File Naming Convention

Input Files

For input NetCDF files, we recommend using a descriptive naming convention that follows this pattern:

Format: <subject>_<datasource>.nc

Examples:

  • Catarina_NCEP-R2.nc - Hurricane Catarina using NCEP Reanalysis 2 data

  • testdata_ERA5.nc - Test dataset using ERA5 reanalysis

  • Cyclone-20100101_NCEP-R2.nc - Cyclone from January 1, 2010 (compound names use hyphens)

Guidelines:

  • Use underscores (_) to separate the subject from the data source

  • For compound subject names, use hyphens (-) within the subject part

  • Include the data source (e.g., ERA5, NCEP-R2, MPAS-A) for clarity

  • Use the .nc extension for NetCDF files

Track Files

For track files, use a similar convention:

Format: track_<subject> or track_<subject>_<date>

Examples:

  • track_Catarina

  • track_20100101

  • track_testdata_ERA5

Box Limits Files

For box limits files:

Format: box_limits_<region> or box_limits_<study>

Examples:

  • box_limits_SouthAtlantic

  • box_limits_Reg1

  • box_limits_testcase

Note: These naming conventions are recommendations to help organize your work. The toolkit will work with any valid filename.