D2O: Distributed Data Object

D2O acts as a layer of abstraction between algorithm code and data-distribution logic to manage cluster-distributed multi-dimensional numerical arrays; this provides usability without losing numerical performance and scalability. D2O's global interface makes the cluster node's local data directly accessible for use in customized high-performance modules. D2O is written in Python; the code is portable and easy to use and modify. Expensive operations are carried out by dedicated external libraries like numpy and mpi4py and performance scales well when moving to an MPI cluster. In combination with NIFTy, D2O enables supercomputer based astronomical imaging via RESOLVE (ascl:1505.028) and D3PO (ascl:1504.018).