Fire modeling software has been used to evaluate the impacts of fire on people, and property. Numerous lives and untold millions have been saved as a result of these evaluations. More and more of these analysis are being conducted as people and organizations recognize the benefits of a performance based design. Unfortunately, no real interfaces have been designed for most of the fire modeling software used today. Some attempts have been made to make a graphical interface for this software, but these attempts are typically nothing more than a graphical implementation of the input file used. No attempt is made to synthesize the inputs into simpler and easier to use values. Nor has any attempt been made to provide analysis tools to evaluate the results. This SBIR project will develop more than an interface, it will develop an analysis tool that is oriented towards the user. This tool will be designed to assist the user throughout the model use; from scenario generation, to model execution, to the evaluation of results, and back to new scenarios based on the evaluation of results. It will leverage the strengths of the various modeling software packages in calculating specific parts of an analysis by creating a common interface that can be used with different modeling software packages. It will provide means to deal with uncertainty in the inputs and validate results. The anticipated market for the software includes the military, architects, engineers, peer reviewers, authority having jurisdiction, and academics. In addition to software, modeling and training services can also be provided with this software.
