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Title: Rethinking modeling framework design: object modeling system 3.0

Author
item DAVID, OLAF - Colorado State University
item Ascough Ii, James
item LEAVESLEY, GEORGE - Colorado State University
item Ahuja, Lajpat

Submitted to: Environmental Modeling International Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2010
Publication Date: 12/15/2010
Citation: David, O., Ascough II, J.C., Leavesley, G.H., Ahuja, L.R. 2010. Rethinking modeling framework design: object modeling system 3.0. In: Swayne, D.A., Yang, W.,Voinov, A.A., Rizzoli, A., and Filatova, T., editors. Environmental Modeling International Conference Proceedings. International Modeling and Environmental Software Society, Modeling for Environment's Sake, July 5-8, 2010, Ottawa, Canada. p. 1183-1191.

Interpretive Summary: The Object Modeling System (OMS) is a framework for environmental model development, testing, and validation. It provides a bridge for transferring technology from the research organization to the program delivery agency. The framework provides a consistent and efficient way to create science components, evaluate models, and then modify and adjust them as the science advances. OMS Version 3.0 (OMS3) represents a major milestone towards an easier to use, more transparent and scalable implementation of an environmental modeling framework. OMS3 development is the result of an in-depth analysis of successful framework designs and software engineering principles as provided by general-purpose modeling frameworks. The main goal of OMS3 development is an easier integration of model source code based on language annotations while being flexible to adopt existing legacy models. In OMS3, the internal complexity of the framework itself was reduced while allowing models to implicitly scale without burdening the model developer with complex technical details.

Technical Abstract: The Object Modeling System (OMS) is a framework for environmental model development, data provisioning, testing, validation, and deployment. It provides a bridge for transferring technology from the research organization to the program delivery agency. The framework provides a consistent and efficient way to create science components, build, calibrate, and evaluate models and then modify and adjust them as the science advances, in addition to re-purposing models for emerging customer requirements. OMS was first released in 2004 and version 3.0 represents a major milestone towards an easier to use, more transparent and scalable implementation of an environmental modeling framework. OMS3 development is the result of an in-depth analysis of successful framework designs and software engineering principles as provided by general-purpose modeling frameworks. Like any modeling framework, OMS3 is enabling technology for modeling. The main goal of OMS3 development is an easier integration of model source code based on language annotations while being flexible to adopt existing legacy models. In OMS3, the internal complexity of the framework itself was reduced while allowing models to implicitly scale from multi-core desktops to clusters to clouds, without burdening the model developer with complex technical details.