Data registration, match, and model component coupling

A coupling toolkit has been developed to reduce the complexity of model component coupling, in particular among hierarchical model components. The toolkit provides the services of data registration, data matching, data filtering, and model component coupling. In addition, it can generate diagrams to reveal the "producer"-to-"consumer" relations among the components. We have tested this toolkit with the operational NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5), which is built on the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) and consists of multi-level Earth system components.