Dakota — The Complete Guide: Optimisation and Uncertainty Quantification Around Any Simulation Code
Dakota is an open-source toolkit (LGPL-2.1) from Sandia National Laboratories. The idea is simple: take an existing computational model — finite elements, CFD or any other program — and Dakota runs it repeatedly with varying inputs and analyses the results.
Dakota
Sandia National Laboratories
A Sandia toolkit for optimisation, parameter studies, sensitivity analysis and uncertainty quantification around any simulation code.
Get it from the vendorWhat you get
- Optimisation — search for the design that improves a performance measure.
- Parameter studies — systematic sweeps of design variables.
- Calibration — fit model parameters to measurements.
- Sensitivity analysis — find which inputs really drive the result.
- Uncertainty quantification — the spread of results and the margins in a design.
How it works
Dakota connects to the simulation program through input and output files, so the program itself does not need to change. The learning curve is steep and assumes familiarity with statistical methods. The prebuilt Linux binaries are built for RHEL, and on other distributions you may need to compile from source.
Related tools
For multidisciplinary optimisation in Python — OpenMDAO. For uncertainty quantification and reliability analysis in Python — OpenTURNS. For calibration and parameter estimation, common in groundwater models — PEST++.
OpenMDAO
NASA Glenn Research Center
A framework for multidisciplinary optimisation, from NASA.
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OpenTURNS
OpenTURNS consortium
A Python and C++ library for uncertainty treatment — probabilistic modelling, reliability, sensitivity and metamodels for engineering risk.
Get it from the vendor
PEST++
USGS
Parameter estimation, uncertainty analysis and optimisation for any numerical model — common for groundwater and surface water.
Get it from the vendor
quoFEM
NHERI SimCenter
Uncertainty quantification around finite element models — sensitivity, Monte Carlo, Bayesian calibration and surrogates.
Get it from the vendorThe bottom line
Dakota turns any simulation into a design and reliability tool — free for any use, including commercial work, for those willing to invest in learning it.