private void createDataVariables(List<VariableSimpleIF> dataVars) throws IOException {

    /* height variable
    Variable heightVar = ncfile.addStringVariable(altName, recordDims, 20);
    ncfile.addVariableAttribute(heightVar, new Attribute("long_name", "height of observation"));
    ncfile.addVariableAttribute(heightVar, new Attribute("units", altUnits));  */

    Variable v = ncfile.addVariable(parentProfileIndex, DataType.INT, recordDimName);
    ncfile.addVariableAttribute(v, new Attribute("long_name", "index of parent profile"));

    v = ncfile.addVariable(nextObsName, DataType.INT, recordDimName);
    ncfile.addVariableAttribute(
        v, new Attribute("long_name", "record number of next obs in linked list for this profile"));

    // find all dimensions needed by the data variables
    for (VariableSimpleIF var : dataVars) {
      List<Dimension> dims = var.getDimensions();
      dimSet.addAll(dims);
    }

    // add them
    for (Dimension d : dimSet) {
      if (!d.isUnlimited())
        ncfile.addDimension(d.getName(), d.getLength(), d.isShared(), false, d.isVariableLength());
    }

    // add the data variables all using the record dimension
    for (VariableSimpleIF oldVar : dataVars) {
      List<Dimension> dims = oldVar.getDimensions();
      StringBuffer dimNames = new StringBuffer(recordDimName);
      for (Dimension d : dims) {
        if (!d.isUnlimited()) dimNames.append(" ").append(d.getName());
      }
      Variable newVar =
          ncfile.addVariable(oldVar.getName(), oldVar.getDataType(), dimNames.toString());

      List<Attribute> atts = oldVar.getAttributes();
      for (Attribute att : atts) {
        ncfile.addVariableAttribute(newVar, att);
      }
    }
  }
  public static void main(String args[]) throws Exception {
    long start = System.currentTimeMillis();
    Map<String, ucar.unidata.geoloc.Station> staHash =
        new HashMap<String, ucar.unidata.geoloc.Station>();

    String location = "R:/testdata/sounding/netcdf/Upperair_20070401_0000.nc";
    NetcdfDataset ncfile = NetcdfDataset.openDataset(location);
    ncfile.sendIospMessage(NetcdfFile.IOSP_MESSAGE_ADD_RECORD_STRUCTURE);

    // look through record varibles, for those that have "manLevel" dimension
    // make a StructureData object for those
    StructureMembers sm = new StructureMembers("manLevel");
    Dimension manDim = ncfile.findDimension("manLevel");
    Structure record = (Structure) ncfile.findVariable("record");
    List<Variable> allList = record.getVariables();
    List<VariableSimpleIF> varList = new ArrayList<VariableSimpleIF>();
    for (Variable v : allList) {
      if ((v.getRank() == 1) && v.getDimension(0).equals(manDim)) {
        // public VariableDS(NetcdfDataset ds, Group group, Structure parentStructure, String
        // shortName, DataType dataType,
        // String dims, String units, String desc) {
        varList.add(
            new VariableDS(
                ncfile,
                null,
                null,
                v.getShortName(),
                v.getDataType(),
                "",
                v.getUnitsString(),
                v.getDescription()));
        // (String name, String desc, String units, DataType dtype, int []shape)
        sm.addMember(
            v.getShortName(),
            v.getDescription(),
            v.getUnitsString(),
            v.getDataType(),
            new int[0]); // scalar
      }
    }

    ArrayStructureMA manAS = new ArrayStructureMA(sm, new int[] {manDim.getLength()});

    // need the date units
    Variable time = ncfile.findVariable("synTime");
    String timeUnits = ncfile.findAttValueIgnoreCase(time, "units", null);
    timeUnits = StringUtil.remove(timeUnits, '('); // crappy fsl'ism
    timeUnits = StringUtil.remove(timeUnits, ')');
    DateUnit timeUnit = new DateUnit(timeUnits);

    // extract stations
    int nrecs = 0;
    StructureDataIterator iter = record.getStructureIterator();
    while (iter.hasNext()) {
      StructureData sdata = iter.next();
      String name = sdata.getScalarString("staName");
      ucar.unidata.geoloc.Station s = staHash.get(name);
      if (s == null) {
        float lat = sdata.convertScalarFloat("staLat");
        float lon = sdata.convertScalarFloat("staLon");
        float elev = sdata.convertScalarFloat("staElev");
        s = new StationImpl(name, "", lat, lon, elev);
        staHash.put(name, s);
      }
      nrecs++;
    }
    List<ucar.unidata.geoloc.Station> stnList =
        Arrays.asList(staHash.values().toArray(new ucar.unidata.geoloc.Station[staHash.size()]));
    Collections.sort(stnList);

