This working group develops and maintains specifications for a standard file format to be used across X-ray and neutron reflectivity.

most useful links:

the principles

The data files should fulfill the following principles:

  • inter-operability: The format allows the data to be processed by a wide variety of software.
  • reusability: The file contains sufficient information to process (or interprete) its content.
  • correctness: All quantities in the data file are well defined, labeled and come with an appropriate unit.
  • ownership: It must be clear from the content who the owner of the original data is and who processed it.
  • reproducibility: The data set contains enough information to recreate it from the raw data.

and the real life

It will not always be easy to follow these principles because of

  • old habits
  • wrong but established usage of terms
  • a limited availability of information
  • difficulties to include information in the file

target audience

In general this is everyone dealing with reflectometry data. This includes the scientists using reflectometry as a tool, beamline scientists who see it as their profession and programmers writing reduction and analysis software. It is thus not trivial to cover all needs and preferences with just one format representation.

During various discussions we came to the conclusion to define one format which might be expressed in (at least) two representations. The format is defined by some hirarchy, a dictionary and rules for mandatory, recommended and optional information.

The two representations are:

  • An ASCII formatted document with the common header - data set structure. The essential feature of this document is, that it is easily human readable. This sets some limits to the content, since this readability gets lost if the header gets too long, if it contains too much information not needed by humans, or if various data sets are combined.

    The target group of this representation are the scientists who want a reflectivity file containing the R(q) curve with errors, resolution and some information about its history.

    Also this representation is completely sufficient for most of nowaday’s data analysis or visualisation programs.

  • A binary document in hdf format: this contains as much information as (reasonably) possible - and needed for further processing. E.g. the data file of the reduced data should not contain all the raw data file information, but just enough to trace it back and to allow for analysis.

    The hdf format allows for more precise (and complicated) data treatment. E.g. the real resolution of the measurement can be used, rather than the averaged one, pressed into a Gaussian distribution.

state of the project:

  • common structure: We aim for a common structure (hirarchy) and nomenclature (dictionary and definitions) for all representations. To simplyfy conversions and to be prepared for future developments, it was agreed to use a common subset of YAML and HDF5. This means among other things not to use attributes in HDF.
  • ASCII representation: In short: the header is formatted as a wrapped YAML text. The data set(s) follow as a rectangular matrix with the 4 leading columns pre-defined to be q, R(q), sigma_R and q resolution.

  • We are working on a simple model description language.
  • HDF representation: At an early stage…

next steps / to-do list

see To Do list for more details

  • work on the dictionary and the definitions
  • adapt to the requirements of lab x-ray reflectometers
  • open and adapt the .ort header for other typs of measurements
  • testing ASCII representation in real life
  • work on HDF representation

contact and co-chairs


previous workshops:

Workshop 2022-06-07–10

Workshop 2021-06-14

material for session 1

The state of the project at the end of the workshop is summarised in the file.

Workshop on the text representation, 2021-03-22

Essentially formal questions about the text representation of the data have been discussed (minutes) and a draft data file has been created.

Workshop 2020-09-30

Task list based on the outcome of the workshop

Summary of the May 2020 workshop

The outcome of the discussions during the workshop can be summed up as

We want to stick to the principles whenever possible - and at the same time we are flexible and pragmatic and pay respect to traditions.

This attitude shows up in the agreement to use SI units, but to also allow Angstrom.

Acting in this spirit a broad support for developing two file formats could be observed:

  • The strict format who’s aim is to fulfil the principles of inter-operability and reusability, most likely using a NeXus-based hierarchical data format (HDF).
    This format should fulfil high scientific standards, it will allow future analysis software to do more than just fit R(q) curves and it should match the national data policies.

  • The pragmatic format, which should be easily human-readable (i.e. ASCII format with a YAML like structure) and contain the essential information to trace back its origin and some basics about the state of the data reduction. The standardised minimum content of this format can be expanded as seen appropriate by the user.
    This format is compatible with most actual analysis software. It is easy to understand and read by new users and thus unburdens beam line scientists. And it allows fast and easy comparison of results. After all, a reflectivity curve is expected as the outcome of a reflectivity measurement - however spoilt by experimental influences (e.g. resolution) it might be.

It is in the nature of the pragmatic approach that a lot of input has been given and example files were created as a basis for further discussions.

The main work for the (near) future will be to create a series of dictionaries describing the vocabulary used in either of the two file formats:

  • list of symbols and their definitions (e.g. alpha_i := angle of incidence on the sample surface …)
  • dictionary of key words (e.g. what is the meaning of reflectivity in the context of the reflectivity data file)
  • dictionary of standard(ised) data reduction steps (e.g. geometrical footprint correction)

It was recommended to use existing definitions from NeXus or canSAS whenever they fit. If theses are not in agreement with the common sense used in reflectometry experiments (e.g. the sample coordinate system) new, specialised definitions should be written in a similar style. It was also suggested to start with the essential quantities (again coordinate system, angles, momentum transfer, …) and to expand the dictionaries later when needed. These dictionaries are to be used for the reduced data. The very technical and highly instrument specific language describing the raw data should be used in the raw data file.

A series of tasks were defined and everyone is welcome to contribute there (as well as to the general discussions):

  • Draft a strict reflectivity file in NeXus format. (A. Nelson)
  • Contribute to the dictionaries
  • Create an overview over the national data policies
  • Define an identification scheme
  • Try to implement the pragmatic file format in existing data reduction software and report on problems and successes