How it's Organized: Of Modelbases, Model Families and Frameworks

Content in the whatIf? Modelling Platform is organized into a hierarchy of modelbases, model families and frameworks:

• A Modelbase can be thought of as a model “library” - a collection of independent model families.
• A Model family contains the logic and all related scenario and historical data for a particular model. When users refer to 'the model' they are usually referring to a particular model family.
• Framework - a model family typically contains two frameworks - one for future simulation and another for historical calibration (though a model family may have only a simulation framework). Simulator and calibrator frameworks in the same model family are strongly connected by cross-framework variable links to maintain structural integrity between the historical and simulation time periods.

Here's an example modelbase which has three model families, of which two have both simulator and calibrator frameworks and one which has only a simulator framework:

• myModels (modelbase)
  • North American Energy Model (model family)
    • simulator (framework)
    • calibrator (framework)
  • Melbourne Land Use Model (model family)
    • simulator (framework)
    • calibrator (framework)
  • Activity Based Costing Model (model family)
    • simulator (framework)