

Numerical Modeling [pdf] - brudgers
http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/td/geotech/velocity/documents/05_chapter_3_numerical_modeling.pdf

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bigger_cheese
I'd love to see some modern tools to make developing models easier.

Most of our models are built on top of already existing models so we have this
huge corpus of C and Fortran spanning from mid 80's. I'm partially guilty for
this myself my first instinct when it comes to a new project is to reach for C
and "pinch" huge chunks of algorithms from existing code (and most of those
algorithms probably came from GSL or NR or similar originally). I can knock up
a prototype very quickly since I don't have to rewrite heaps of "boiler plate"
algorithms but then I have to deal with the pain of fine tuning the C code.
Re-factoring C or Fortan is not great. I'd love to be able to use a higher
level language.

I'm kind of aware of languages like Python, R and Julia but don't have the
time at the moment to learn them.

~~~
rdtsc
15 years or so ago I worked at a company that built one of those CAE (Computer
Aided Engineering) programs, it was called I-deas (but has since been
renamed), and yeah we had tons of core numerical code in Fortran that we just
linked in and used. A lot of it came from the 70s and well it worked pretty
well.

~~~
bigger_cheese
Yeah that's kind of where I'm coming from as well we have these huge
collection of Fortran which is basically 'good enough'.

It's only when you hit some niche corner case and you have to dive in to the
guts that you start wishing you had something more modern.

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IndianAstronaut
One thing you don't see as much in the data minjng world, but should, is
developing euqations for modeling various business phenomena. This is a bit
different from regular statisitcal and machine learning approaches since it
lets you ask 'what if' questions and get some idea of what might happen.

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rdtsc
This is from DOT (US Dept. Of Transportation).

This is part of a larger series.

[http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/td/geotech/velocity/](http://flh.fhwa.dot.gov/innovation/td/geotech/velocity/)

