Adding an external module to OGGM

Thanks for helping us to make the model better!

There are two ways to add a functionality to OGGM:

  1. The easiest (and recommended) way for small bugfixes or simple functionalities is to add it directly to the main OGGM codebase. In this case, refer to the Contributing to OGGM page for how to do that.
  2. If your endeavor is a larger project (i.e. a fundamental change in the model physics or a new workflow), you can still use option 1 above. However, there might be reasons (explained below) to use a different approach. This is what this page is for.

Why would I add my model to the OGGM set of tools?

We envision OGGM as a modular tool to model glacier behavior. We do not want to force anyone towards a certain set-up or paramaterization that we chose. However, we believe that the OGGM capabilities could be useful to a wide range of applications, and also to you.

Finally, we strongly believe in model intercomparisons. Agreeing on a common set of boundary conditions is the first step towards meaningful comparisons: this is where OGGM can help.

Can I use my own repository/website and my own code style to do this?

Yes you can!

Ideally, we would have your module added to the main codebase: this ensures consistency of the code and continuous testing. However, there are several reasons why making your own repository could be useful:

  • complying to OGGM’s strict testing rules can be annoying, especially in the early stages of development of a model
  • with you own repository you have full control on it’s development while still being able to use the OGGM workflow and multiprocessing capabilities
  • with an external module the users who will use your model will have to download it from here and you can make sure that correct attribution is made to your work, i.e. by specifying that using this module requires a reference to a specific scientific publication
  • if your funding agency requires you to have your own public website
  • etc.

To help you in this project we have set-up a template repository from which you can build upon.

Before writing your own module we recommend to contact us to discuss the best path to follow in your specific case.