NetCDF Conventions

http://my.unidata.ucar.edu/content/software/netcdf/conventions.html

Published NetCDF conventions provide a standardized implementation of the NetCDF system. Some include standard names and demonstrate good metadata guidelines.

Unidata maintains links to a limited number of specific, defined standard NetCDF implementations, supported by the global Conventions attribute described in the Attribute Conventions section of the netCDF User's Guide.

NetCDF and Data Discovery Conventions

http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/packages/netcdf-java/formats/DataDiscoveryAttConvention.html

UNIDATA is drafting a document for a netCDF attribute convention to help facilitate dataset discovery. The attributes parallel the "digital library metadata" defined in the THREDDS catalog specification. The attributes will be used by THREDDS tools to extract metadata from datasets and export to Dublin Core, DIF, ADN, FGDC, ISO 19115, etc.

NetCDF and Standard Vocabularies

Standard NetCDF implementations include standard vocabularies.

http://www.cgd.ucar.edu/cms/eaton/cf-metadata/standard_name.html

Climate and Forecast standard names

www.cgd.ucar.edu/mailman/listinfo/cf-metadata

The CF mailing list and its archives is extremely helpful. This is a good place to raise issues and find discussions on a wide range of NetCDF implementation topics.

http://nautilus.baruch.sc.edu/twiki_dmcc/bin/view/Main/

The Southeastern Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems has developed a NetCDF convention, called the SEACOOS CDL, based on the CF convention, for ocean observing data. The convention also incorporates their data dictionary.