What you can do with vsoil-models software

We present on this page what you can do with vsoil-models software. It allows to create models from skeletons and modules:

Ex-nihilo creation of a model

To create a model, there are two main steps: firstly, the choice of the desired processes with their associated modules and secondly, the ordering of these modules. The model is consistent and executable when all modules input variables are (1) provided by the output variables of other modules or (2) have initial values. In this second case, the user of the model will have to provide these values, via the dedicated configuration graphical interface. This case is described in the section presenting what you can do with the vsoil-player.

The ordering of modules is determined automatically, by the platform, as much as possible. However, certain phenomena are closely linked to each other. For example, there is a very strong dependence between water flow and heat transfers in the soil. In these cases, ambiguities must be resolved in the order of execution of the modules. VSoil automatically detects these loops and then asks the user to decide an order. The modules of the model will then be initialised then executed, on each simulation time step, in this order. Refer to the VSoil-models user manual, section 3.2.3 "Step 3: order the modules" to learn more about this.

Sometimes phenomena are so closely linked that it is necessary for their modules to be able to perform calculation loops between them, in the same time step. These modules are therefore executed in a “sub-loop”, until convergence, without the current time changing. There is a tutorial on this: iterations between modules.

Creating a model from an existing one

When an existing model within the VSoil platform has characteristics close to the desired model, it is simpler to start from the existing one, rather than creating one from scratch. VSoil allows you to copy a model, then modify or replace modules. Refer to the VSoil-models user manual, section 1.2.2 "Creation of a new model from an existing model" to learn more about this.