# Seeking feedback: design doc for \`namedarray\`, a lightweight array data structure with named dimensions

**URL:** <https://discourse.pangeo.io/t/seeking-feedback-design-doc-for-namedarray-a-lightweight-array-data-structure-with-named-dimensions/3773>\
**Category:** News & Announcements\
**Created:** [October 19, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://discourse.pangeo.io/t/seeking-feedback-design-doc-for-namedarray-a-lightweight-array-data-structure-with-named-dimensions/3773 "2023-10-19T21:46:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![andersy005](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.pangeo.io/andersy005/32/31_2.png) [@andersy005](https://discourse.pangeo.io/u/andersy005)\
**Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 9:46pm UTC](https://discourse.pangeo.io/t/seeking-feedback-design-doc-for-namedarray-a-lightweight-array-data-structure-with-named-dimensions/3773/1 "2023-10-19T21:46:13Z")

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👋🏾 folks, [there has been growing interest in a lightweight array structure](https://github.com/pydata/xarray/issues/3981) that’s in the same vein as [xarray’s Variable](https://docs.xarray.dev/en/stable/generated/xarray.Variable.html). we’ve put together a design doc for `namedarray`, and we could use your feedback/input.

## what is `namedarray`?

in essence, `namedarray` aims to be a lighter version of xarray’s Variable—shedding some of the heavier dependencies (e.g. Pandas) but still retaining the goodness of named dimensions.

## what makes it special?

- **Array Protocol Compatibility** : we are planning to make it compatible with existing array protocols and the new [Python array API standard](https://data-apis.org/array-api/latest/).
- **Duck-Array Objects** : designed to wrap around multiple duck-array objects, like NumPy, Dask, Sparse, Pint, CuPy, and PyTorch.

## why are we doing this?

the goal is to bridge the gap between power and simplicity, providing a lightweight alternative for scientific computing tasks that don’t require the full firepower of Xarray (`DataArray` and `Dataset`).

## share your thoughts

We’ve put together a design doc that goes into the nitty-gritty of `namedarray`. your insights could be invaluable in making this initiative a success. please give it a read and share your thoughts [here](https://github.com/pydata/xarray/discussions/8080)

- **Design Doc** : [namedarray Design Document](https://github.com/pydata/xarray/blob/main/design_notes/named_array_design_doc.md)

cross posting from [Seeking feedback: design doc for namedarray, a lightweight array data structure with named dimensions - Contributor & Development Discussion - Scientific Python](https://discuss.scientific-python.org/t/seeking-feedback-design-doc-for-namedarray-a-lightweight-array-data-structure-with-named-dimensions/841)