CSN Motivation

CSDMS Standard Names: Motivation

Most models require input variables and produce output variables. In a component-based modeling framework like CSDMS (Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System), a set of components becomes a complete model when every component is able to obtain the input variables it needs from another component in the set. Ideally, we want a modeling framework to automatically

• Determine whether a set of components provides a complete model and

• Connect each component that requires a certain input variable to another component in the set that can provide that variable as output.

However, this kind of automation requires a matching mechanism for determining whether --- and the degree to which --- two variable names refer to the same quantity and whether they use the same units and are defined or measured in the same way.

The CSDMS Standard Names provide a practical solution to this semantic mediation problem. While the [[[ cf-pcmdi.llnl.gov/documents/cf-standard-names/ | CF Convention Standard Names ]]] that were introduced in the domain of ocean and atmosphere modeling have somewhat similar goals, the CSDMS Standard Names provide a more comprehensive set of naming rules and patterns that are not specific to any particular modeling domain. CSDMS Standard Names always consist of an object part and a quantity/attribute part and they may also have an operation prefix. Unlike the CF Standard Names, assumptions and explanations are not included in the name itself but are instead selected from a standardized list and specified with assumption tags in a model metadata file (XML) that clarifies how a given model uses the name. Benefits of this new approach will be illustrated with CSDMS model-coupling examples.

The CSDMS Standard Names can be viewed as a "lingua franca" that provides a bridge for mapping variable names between models. They play an important role in the Basic Model Interface (BMI) developed by CSDMS. Model developers are asked to provide a model metadata file that essentially maps their model's internal variable names to CSDMS Standard Names. If widely adopted, this naming system could also provide a discovery mechanism for finding models on the web.