Hackathon: Data-Assimilation in Firedrake

Wednesday-Friday 8-10th April

Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

A hackathon to augment variational data assimilation capabilities in Firedrake.

Context

Data assimilation (DA) methods allow users to combine information from prior (numerical) models with measurement information, in order to update state estimates and initialise forecasts. Recently, variational data assimilation capability has been added to Firedrake, with the aim of allowing users to (i) switch between models (PDEs) easily to test new methods on a variety of problems and (ii) trial variational DA methods on existing test problems in Firedrake. The implementation is very general, but so far contains a limited number of simple test problems.

 

Goal

The goal of this hackathon is to provide:

  1. an introduction and demo to Firedrake aimed at new users from Josh Hope-Collins and David Ham.
  2. discussions to gather input from the wider scientific community about relevant test problems.
  3. interactive sessions to implement new test cases and input for the VarDA-Firedrake project.
  4. next steps for developers.

 

Audience

We welcome input from users with any level of experience of Firedrake and data assimilation. Breakout groups will be made up of a mixture of backgrounds to enable knowledge exchange and progress during the event.

 

Registration

All are welcome, and there is no registration fee for attendance, but registration is mandatory - registration DEADLINE: 25th March 2026. Please register using this registration form.
Please bring a valid ID (BRP, Passport, Driving Licence, etc) to allow you onto the RAL site.
 
We will go out for dinner in the early evening of Thursday. Attendees will pay for their meal. Please indicate on the form whether or not you'd like to join us when registering so we have a rough idea of the numbers.
 

Location

The postcode for the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is OX11 0QX.

The nearest train station is Didcot, and the Thames travel X24/X34/X35 buses travel between Didcot Parkway Station and the Harwell Campus (~ 30 minute journey, with a bus every ~ 15 minutes). Taxis are also available at Didcot Parkway Station.

Detailed travel instructions are provided on the STFC "How to Find Us" page. The official website for the bus service can be used to plan your journey.

Talks will take place in the Visitor Centre on the main Rutherford Appleton Laboratory site. On arrival, please report to reception and they will direct you to the Visitor Centre. If driving, reception will direct you to a suitable place to park.

 

 

Hotels nearby

  • The Coseners House
    This hotel is in Abingdon.
    The X2 bus goes Oxford/Didcot to Abingdon.
    To go to RAL from Abingdon you need to take the 43 bus. The 43 bus has only two journeys in the morning from Abingdon to RAL and two journeys in the evening. 
  • Premier Inn Oxford South Didcot hotel
    This hotel is near Didcot.
    Take X2/X32/X36/33 from Didcot Parkway Railway to go to the hotel
    Take the ST1 bus from the nearby bus stop Turn (also called Milton Heights) to RAL and use the reverse direction on the way back
  • Ridgeway House
    This hotel is on the Harwell Campus, the campus that hosts RAL.
    Travel to RAL is explained here How to Find Us. Note that the ST1 bus service is limited to certain hours (last journey leaving Oxford is at 18:40). Please check the official website for more details.  
  • + many hotels in Oxford are also available. We recommend those being close to the High Street as they are closer to the ST1 bus stop.

Sponsors

We gratefully acknowledge the support of our sponsors, the Computational Science Centre for Research Communities, CoSeC, and the Scientific Computing Department.

Organisers

Links