Xarray - N-D labeled arrays and datasets in Python: Proposal to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Essential Open Source Software for Science Program

Xarray is a community-developed, open-source software project and Python package that provides tools and data structures for working with multidimensional labeled arrays. The Xarray data model is based on the Common Data Model (CDM), which provides a standard for metadata-enabled self-describing scientific datasets. The labels used by Xarray come from the metadata described by the CDM and represent quantities like location in space, time, or experiment ID. Built on top Xarray’s data model is a robust toolkit that includes (1) label-based indexing and arithmetic; (2) interoperability with the core scientific Python packages (e.g., Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib); (3) out-of-core computation on datasets that do not fit into memory (via Dask); (4) a wide range of serialization and input/output (I/O) options such as NetCDF, HDF, Zarr, and various image formats (e.g. TIFF); and (5) advanced multi-dimensional data-manipulation tools such as group-by, resampling, and rolling window operations. Xarray’s high-level interface is well-documented, intuitive, and easy to use, even for those new to Python.