OpenGTAP

OpenGTAP provides open-source tooling for the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Model on the .NET Framework.

Libraries

• HeaderArrayConverter
  • dotnet add [<PROJECT>] package HeaderArrayConverter

Current status

• The HeaderArrayConverter project is working on a data interchange format for the binary HAR and SL4 files.

  • Binary HAR and SL4 files can be read into memory.
  • In-memory representation can be serialized into a series of JSON files that are zipped into a HARX file.
  • HARX (zipped JSON) files can be read into memory.
  • In-memory representations of HAR, SL4, and HARX files can be written back to binary HAR files.

• Planning is underway for a lightweight cross-platform viewer application (ViewHARX?) capable of reading and writing HAR, SL4, and HARX files.

The idea

The GTAP model provides a popular framework for conducting global economic analysis. This project is exploring areas in which open-source tooling can be developed to bring the standard GTAP model to the .NET Standard Framework.

OpenGTAP does not replace the standard GTAP model. Rather, it aims provide a modern, object-oriented tooling to encourage new developments from the open-source community.

Potential areas for modernization

Working with C# 7 and targeting the .NET Standard Framework version 2.0, OpenGTAP seeks to simplify and build upon the standard model in the following areas:

• HAR (Header Array) files could be replaced with a modern and accessible data format.
• Class systems could simplify the aggregation/disaggregation workflow that currently exists, making model customization simpler at the source code level.
• Data parallelism via the PLINQ (Parallel LINQ) library may simplify the data pipeline between model instantiation and computation.
• The introduction of PLINQ-style abstractions could improve the readability of computationally intensive code—even if that code is itself not a candidate for parallelization.