NCL has robust file input and output capabilities. It allows different datasets of different formats (netCDF, netCDF-4 classic, HDF4, HDF4-EOS, GRIB-1, and GRIB-2) to be imported into a data manipulation environment based on the netCDF data model.

NCL has over 600 functions and procedures for processing and manipulating data, including routines for

• 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional interpolation, approximation, and regridding
• use specifically with climate and model data

NCL also has useful utility programs:

• ncl_convert2nc - converts one or more GRIB1, GRIB2, HDF 4, HDF-EOS 2, HDF-EOS 5, netCDF, and/or shapefile files to netCDF formatted files
• ncl_filedump - generates an ASCII representation of a supported file (netCDF, HDF, GRIB1, GRIB2, shapefile) on the standard output

2012 Unidata NetCDF Workshop > Third-party netCDF packages: NCO, NCL, CDO