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#108: Defining a domain for a cell_method
-----------------------------+----------------------------------------------
  Reporter:  markh           |       Owner:  [email protected]
      Type:  enhancement     |      Status:  new                          
  Priority:  medium          |   Milestone:                               
 Component:  cf-conventions  |     Version:                               
Resolution:                  |    Keywords:                               
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Comment (by jonathan):

 Dear Mark

 I'd like to put forward a different argument in support of your
 preference, namely that if we relied on the dimension name alone it would
 have to be assumed that all variables with that dimension were auxiliaries
 of the field before collapse. That is not necessary so; some such
 variables might be irrelevant. Looking at the issue that way, it now seems
 to me is that what we need to record is the coordinates and auxiliary
 coordinates of the field before collapse. This information is more
 complete than you can record with `interval`.

 Here's a proposal for the new para along these lines:

   The original domain of the variable before the statistical operation was
 applied can be described completely using "`dimension:` ''dimname''
 [''dimname'' ...]" and `coordinates:` ''varname'' [''varname'' ...]". The
 ''dimname''s are the names of the netCDF dimensions for the affected axes
 in the original domain. This syntax implies that any 1D variable whose
 name is ''dimname'' is a coordinate variable of the original domain. The
 ''varname''s are the names of auxiliary coordinate variables for the
 affected axes in the original domain. Before the statistical operation was
 carried out, these variables would have been named by the `coordinates`
 attribute of the original data variable.

 In addition, I think we would need to amend the opening para of 7.3.2

   To indicate more precisely how the cell method was applied, extra
 information may optionally be included in parentheses () after the
 identification of the method. This information includes standardized and
 non-standardized parts. The possible standardized parts begin with
 `interval:`, `dimensions:` and `coordinates:`.

   To provide the typical interval between the original data values to
 which the method was applied, in the situation where the present data
 values are statistically representative of original data values which had
 a finer spacing, the syntax is ...

 and perhaps we might rename the section to a more general title.

 New requirements in the conformance document for sect 7.3.2:

   * The names listed after `dimensions:` must all be names of netCDF
 dimensions, which must not be dimensions of the data variable.

   * Any 1D variable whose name equals the name of one of the original
 dimensions is regarded as a coordinate variable of the original domain and
 therefore must be strictly monotonic (increasing or decreasing) and must
 not have the `_FillValue` or `missing_value` attributes.

   * If there is a `coordinates:` list for a `cell_methods` entry there
 must also be a `dimensions:` list for the same entry.

   * The names listed after `coordinates:` must all be names of netCDF
 variables. These variables are regarded as auxiliary coordinate variables
 of the original domain. They must not have as dimensions any of the
 dimensions to which the `cell_methods` entry applies. Their dimensions
 must be a subset of the other dimensions of the data variable and the
 original dimensions named by this `cell_methods` entry. In addition, any
 label variable will have a trailing dimension for the maximum string
 length.

 What do you think?

 Cheers

 Jonathan

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://cf-pcmdi.llnl.gov/trac/ticket/108#comment:3>
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