary Variables
  • Quality flags
• General remarks on Variables

Examples

• Examples
  • Basic example for a rich collection of global attributes
  • CMIP/CORDEX example
  • Example for WDCC minimal standard for global attributes

How to contribute

• How to contribute to this project
  • 1. Step-by-step guide
  • 2. Markdown code examples
  • 3. How to find a build view

Codebase repository

Stay tuned for updates and discuss with us at https://codebase.helmholtz.cloud/helmholtz-metadata-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-en.

How to cite this document

Please do cite this document!

APA

Saß B.L., Fösig R., Barthlott S., Getzlaff K., Geyer B., Haßler S.K., Kerzenmacher T., Kottmeier D., Lemmen C., Loewe K., Lorenz C., Loup U., Meyer E.M.I., Möller L., Obersteiner F., Pörsch A., Rebmann C., Riße M., Schäfer A., Sommer P.S., Söding E. (2026). Helmholtz Metadata Guidelines for NetCDF (version v1.0.0). DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19691977 URL: https://codebase.helmholtz.cloud/helmholtz-metadata-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-en

BibTex

@misc{YourReferenceHere,
author = {Saß, Björn L. and Fösig, Romy and Barthlott, Sabine and Getzlaff, Klaus and Geyer, Beate and Haßler, Sibylle K. and Kerzenmacher, Tobias and Kottmeier, Dorothee and Lemmen, Carsten and Loewe, Katharina and Lorenz, Christof and Loup, Ulrich and Meyer, Elke M. I. and Möller, Lars and Obersteiner, Florian and Pörsch, Andrea and Rebmann, Corinna and Riße, Matthias and Schäfer, Angela and Sommer, Philipp S. and Söding, Emanuel},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.19691977},
month = {4},
title = {Helmholtz Metadata Guidelines for NetCDF},
url = {https://codebase.helmholtz.cloud/helmholtz-metadata-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-en},
year = {2026}
}

RIS

TY  - GEN
AB  - Helmholtz Metadata Guidelines for NetCDF: This initiative aims to develop harmonized data handling guidelines for NetCDF to unify the diverse sub-communities within both observational and modeling fields, building towards a unified and consistent infrastructure for environmental research data.
AU  - Saß, Björn L.
AU  - Fösig, Romy
AU  - Barthlott, Sabine
AU  - Getzlaff, Klaus
AU  - Geyer, Beate
AU  - Haßler, Sibylle K.
AU  - Kerzenmacher, Tobias
AU  - Kottmeier, Dorothee
AU  - Lemmen, Carsten
AU  - Loewe, Katharina
AU  - Lorenz, Christof
AU  - Loup, Ulrich
AU  - Meyer, Elke M. I.
AU  - Möller, Lars
AU  - Obersteiner, Florian
AU  - Pörsch, Andrea
AU  - Rebmann, Corinna
AU  - Riße, Matthias
AU  - Schäfer, Angela
AU  - Sommer, Philipp S.
AU  - Söding, Emanuel
DA  - 2026-04-22
DO  - 10.5281/zenodo.19691977
PY  - 2026
TI  - Helmholtz Metadata Guidelines for NetCDF
UR  - https://codebase.helmholtz.cloud/helmholtz-metadata-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-en
ER

Endnote

%0 Generic
%A Saß, Björn L.
%A Fösig, Romy
%A Barthlott, Sabine
%A Getzlaff, Klaus
%A Geyer, Beate
%A Haßler, Sibylle K.
%A Kerzenmacher, Tobias
%A Kottmeier, Dorothee
%A Lemmen, Carsten
%A Loewe, Katharina
%A Lorenz, Christof
%A Loup, Ulrich
%A Meyer, Elke M. I.
%A Möller, Lars
%A Obersteiner, Florian
%A Pörsch, Andrea
%A Rebmann, Corinna
%A Riße, Matthias
%A Schäfer, Angela
%A Sommer, Philipp S.
%A Söding, Emanuel
%D 2026
%R 10.5281/zenodo.19691977
%T Helmholtz Metadata Guidelines for NetCDF
%U https://codebase.helmholtz.cloud/helmholtz-metadata-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-en

