Model representation, parameter calibration and parallel computing – the JAMS approach

To tackle problems of integrated environmental management, flexible and powerful simulation models are needed in order to analyse the current state of natural systems or to project their future dynamics under given development sce-narios. Beyond the mere simulation of physical processes, accompanying tasks like model calibration or optimization for specific hardware platforms are usually re-quested here. The Jena Adaptable Modelling System (JAMS) is an open-source software platform that has been especially designed to address the demands of a process-based environmental model development and various aspects of model application. This paper gives an overview of JAMS and its underlying concepts and shows how its explicit representation of model structure and modelling entities can support parameter calibration and parallel computing.