OpenDA: Integrating models and observations

OpenDA is an open interface standard for (and free implementation of) a set of tools to quickly implement data-assimilation and calibration for arbitrary numerical models. OpenDA wants to stimulate the use of data-assimilation and calibration by lowering the implementation costs and enhancing the exchange of software among researchers and end-users.

A model that conforms to the OpenDA standard can use all the tools that are available in OpenDA. This allows experimentation with data-assimilation/calibration methods without the need for extensive programming. Reversely, developers of data-assimilation/calibration software that make their implementations compatible with the OpenDA interface will make their new methods usable for all OpenDA users (either for free or on a commercial basis).

OpenDA has been designed for high performance. Hence, even large-scale models can use it. Also, OpenDA allows users to optimize the interaction between their model and the data-assimilation/calibration methods. Hence, data-assimilation with OpenDA can be as efficient as with custom-made implementations of data-assimilation methods.

OpenDA is an Open Source project. Contributions are welcome from anyone wishing to participate in the further development of the OpenDA toolset.

In summary, OpenDA:

  • Provides researchers with a tool for experimentation with data-assimilation/calibration methods without the need for extensive programming;
  • Enables a quick implementation of data-assimilation and calibration for arbitrary numerical models;
  • Can be used without the need to learn and implement many different data assimilation and calibration algorithms/methods;
  • Has been successfully used in many applications and publications, for example:

Features of OpenDA

  • Data-assimilation methods:
    • Ensemble KF (EnKF)
    • Ensemble SquareRoot KF (EnSR)
    • Steady State KF
    • Particle Filter
    • 3DVar
    • DudEnKF (still under research)
    • DudEnSR (still under research)
  • Parameter estimation (calibration) methods:
    • Dud
    • Sparse Dud
    • Simplex
    • Powell
    • Gridded full search
    • Shuffled Comples Evolution (SCE)
    • Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE)
    • (L)BFGS
    • Conjugate Gradient: Fleetjer-Reeves, Polak-Ribiere, Steepest Descent
  • Uncertainty Analaysis methods
  • GLUE
  • DELSA

Language interfaces:

  • C/C++
  • Java
  • Fortran77/90