Model Expert for Windows

You can also search on model title. Categories and descriptions for Model Expert were obtained from individual software developers, the U.S. EPA document "Compilation of Ground-Water Models," U.S. EPA's Simplified Model Archiving and Retrieval Tracker, the USGS, the Center for Subsurface Modeling Support, and the International Ground Water Modeling Center.

The tabbed notebook is the area of Model Expert that you will use to filter down through available models. Each tab has one or two filter items that you click on to activate the filter. The last tab "Contact Info," displays model name, author name, contact name, address, phone, and fax number, if available. You can print this information along with the model description at any time by clicking on the Print Information button, selecting File|Print from the main menu, or right-clicking on the model list.

Availability- This filter tells you whether a model is public domain or proprietary. Clicking on the button next to public domain causes all solely proprietary models to be taken out of the model list on the right-hand side of the screen. Note: Models that are listed under both, meaning they are public domain and proprietary, generally have limited capabilities in the model's public domain form. Public domain models can often be found from other sources for a nominal cost, but generally do not come with technical support. Technical support for public domain models might be much more important than proprietary models because user interfaces for public domain models and user guides tend to be less well developed when compared to many proprietary models.

Medium- This page contains the filter type of Medium. Clicking on this filter will tell you what subsurface medium a model can handle. Click on fractured rock and models displayed will be able to handle the complexities of a fractured medium. Note: Most software that can model fractured conditions will also model porous soil.

Sim Type- The simulation type filter will tell you whether a model simulates flow or transport, flow and transport, or if the model is a parameter estimator.

Soil Char- The soil characteristics page has two filters: materials and saturation. Materials filters out models that can handle heterogeneous soils or ones that can handle only homogeneous soils. Most models that have heterogeneous soil capabilities can also be used on simplified homogeneous sites. The saturation filter lets you know which models can be used in the unsaturated zone, which in the saturated zone, and which can do both.

Aquif/Phase- The Aquifer and Phases page has two filters on it: aquifer type and fluid phases. Aquifer type filters models that can simulate confined, unconfined aquifers, or both. The fluid phases filter displays models that can handle single phase, multiphase fluids, or both.

Dimensions- This filter lists programs that can model the dimension you select. Note: If a model allows 2-D and 3-D, it will be listed when you filter on either two dimensions or three dimensions, but not on one dimension. You cannot assume that all 3-D models automatically allow for lesser dimensions.

Chemistry- The three types of chemicals you can currently filter on are organic, inorganic and radioactive. Note: Model Expert does not have a field to tell you whether or not a model will model degradation of the chemical types, but usually the description will list that capability.

Verification- A qualitative filter supplied either by the software vendors or taken from U.S. EPA tables. An extensively-verified model has been subject to extensive verification, tested for most of its functions and features and verification results are available. A moderately verified code has been subject to partial verification, or tested for selected functions and features, or only selected verification tests are available. Some of the codes have no verification results available and will only appear if this filter is turned off.

Model Cost- For commercial models, the user can input a dollar amount to see what models cost less than that dollar amount. The costs of models listed may vary somewhat but should give the user a good guideline.

Number of Users- While it is very difficult for even commercial model developers to know exactly how many users there are for a given model, this field should give users a good understanding if a model is widely used or not.

Find- Click on the Find button to search for a model name. The right-hand model list will show the closest match for whatever you type in.

Description- Clicking on Description brings up a scroll box with a description of the current model highlighted on the right-hand model list. The scroll box covers the tabbed notebook (designed this way to save space on your screen) until you click on close. To read text not displayed on the screen you can use the scroll bar.

Deactivating Filters- When you want to deactivate a particular filter, you just go to that notebook page and click on Ignore. That attribute will be dropped from the list at the bottom of the screen.

Show All Models- You can mark the check box called Show All Models to display all models in the database no matter what the attributes list has on it. This does not reset your attributes list so when you un-mark that box, your last filter is displayed again in the right-hand list.