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GROUND-WATER MODEL TESTING: SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION AND TESTING OF CODE FUNCTIONALITY AND PERFORMANCE
Citation:
van der Heijde, P. AND D. A. Kanzer. GROUND-WATER MODEL TESTING: SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION AND TESTING OF CODE FUNCTIONALITY AND PERFORMANCE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-97/007 (NTIS PB97-188114), 1997.
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
Effective use of ground-water simulation codes as management decision tools requires the establishment of their functionality, performance characteristics, and applicability to the problem at hand. This is accomplished through application of a systematic code-testing protocol and code selection strategy. This report describes a code testing protocol, containing two main elements: functionality analysis and performance evaluation. Functionality analysis is the description and measurement of the capabilities of a simulation code. Performance evaluation concerns the appraisal of a code's operational characteristics (e.g., computational accuracy and efficiency, sensitivity for problem design and model parameters, and reproducibility). Furthermore, this report discusses applicability assessment, i.e., providing information on a code's capabilities in simulating complex, real-world ground-water problems. The protocol for testing and evaluation of a code's functionality and performance consists of a series of steps and procedures. First, the code is analyzed with respect to its simulation functions and operational characteristics. This is followed by the design or selection of relevant test problems, the so-called test strategy. The set of test problems is chosen such that all code functions and features are addressed. Results of the testing are documented in tables and matrices, which provide a quick overview of the completeness of the testing, in various types of informative graphs, and with a set of statistical measures indicative of the test results. The actual testing may take the form of: (1) benchmarking using known, independently derived solutions; (2) intracomparison using different code functions inciting the same system responses; (3) intercomparison with comparable simulation codes; or (4) comparison with field or laboratory experiments. The results of the various tests are analyzed to identify performance strengths and weaknesses of code and testing procedures. The final step consists of documenting the results in report form, archiving the baselined code and test files, and communicating the results to the different audiences in an appropriate format. The results of code testing are analyzed using standardized statistical and graphical techniques, and presented using informative tables, tabular matrices, and graphs. The protocol is demonstrated and evaluated using the three-dimensional finite difference flow and solute transport simulation code, FTWORK.
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GROUND-WATER MODEL TESTING: SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION AND TESTING OF CODE FUNCTIONALITY AND PERFORMANCEProject Summary