CSDMS Standard Names

From CSDMS

  CSDMS Standard Names

CSDMS asks that contributed models should be provided with a Basic Model Interface (BMI) which includes mapping input and output variable names to CSDMS Standard Names and providing model metadata. Information on how CSDMS Standard Names are used and generated has been organized into the following sections that each have their own page. (Each section heading below is a link to a separate page.) See the bottom of this page for a link to a current listing. A high-level overview of the CSDMS Standard Names is also available as a PowerPoint presentation.

While it is always a good idea to use existing standards whenever possible, CSDMS discovered that other naming conventions, such as the CF Convention Standard Names were not well-suited to the needs of component-based modeling. This section explains our motivation for developing a new standard.

This section provides some background and basic information about the CSDMS Standard Names.

The CSDMS Standard Names follow an object + quantity pattern with an optional operation prefix applied to the quantity part. This section provides the basic rules for constructing CSDMS Standard Names.

This section provides a set of templates and rules for constructing the object name part of a CSDMS Standard Name.

This section provides a set of templates and rules for constructing the quantity name part of a CSDMS Standard Name. Many quantity names include the name of a physical process and information about constructing process names along with numerous examples are given on the CSDMS Process Names page.

This section provides a set of templates and rules for constructing the optional operation part of a CSDMS Standard Name.

This section provides information on CSDMS Model Metadata Files (MMF) and provides standardized model/variable metadata names for units, ellipsoids, datums, projections, "how modeled" and assumptions. It links to an extensive set of CSDMS Assumption Names and includes An Example Model Metadata File.