issue_comments: 521827695

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https://github.com/pydata/xarray/issues/3176#issuecomment-521827695 https://api.github.com/repos/pydata/xarray/issues/3176 521827695 MDEyOklzc3VlQ29tbWVudDUyMTgyNzY5NQ== 5635139 2019-08-15T23:06:48Z 2019-08-15T23:06:48Z MEMBER

Looking at this now, and I'm a little surprised at the verbiage. In your example, do you consider a to be a "variable"? I thought variables were individual DataArray objects "inside" Dataset objects. My colleagues and I have been referring to objects such as a as "alternative" or "auxiliary" dimensions. Basically, a different labeling of the same coordinates. You also seem to call these "multidimensional coordinates"?

You're not alone; the proliferation and overlap of terms can be confusing at the least. Maybe we should have a glossary somewhere. Briefly: - Dimensions are like x & y above (a is not a dimension) - Coordinates are labels along dimensions. These can be either index or non-index coordinates. a above is an non-index coordinate; x & y are indexes. Currently indexes are always named the same as their dimension. - (not 100% sure about this one, @pydata/xarray correct me where I'm wrong) Data Variables are indeed the objects inside a dataset. All the objects are Variables, including Coordinates.

But I do think I see the use case. The point is that you can take an existing dimension's coordinates and set them as the coordinates for an alternative dimension?

💯 

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