Create and move functions to commongrid and clean subpackages

[leewujung]

UPDATE, 3/20/2023: We've settled on commongrid instead of unify. Also, expanded this issue to include moving the noise functions to the new clean subpackage (which we initially had named filter).

To manage functions that all could be called as "processing" or "preprocessing" type, in #817 we laid out some subpackage organizations. This issue addresses one of them, to create a new subpackage called unify and move a subset of the functions currently under preprocess under it:

• unify
  • compute_MVBS (existing) -- the efficiency was enhanced in Generalize compute_MVBS and improve its efficiency for Dask input #878
  • compute_MVBS_index_binning (existing) -- we know more work may be needed for this, but we won't change the implementation at the moment.
  • regrid_Sv (to be implemented) -- See Add function to regrid Sv data #726

[emiliom]

I've been thinking about the unify subpackage name. The functionality we're including under it so far involves space and time regridding and binning. "unify" does encompass that functionality, but it also may imply something broader. Plus, "unify" and "consolidate" (another subpackage name proposed in #817) are synonyms, which may lead to some ambiguity about scope.

The alternative names that I can come up with are "regrid", "resample" and "regularize". None of those seem quite perfect.

[leewujung]

I don't think "unify" and "consolidate" are exactly synonyms, but if there are other names that are better we can use those.

What I think the PR addressing this issue should achieve is to move those functions into a separate subpackage that is not called "preprocess." I think we have until v0.6.4 is released to finalize what subpackage name we want. 😛

[emiliom]

Currently there is a third user function under preprocess: remove_noise. Our ultimate goal is to move (reorganize) it to a new subpackage, filter (per #817 (comment)). I think we should try to move it at the same time as we move compute_MVBS and compute_MVBS_index_binning, so we can retire preprocess all at once.

BTW, as we move these functions, we should look into maintaining working stubs under preprocess that simply point to the new location of the functions and emit a warning that function calls using preprocess will be retired in 0.7.1. eg, a request for preprocess.compute_MVBS will result in a request to unify.compute_MVBS plus a warning.

[leewujung]

I think we should try to move it at the same time as we move compute_MVBS and compute_MVBS_index_binning, so we can retire preprocess all at once.

I like this idea, this way we won't be moving things around that much afterwards.

Also agreed with deprecation warning and remove everything in 0.7.1.

[emiliom]

We've settled on commongrid instead of unify. PR #993 addresses the reorganization of functions to both commongrid and filter. BUT, we now have an open question about filter, because it's a Python reserved word 😩

[leewujung]

How about clean in place of filter?

[emiliom]

Not as good as filter (sigh), but I think it works.

[emiliom]

Done in #993. Closing.