Visualization Configuration Books (.ncconfig) Architecture

Scientific visualization workflows require saving visual presets (chosen color palettes, scale bounds, active dimension slices, map projections, overlay grids, titles). Hardcoding these settings or storing them in temporary UI session state makes reproducible analysis impossible.

The .ncconfig EMF Architecture

Capella Datascience introduces the ncconfig EMF meta-model (http://www.polarsys.org/capella/datascience/ncconfig/1.0.0) to decouple visualization specifications from raw dataset files:

EClass Description
NCVisualizationConfigBook Root container holding a collection of NCVisualizationConfig entries and marking the active configuration.
NCVisualizationConfig Pairs an embedded/referenced NetcdfType model with a VariableVisualizationConfiguration.
VariableVisualizationConfiguration Defines the variable name, origin URL, palette ID (Spectral, Jet, Plasma, etc.), color depth (default 256), zoom factor, rotation, direction, and chosen 2D display axes.
DimensionSelectionItem Captures the active selected index for extra dimensions (e.g. time=0, height1=2).
ScaleVisualizationConfiguration Controls range min/max bounds, fit-to-data flag, and colorbar palette styling.
GridVisualizationConfiguration Configures East-West and North-South grid line spacing, color, and visibility.
MapProjectionVisualizationConfiguration Specifies the Coordinate Reference System (e.g. EPSG:4326, EPSG:3857) and projection center.
LabelsVisualizationConfiguration Configures title, subtitle, font size, and text formatting.
OverlaysVisualizationConfiguration Controls land/sea masks, political boundaries, and contour overlays.

Automatic Proxy Resolution

When opening a .ncconfig file in NCEditor, the utility NCConfigResourceUtils automatically resolves referenced VariableType and DimensionType elements from the underlying dataset URL, guaranteeing instant live rendering.