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HDF5 [13], short for “Hierarchical Data Format, version 5” is a data model, library, and file format for storing and managing data. It is designed to meet the needs of applications that push the limits of what can be addressed by traditional database systems, XML documents, or in-house data formats. Many HDF5 adopters have very large datasets, very fast access requirements, or very complex data relationships. Others turn to HDF5 because it allows them to easily share data across a wide variety of computational platforms using applications written in different programming languages. Some use HDF5 to take advantage of the many open-source and commercial tools that understand HDF5.