Hi.

Given the prior existence of land_binary_mask, Elodie's request for sea_binary_mask makes sense. Even given my request below, if Elodie needs this standard name, I endorse it's addition. I don't want to bog her down.

I'd like to suggest that we do something slightly more flexible and create the standard name discrete_mask, which could handle both these cases. It could also handle numerous other use cases that generally go without a standard name right now. The definition could be something like below.

   discrete_mask: A variable with the standard name discrete_mask is
   used to indicate a finite set of discrete, related conditions that
   hold across the dimensional range of the variable. These conditions
   are marked by integer values, each of which indicates a specific
   condition. The particular conditions being indicated are defined
   using flag_values and flag_meanings attributes associated with the
   variable. A single element of the variable can indicate only one
   condition - bit field combinations are not allowed.


I'm thinking this way because in the particular domain Elodie is referring to, some files have trinary masks, sea = 0, coast = 1, land = 2, different ones define the numbers used to indicate the different conditions, some cover more cases (fresh water, for example), etc.

I do, on one level, appreciate that it can be nice to see the standard name on a variable and not need to look further to understand how the contents are implemented, but I don't think it buys us near as much as we like to think.

Grace and peace,

Jim

On 7/11/17 3:55 AM, Elodie Fernandez wrote:
Dear all,

I would like to suggest the addition of a new standard_name to describe land-sea masks. A standard_name already exists: land_binary_mask ( X_binary_mask has 1 where condition X is met, 0 elsewhere. 1 = land, 0 = sea.). But in the ocean modelling community, we have already existing files describing those masks, but from an "ocean point of view", so 1 is for sea and 0 is for land points. So I would like to request the addition of the standard_name "*sea_binary**_mask*", with definition "X_binary_mask has 1 where condition X is met, 0 elsewhere. 1 = sea, 0 = land" and unit "1".

Best regards,
Elodie


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