Primary INTERA Participants: Jeremy White (lead developer), Ahmad Askar, Ed DeSousa, Mohamed Hayek, Rui Hugman, Katie Markovich
Challenge: To develop a suite of software tools capable of addressing the limitations of predictions made using deterministic models. PEST++ is a suite of software tools to support parameter estimation, uncertainty quantification, and optimization towards the goal of environmental decision support modeling. In a time of rapidly advancing computational environments and increasingly sophisticated mathematical methods, there is a need to continually develop, test, and incorporate new and cutting-edge approaches into the PEST++ codebase to ensure that the software continues to meet the needs and expectations of practitioners.
Method: The PEST++ codebase is maintained in a public GitHub repository employing a rapid, iterative development and testing approach. That is, all participants listed above, as well as collaborators from federal agencies, industry, and academic, contribute their own improvements to the codebase as well as provide feedback from testing in their respective applications. In addition, INTERA provides internal funding to stay on top of the exploding field of data assimilation to continue developing and improving upon PEST++.
Primary Impact: A continuously evolving and cutting-edge set of software tools that is available to the broad and diverse environmental decision support modeling community. Better environmental simulation translates to better protection and preservation of earth's natural, social, and economic resources.
