Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Environmental Modelling & Software
Volume
122
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
Publication Date
9-30-2019
First Page
1
Last Page
16
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
Developing simulation and optimisation models for resource networks like water or energy systems increasingly involves integrating multiple data sources and software. Connecting multiple models and managing data accessed by different groups of analysts is a software challenge. Many resource systems are represented in computer models as networks of nodes and links, driven by a range of objectives and rules. We present a data storage platform, written in Python, which exploits the commonality of network representations to store data for multiple model types within a single deployment. This open-source platform provides a common source of data to multiple models using consistent data formats, reducing likelihood of error compared to file based data management. When deployed as a web service, it allows data to be shared securely among authorised users over the internet, facilitating collaboration. A case study describes the hosting of a water utility planning model, with an accompanying worked example.
Recommended Citation
Knox, Stephen, Tomlinson, James, Harou, Julien, Meier, Philipp, Rosenberg, David, Lund, Jay, and Rheinheimer, David. "An Open-Source Data Manager for Network Models." Environmental Modelling & Software, vol. 122, 2019, pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2019.104538