CFF

cff-version: 1.2.0
message: If you use this software, please cite the paper describing it as below. Specific versions of the software can additionally be referenced using individual DOIs.
type: software
title: Helmholtz Metadata Guidelines for NetCDF
abstract: "Helmholtz Metadata Guidelines for NetCDF: This initiative aims to develop harmonized data handling guidelines for NetCDF to unify the diverse sub-communities within both observational and modeling fields, building towards a unified and consistent infrastructure for environmental research data."
doi: 10.5281/zenodo.19691977
version: v1.0.0
date-released: 2026-04-22
authors:
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    given-names: "Björn L."
    affiliation: "Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon"
    # ror: https://ror.org/03qjp1d79
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9331-1195"
    website: https://www.hereon.de/institutes/carbon_cycles/data_coastal_research/team/098581/index.php.en
    email: "bjoern.sass@hereon.de"
    post-code: "21502"
    city: "Geesthacht"
    address: "Max-Planck-Straße 1"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Fösig"
    given-names: "Romy"
    affiliation: "Karlsruhe Institute of Technology"
    # ror: https://ror.org/04t3en479
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8162-4354
    email: "romy.foesig@kit.edu"
    post-code: "76131"
    city: "Karlsruhe"
    address: "Kaiserstraße 12"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Barthlott"
    given-names: "Sabine"
    affiliation: "Karlsruhe Institute of Technology"
    # ror: https://ror.org/04t3en479
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0258-9421
    email: "sabine.barthlott@kit.edu"
    post-code: "76131"
    city: "Karlsruhe"
    address: "Kaiserstraße 12"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Getzlaff"
    given-names: "Klaus"
    affiliation: "GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel"
    # ror: https://ror.org/02h2x0161
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0347-7838
    email: "kgetzlaff@geomar.de"
    city: "Kiel"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: Geyer
    given-names: Beate
    affiliation: "Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon"
    # ror: https://ror.org/03qjp1d79
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8017-3136"
    website: "https://www.hereon.de/institutes/coastal_systems_analysis_modeling/regional_land_atmosphere_modeling/team/098716/index.php.de"
    email: beate.geyer@hereon.de
    post-code: 21502
    city: Geesthacht
    address: "Max-Planck-Straße 1"
    country: DE
  - family-names: "Haßler"
    given-names: "Sibylle K."
    affiliation: "Karlsruhe Institute of Technology"
    # ror: https://ror.org/04t3en479
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5411-8491
    email: "sibylle.hassler@kit.edu"
    post-code: "76131"
    city: "Karlsruhe"
    address: "Kaiserstraße 12"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Kerzenmacher"
    given-names: "Tobias"
    affiliation: "Karlsruhe Institute of Technology"
    # ror: https://ror.org/04t3en479
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8413-0539
    email: "tobias.kerzenmacher@kit.edu"
    post-code: "76131"
    city: "Karlsruhe"
    address: "Kaiserstraße 12"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Kottmeier"
    given-names: "Dorothee"
    affiliation: "Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research"
    # ror: https://ror.org/032e6b942
    # orcid: null
    email: "dorothee.kottmeier@pangaea.de"
    city: "Bremerhaven"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Lemmen"
    given-names: "Carsten"
    affiliation: "Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon"
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3483-6036"
    email: "carsten.lemmen@hereon.de"
    post-code: "21502"
    city: "Geesthacht"
    address: "Max-Planck-Straße 1"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Loewe"
    given-names: "Katharina"
    affiliation: "Karlsruhe Institute of Technology"
    # ror: https://ror.org/04t3en479
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3574-7203
    email: "katharina.loewe@kit.edu"
    post-code: "76131"
    city: "Karlsruhe"
    address: "Kaiserstraße 12"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Lorenz"
    given-names: "Christof"
    affiliation: "Karlsruhe Institute of Technology"
    # ror: https://ror.org/04t3en479
