SPIF – Single Particle Image Format

Introduction

The Single Particle Image Format (SPIF) data standard has been designed to store decoded raw binary data in netCDF4 files with a standardised vocabulary in accordance with FAIR Guiding Principles. This improves access to this data for users from a wide range of fields and facilitates the sharing, refinement, and standardisation of data processing routines.

Contents

• SPIF – Single Particle Image Format
  • Background and Motivation
  • SPIF Files
    • The SPIF Standard
    • Standard Compliance
    • SPIF File Structure
    • Image Data
    • SPIF Extensions
  • Using SPIF for other Types of Image Data

• SPIF Mandatory Vocabulary
• SPIF Extended Vocabulary

Contributors

The Single Particle Image Format (SPIF) concept was originally conceived after an optical array probe workshop (date?) where the intricacies and subtleties in decoding binary image files and the ramifications thereof were discussed at length. During a post-meeting conversation, an outline of the SPIF standard was conceived with the objective of opening up raw cloud image data to those outside a rather small and specialist field. Since then there have been many iterations and changes to how it could be implemented in practice with input from many individuals and organisations. Some of these are;

Note

List to be completed

• A Bansemer at NCAR

• J Crosier at Uni of Manchester

• M Freer at CloudSci

• G Nott at FAAM

• P Rosenberg at Uni of Leeds

• K Bala, N Bliankinshtein, L Nichman, S Shilin and M Wolde at NRC who maintain a repository of OAP binary decoder and utilities

• D Sproson at FAAM

• F Van Den Heuvel at BAS