    // create the writer
    WriterProfileObsDataset writer =
        new WriterProfileObsDataset(location + ".out", "rewrite " + location);
    writer.writeHeader(stnList, varList, nrecs, "prMan");

    // extract records
    iter = record.getStructureIterator();
    while (iter.hasNext()) {
      StructureData sdata = iter.next();
      String name = sdata.getScalarString("staName");
      double timeValue = sdata.convertScalarDouble("synTime");
      Date date = timeUnit.makeDate(timeValue);

      // transfer to the ArrayStructure
      List<String> names = sm.getMemberNames();
      for (String mname : names) {
        manAS.setMemberArray(mname, sdata.getArray(mname));
      }

      // each level is weritten as a seperate structure
      int numMand = sdata.getScalarInt("numMand");
      if (numMand >= manDim.getLength()) continue;

      for (int i = 0; i < numMand; i++) {
        StructureData useData = manAS.getStructureData(i);
        writer.writeRecord(name, date, useData);
      }
    }

    writer.finish();

    long took = System.currentTimeMillis() - start;
    System.out.println("That took = " + took);
  }
  public static boolean isValidFile(NetcdfDataset ds) {
    // Check that has a time dimension and a trajectory dimension.
    List list = ds.getRootGroup().getDimensions();
    if (list.size() != 2) return (false);
    Dimension d;
    for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
      d = (Dimension) list.get(i);
      if (!d.getShortName().equals(timeDimNameDefault)
          && !d.getShortName().equals(trajDimNameDefault)) return (false);
    }

    // Check that has a trajectory coordinate variable.
    Variable var = ds.getRootGroup().findVariable(trajVarNameDefault);
    if (var == null) return (false);
    list = var.getDimensions();
    if (list.size() != 1) return (false);
    d = (Dimension) list.get(0);
    if (!d.getShortName().equals(trajDimNameDefault)) return (false);

    // Check that has a time coordinate variable with units that are udunits time
    var = ds.getRootGroup().findVariable(timeVarNameDefault);
    if (var == null) return (false);
    list = var.getDimensions();
    if (list.size() != 1) return (false);
    d = (Dimension) list.get(0);
    if (!d.getShortName().equals(timeDimNameDefault)) return (false);
    String units = var.findAttribute("units").getStringValue();
    Date date = DateUnit.getStandardDate("0 " + units);
    if (date == null) return (false);

    // Check for variable latitude(time) with units of "deg".
    var = ds.getRootGroup().findVariable(latVarNameDefault);
    if (var == null) return (false);
    list = var.getDimensions();
    if (list.size() != 2) return (false);
    for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
      d = (Dimension) list.get(i);
      if (!d.getShortName().equals(timeDimNameDefault)
          && !d.getShortName().equals(trajDimNameDefault)) return (false);
    }
    //    units = var.findAttribute( "units").getStringValue();
    //    if ( ! SimpleUnit.isCompatible( units, "degrees_north")) return( false);

    // Check for variable longitude(time) with units of "deg".
    var = ds.getRootGroup().findVariable(lonVarNameDefault);
    if (var == null) return (false);
    list = var.getDimensions();
    if (list.size() != 2) return (false);
    for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
      d = (Dimension) list.get(i);
      if (!d.getShortName().equals(timeDimNameDefault)
          && !d.getShortName().equals(trajDimNameDefault)) return (false);
    }
    //    units = var.findAttribute( "units").getStringValue();
    //    if ( ! SimpleUnit.isCompatible( units, "degrees_east")) return( false);

    // Check for variable altitude(time) with units of "m".
    var = ds.getRootGroup().findVariable(elevVarNameDefault);
    if (var == null) return (false);
    list = var.getDimensions();
    if (list.size() != 2) return (false);
    for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
      d = (Dimension) list.get(i);
      if (!d.getShortName().equals(timeDimNameDefault)
          && !d.getShortName().equals(trajDimNameDefault)) return (false);
    }
    units = var.findAttribute("units").getStringValue();
    if (!SimpleUnit.isCompatible(units, "m")) return (false);

    return (true);
  }