Managing temporal data in a comprehensive modeling environment

Numerous graphical pre- and post-processors have been developed for numerical modeling. Many of these systems support numerical models that can be used for both steady state and transient simulations. Dealing with transient data can be particularly difficult in such an environment due to the differing time scales and units associated with transient field data and boundary conditions. A data model and a set of functions are presented in this paper as a simple, yet powerful strategy for managing temporal data in a comprehensive modeling environment. The strategy makes it possible to seamlessly integrate multiple types of transient data and convert the data to the appropriate values at the desired computational time intervals. In addition to simplifying the creation of transient models, the strategy makes it possible to automate much of the data manipulation required for model calibration.