tailieunhanh - Modeling Tools for Environmental Engineers and Scientists Episode 8

Tham khảo tài liệu 'modeling tools for environmental engineers and scientists episode 8', kỹ thuật - công nghệ, cơ khí - chế tạo máy phục vụ nhu cầu học tập, nghiên cứu và làm việc hiệu quả | CHAPTER 7 Software for Developing Mathematical Models CHAPTER PREVIEW In this chapter three distinct types of commercially available software packages for model development are identified spreadsheet-based equation solver-based and dynamic simulation-based packages. Selected examples of software packages belonging to these three types are discussed. Some of their features merits and limitations are illustrated by applying them to the same common water quality modeling problem. The objective is to provide an overview of the available software and their capabilities so that readers can make their own choices appropriate to their modeling goals. INTRODUCTION The low-cost availability of high-performance desktop computer hardware and equally powerful software applications in recent years has fostered extensive use of computer-based simulation models in all fields of science and engineering. The benefits of computer-based simulation models in understanding analyzing and predicting the behavior of complex and large-scale natural and engineered systems in a safe timely and cost-effective manner have been well recognized. A large number of professionally developed special purpose modeling and simulation programs are available commercially and also as shareware free-ware. Most such programs in use today have been developed using traditional computer programming languages such as Fortran Pascal C BASIC etc. 2002 by CRC Press LLC End users often adapted these models in a black-box manner feeding the required input parameters in a specific format and obtaining values for certain output parameters preset by the programmer. The source code of these models are normally not accessible to the users for them to modify the program if necessary to meet their particular needs. Often instructors students and professionals face situations when predeveloped packages may not be flexible readily available or adequate for special purpose applications. In such cases it may be desirable .