Glossary of TermsΒΆ

API
API - Application Programming Interface. This means a defined, documented interface for using any software tool or framework, that others can use in their programs to complete a task.
Benchmark
In the context of CREDO, this means a test of a code’s results/performance according to some metric, which has generally been published in the literature.
Field
A 3D domain - in StGermain codes, the FieldVariable class provides an interface for accessing data from Fields, which are usually discretised as either a Mesh or Swarm. For reference to the FieldVariable class, see http://www.auscope.monash.edu.au/codex/StgDomain.html#FieldVariable
Input File
In the StGermain context, see Model.
Mesh
A mesh of nodes or data in a discretised domain. For the reference to the Mesh class provided by StGermain and Underworld, see http://www.auscope.monash.edu.au/codex/StGermain.html#Mesh.
Model
In the context of StGermain-based codes, a “Model” refers to a complete, consistent scientific application: encapsulated by a set of StGermain components. These are normally represented by a set of XML files specifying these components. Sometimes referred to as simply an “input file” to Underworld, and stored in an InputFiles sub-directory.
Model Result
In the context of CREDO, this refers to the “result” of a Model Run. This includes all the data the model run produced, usually stored in an output directory (such as checkpoint files, and the FrequentOutput.dat summary), plus any ‘meta-data’ about how long the model took to run, how much data was used, etc. See the credo.modelresult module.
Model Run
In the context of CREDO, this means the specification of a Model to run, PLUS the metadata required for the run (e.g. over-rides of simulation parameters, processors to use, whether to run locally or over the grid, etc). See the credo.modelrun module.
StGermain
An object-oriented framework, written in C, to enable the development of Scientific applications to run on parallel computers. See http://www.stgermainproject.org
Swarm
In the context of StGermain-based codes, a “Swarm” refers to a set of particles. In Underworld a swarm with a large number of particles is used to discretise a Field via individual material points. See http://www.auscope.monash.edu.au/codex/StgDomain.html#Swarm.
System Test
In the context of software, a test that the entire software system works as expected, for some sort of non-trivial problem.
Underworld
A geophysics modelling framework, implemented using StGermain - see http://www.underworldproject.org
Virtual method
A method of a class that is not actually implemented, and thus requires sub-classes to implement.
VRMS
Velocity Root Mean Squared. An observable commonly calculated for convection runs of the Underworld code.

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