PEST: Model-Independent Parameter Estimation and Uncertainty Analysis
“PEST” refers to a software package and to a suite of utility programs which supports it. Collectively, these are essential tools in decision-support environmental modelling.
PEST, the software package, automates calibration, and calibration-constrained uncertainty analysis of any numerical model. It interacts with a model through the model’s own input and output files. While estimating or adjusting its parameters, it runs a model many times. These model runs can be conducted either in serial or in parallel. PEST records what it does in easily-understood output files.
PEST, the software suite, performs a plethora of tasks that assist and complement model parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis. These include:
- setup facilitation;
- flexible spatial parameterization;
- objective function definition;
- linear prior and posterior uncertainty analysis;
- nonlinear prior and posterior uncertainty analysis.
Many thanks to ESI and SSPA for funding these pages.
Latest change: January 27, 2021 - version 17.2 of PEST; updated Groundwater Utilities.