XDMF (eXtensible Data Model and Format) provides a standard way to access data produced by HPC codes. Data format refers to the raw data to be manipulated, the description of the data is separate from the values themselves. It distinguishes the

metadata Metadata is "data that provides information about other data", but not the content of the data, such as the text of a message or the image itself. There are many distinct types of metadata, including: * Descriptive metadata – the descriptive ...

(''Light'' data) and the values themselves (''Heavy'' data). ''Light'' data is stored using

XML Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language and file format for storing, transmitting, and reconstructing arbitrary data. It defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. T ...

, ''Heavy'' data is stored using

HDF5 Hierarchical Data Format (HDF) is a set of file formats (HDF4, HDF5) designed to store and organize large amounts of data. Originally developed at the U.S. National Center for Supercomputing Applications, it is supported by The HDF Group, a non-p ...

, so some information is stored redundantly in both XML and HDF5.

API An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software Interface (computing), interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standa ...

s to read and write XDMF exists for multiple programing languages.

References

{{reflist Python (programming language) libraries