Roadmap for Netcdf Java

Overview

The NetCDF-Java Library is undergoing extensive development to bring it up to current standards of software engineering, and to make it compatible with ongoing changes and improvements in the JVM and Java platform.

Like all such libraries, NetCDF-Java is part of an interconnected web of library dependencies used by the open source and open science communities. We will be following the guidance in Java Library Best Practices as best we can. In particular we will follow Semantic Versioning, where our versioning will follow MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH:

1. MAJOR version changes on incompatible API changes,
2. MINOR version changes when functionality is added in a backwards compatible manner
3. PATCH version changes on backwards compatible bug fixes.

The following is a rough guess at the next several major versions, with time estimates:

• Version 5 (Java 8) 2020Q2

  • Both the old API (marked deprecated) and the new API, to allow incremental upgrading

• Version 6 (Java 8) 2021Q1

  • Public API only
  • Core classes are Immutable

• Version 7 (Java 11) 2021Q3

  • Refactored Feature Types moved to separate module
  • Java Platform Module System compatibility
  • Legacy Feature Types removed

Scientific Data Formats

We expect that these will be the primary motivation for continued development on Netcdf-Java as a pure Java reader for general scientific data formats:

• netCDF-3
• netCDF-4
• HDF4
• HDF5
• HDF-EOS
• GRIB-2
• BUFR-2,3,4

We will continue to support and maintain other formats on a best effort basis.