# SD1.2.5.1.1.11-B NetCDF Perl API
# Background

There are two Perl APIs for NetCDF:
  * PDL::NetCDF, an object-oriented interface between NetCDF files and PDL objects.
  * NetCDFPerl, developed at Unidata, but now in maintenance mode only, and no further development is currently planned.

# Aim

* To use PERL for working with NetCDF data.
* To exploit the strengths of the PDL::NetCDF:
  * Newer, based on NetCDF-4.
  * Uses PDL (the Perl Data Language) with capabilities similar to Matlab and IDL.
  * Installation is straightforward.
  * perldl, a simple interactive shell for PDL, is available for interactive prototyping of scripts.
  * Fast when dealing with large multidimensional arrays.
* To exploit the strengths of the NetCDFPerl:
  * Installation on RedHat systems easy from RPMs.
  * The NetCDFPerl documentation is fairly complete.
  * The ncmanipulate package is available for modifying the schema of a NetCDF file (adding, deleting, or renaming dimensions, variables, and attributes).

# Outcomes

  * Write a two-dimensional array of sample data and read data from this file.
  * Write some variables with units attributes and coordinate dimensions and read data variables and attributes from this file.
  * Write some four-dimensional variables using a record dimension and read from the variables from this file.

# Subskills