Storage of Simulation Result Data: A Database Perspective

Abstract

DBMS is a traditional technology for the storage of business application data. In this chapter, we show that this technology can be of interest in scientific fields. We present a survey of the emergence of the concept of simulation result database. Scientific simulation models become more complex, use more data and produce more outputs. Stochastic models can also be simulated. In this case, numerous simulations are run in order to discover a general trend in results. The replications of simulation increase again the amount of produced data, which makes exploration and analysis difficult. It is also often useful to compare the results obtained in using different model versions, scenarios or assumptions (for example different weather forecasts). In this chapter, we provide several examples of projects of simulation result databases. We show that the database technology can help to manage the large volumes of simulation outputs. We also illustrate this type of projects on environmental databases storing pesticide transfer simulation results. We conclude in highlighting some trends and future works.