Glossary

A glossary of terms used with the babelizer.

$

The default shell prompt.

Anaconda

A Python distribution that includes libraries for scientific computing and a package manager. See https://www.anaconda.com/distribution for more information.

Basic Model Interface

A set a functions that are used to interact with and control a model. See https://bmi.readthedocs.io for more information.

BMI

See Basic Model Interface.

Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System

CSDMS is an NSF-funded program that seeks to transform the science and practice of earth-surface dynamics modeling. For more information, visit https://csdms.colorado.edu.

class

A program that acts as a template for creating objects.

conda

The package manager for Anaconda. Also an informal name for an Anaconda installation.

conda-forge

A collection of community-built packages distributed by Anaconda. See https://conda-forge.org.

conda environment

A conda sub-installation that isolates a group of packages from the main conda installation.

configuration file

A file, usually in a text-based format, that lists the tunable parameters of a model and supplies their initial values.

coupling

See model coupling.

CSDMS

See Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System.

CSDMS Workbench

An integrated system of software tools, technologies, and standards for building and coupling models. See https://csdms.colorado.edu/wiki/Workbench for more information.

data

Information held by an object.

git

Version control software.

import

The process of bringing code from a Python module into another module or into an interactive Python session.

instance

See object.

method

Programs that act upon the data of an object.

model

A computer program that attempts to describe a physical process with mathematical relationships that evolve over time and are solved numerically. For more information, see, for example, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerical_modeling_(geology).

model coupling

Models are coupled when they exchange inputs and outputs, often at the resolution of individual time steps. One-way coupling occurs when the outputs from one model are used as inputs to another model. Two-way coupling is when outputs from one model are used as inputs for another model, which in turn supplies its outputs to the first model as inputs, producing a feedback.

module

A file (with the .py extension) that contains Python code.

NumPy

A Python library that provides arrays. Outputs from pymt are NumPy arrays. See also http://www.numpy.org.

object

A variable that is a concrete example of a class. Objects have data and methods that act upon those data.