Hierarchical Data Format
Hierarchical Data Format
(file format, data)HDF supports several different data models, includingmultidimensional arrays, raster images, and tables. Eachdefines a specific aggregate data type and provides an APIfor reading, writing, and organising the data and metadata.New data models can be added by the HDF developers or users.
HDF is self-describing, allowing an application to interpretthe structure and contents of a file without any outsideinformation.
One HDF file can hold a mixture of related objects which canbe accessed as a group or as individual objects. Users cancreate their own grouping structures called "vgroups".
HDF files can be shared across most common platforms,including many workstations and high performance computers.An HDF file created on one computer can be read on a differentsystem without modification.
http://hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu/.