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5590-5470
    email: "christof.lorenz@kit.edu"
    post-code: "76131"
    city: "Karlsruhe"
    address: "Kaiserstraße 12"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Loup"
    given-names: "Ulrich"
    affiliation: "Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH"
    # ror: https://ror.org/02nv7yv05
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1370-6226
    website: https://www.fz-juelich.de/profile/loup_u
    email: "u.loup@fz-juelich.de"
    post-code: 52428
    city: Jülich
    address: Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße
    country: DE
  - family-names: Meyer
    given-names: Elke M. I.
    affiliation: "Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon"
    # ror: https://ror.org/03qjp1d79
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4874-4821"
    website: "https://www.hereon.de/institutes/coastal_systems_analysis_modeling/coastal_climate_regional_sea_level_changes/team/098708/index.php.de"
    email: elke.meyer@hereon.de
    post-code: 21502
    city: Geesthacht
    address: "Max-Planck-Straße 1"
    country: DE
  - family-names: "Möller"
    given-names: "Lars"
    affiliation: "Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM) at the University of Bremen"
    # ror: https://ror.org/04ers2y35
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8880-5019"
    email: "lars.moeller@pangaea.de"
    post-code: "28359"
    city: "Bremen"
    address: "Leobener Str. 8"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Obersteiner"
    given-names: "Florian"
    affiliation: "Karlsruhe Institute of Technology"
    # ror: https://ror.org/04t3en479
    # orcid: null
    email: "florian.obersteiner@kit.edu"
    post-code: "76131"
    city: "Karlsruhe"
    address: "Kaiserstraße 12"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Pörsch"
    given-names: "Andrea"
    affiliation: "GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences"
    # ror: https://ror.org/02h2x0161
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4502-6223
    email: "andrea.poersch@gfz-potsdam.de"
    city: "Potsdam"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Rebmann"
    given-names: "Corinna"
    affiliation: "Karlsruhe Institute of Technology"
    # ror: https://ror.org/04t3en479
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8665-0375
    email: "corinna.rebmann@kit.edu"
    post-code: "76131"
    city: "Karlsruhe"
    address: "Kaiserstraße 12"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Riße"
    given-names: "Matthias"
    affiliation: "Forschungszentrum Jülich"
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6081-9327"
    email: "m.risse@fz-juelich.de"
    post-code: "52428"
    city: "Jülich"
    address: "Wilhelm-Johnen-Straße"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: "Schäfer"
    given-names: "Angela"
    affiliation: "Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research"
    # ror: https://ror.org/032e6b942
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1784-2979
    email: "Angela.Schaefer@awi.de"
    city: "Bremerhaven"
    country: "DE"
  - family-names: Sommer
    given-names: "Philipp S."
    affiliation: "Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon"
    # ror: https://ror.org/03qjp1d79
    orcid: "https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6171-7716"
    website: "https://www.philipp-s-sommer.de"
    email: philipp.sommer@hereon.de
    post-code: 21502
    city: Geesthacht
    address: "Max-Planck-Straße 1"
    country: DE
  - family-names: "Söding"
    given-names: "Emanuel"
    affiliation: "GEOMAR"
    # ror: null
    orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4467-642X
    email: "esoeding@geomar.de"
    country: "DE"
repository-code: https://codebase.helmholtz.cloud/helmholtz-metadata-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-guidelines/hmg-netcdf-en
identifiers:
- description: This is the archived snapshot of version v1.0.0 of Helmholtz Metadata Guidelines for NetCDF
  type: doi
  value: 10.5281/zenodo.19691977

License information

Copyright © 2024-2026 Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon GmbH, 2024-2026 Karlsruhe Institute for Technology

All rights reserved.

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[1]

Wilkinson, M., Dumontier, M., Aalbersberg, I. et al. The FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship. Sci Data 3, 160018 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.18