Using Dictionaries to Manage Data Within a Modeling Framework System

Summary

Under contracts with a number of federal agencies, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed a modeling FRAMEwork System (FRAMES) to support the linkage, integration, and communication between multiple models and databases.  FRAMES is a flexible and versatile suite of software tools intended to be relatively inclusive of various types of models, databases, and tools.  This inclusivity requires that data be managed effectively.

FRAMES provides a data management approach that uses dictionaries (DICs), which are collections of information describing the data.  This unique approach frees developers to focus on how models and databases consume and produce data, while providing an easily understandable process for those who use the system to simulate real-world problems.

This approach was developed through evolution when the traditional approach of hardwiring disparate models together proved wieldy and of low quality.  Rather than requiring adherence to a rigid set of specifications, FRAMES provides the tools to understand models and databases and map those components into a domain (the boundaries of the problem being modeled) that addresses the needs of the users.

DICs are created through a system evaluation process that includes identifying and defining the need for the component, describing the common content and context for each component in the domain, grouping parameters into real-world collections that describe the conditions of the boundaries of the problem being modeled, and using the FRAMES software toolkit to facilitate integrating data sources and models into the system.