8 October 2026 to 18 February 2027
Europe/Brussels timezone

NetCDF and HDF5: file formats for HPC

18 Feb 2027, 09:30
2h 15m
MERC04

MERC04

Place Louis Pasteur 3, 1348 Louvain-La-Neuve

Speaker

Mr Pierre-Yves Barriat (UCL/ELIC)

Description

NetCDF and HDF5 are among the most widely used data formats in scientific computing. They provide efficient, portable, and self-describing ways to store large and complex datasets while supporting high-performance I/O on modern HPC systems. This session introduces both formats, explains their strengths and differences, and provides hands-on experience using Python, Fortran, and C to create, manipulate, and visualize scientific data.

Contents Information
• Overview of data formats in scientific computing
• Comparing NetCDF and HDF5: strengths, weaknesses, and use cases
• Data models, metadata, dimensions, and attributes
• Tools and libraries for working with NetCDF and HDF5
• Reading and writing data with Python, Fortran, and C
• Efficient I/O practices for large datasets
• Use cases in scientific research and HPC
• Hands-on exercises in creating, reading, and visualizing data
• Best practices for managing structured scientific datasets
Prerequisite:
• Being able to connect to the clusters
• Basic programming skills (Python, Fortran, or C)
• Familiarity with Linux (navigation, file creation, and editing)

Type: Hands-on
Target audience: Researchers and data scientists using HPC systems
Must: Essential for geoscientists, climate scientists, and anyone needing efficient and structured scientific data formats.

Presentation materials

There are no materials yet.