Researchers therefore often prefer the standard netCDF format. Not only the data itself is stored here, but also metadata that describes which data is in the file, where the measurements were made, and by whom, etc. This file type makes it easier to share data with other researchers and actors. Transferring datasets from ASCII to netCDF format is an important step towards making research data accessible and usable.
The Nansen Center has developed a tool to make file conversion for different observation systems as simple as possible. The tool is called Rosetta and can be used freely.
