NetCDF4 / HDF5 Format Extension Pack (NFEP): Transparently Adding More Formats to NetCDF4 and HDF5 (NFEP)

This project aims to develop specialized plugins for the HDF5 and netCDF4 libraries, enabling seamless access to NASA’s Earth science data formats, including CDF, BUFR, GeoTIFF, and GRIB2. These plugins will allow existing netCDF4 and HDF5 applications to read data in these formats without requiring any code modifications. Our innovative approach will significantly enhance NASA’s ability to efficiently manage and analyze diverse Earth science datasets while reducing storage requirements and computational overhead. Additionally, this innovation establishes a unified framework that preserves the advantages of specialized data formats while improving interoperability within the broader scientific data ecosystem through netCDF4 and HDF5. It directly addresses NASA’s need for “technologies that can enhance data processing and interoperability across heterogeneous computing resources.” Beyond NASA and academia, the targeted markets include industries that rely on NASA’s remote sensing data, such as agriculture, disaster management, climate research, and geospatial finance.

Potential NASA Applications 1. THREDDS 2. OPeNDAP 3. Climate Modeling Applications (GMAO) 4. AI/ML applications with NASA’s remote sense data Potential non-NASA Applications 1. Propriatary weather forecast applications 2. Applications in geospatial finance

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.