Using Dictionaries to Manage Data Within a Modeling Framework System

Creating Dictionaries

Creating a DIC for FRAMES follows a system evaluation process that begins with identifying and defining the need.  What is the purpose of the model or database? What need does it address? For example, a chemical database might have been designed to provide basic chemical data (purpose) for use in modeling the transport and fate of chemicals in organisms (need).  Identifying and defining the need provides a boundary for the domain in which the model or database should be used and provides some understanding of the other components of the domain.

Process for Creating a Dictionary for FRAMES

1. Identify and define the need for the component.
2. Describe the common content and context for each component in the domain (the boundaries of the problem being modeled).
3. Group parameters into real-world collections to be used as boundary conditions.
4. Use the FRAMES software toolkit to facilitate registration and integration of data sources and models.

The next step in creating a dictionary is to describe each of the components in the domain in terms of common content and context.  As part of reflecting each component in a real-world system, the interfaces between these components begin to emerge.  Component owners can draw visual diagrams of these relationships to better understand and communicate the processes.  Such diagrams can then be used to identify missing as well as duplicate information.

This interface "defining" process identifies the boundary conditions, which involves understanding the core parameters and their relationship to other parameters.  The team of researchers who developed FRAMES used a mediation approach to address differences between components such as variations in terminology, temporal and spatial considerations, scale, and units.  This level of understanding is necessary to ensure the effective transfer of data and information between components.  Understanding these relationships allows the user to define the mapping (indexing relationships) between these parameters.  For example, time is often a core parameter that many other parameters require as an index (deaths per year, costs per month, hourly temperature, etc.).

Once parameters and relationships are clear, they can be grouped into real-world collections (chemical properties, geographic location, etc.).  These collections will become the DICs and will provide clear descriptions of the type of information expected to be stored in boundary condition datasets.

Some information will be used by many models within a domain.  For example, in an environmental domain, information on such parameters as chemicals, radionuclides, space/time, and organisms will likely be needed several times.  Because of this universal need, these dictionaries are provided with the system.  See the appendix for a complete list of environmental domain dictionaries.

With a full understanding of the components, their boundary conditions, and the dependencies between parameters, model and database developers can utilize the FRAMES toolkit to facilitate accurate registration and integration of data sources and models.  Some of these software tools include the following:

• Data Client Editor, which allows users to build the input corresponding to the boundary conditions associated with the module's DICs.  Using this editor, the user can actually define the values of the input parameters.
• Dictionary Editor, which allows users to add or delete information in any DIC except the module properties DICs.  The editor allows the user to add or delete parameters (e.g., rows of information) but does not allow the user to change attributes (e.g., column headings) associated with that parameter.
• Conversion Editor, which allows users to add units and their conversions not currently supported by the system.
• Module Editor, which allows users to input and edit module properties DICs.  
• Domain Editor, which allows users to define where the module fits with the other components in the domain.

These tools are installed with FRAMES and can be accessed through the Framework Development Environment, which is the main user interface for FRAMES.  Technical documentation on each tool can be found online at FDE Editors' Documentation.