Files and directories in Auto-GTAP are organized into several groups based on their function. These groups are InputFiles, WorkFiles, OutputFiles, Python files, and configuration files.
The InputFiles directory and subdirectories contain the external inputs into the model. The raw data or code is taken directly from other sources with no modification whatsoever. This directory includes GTAP models, data, and external programs (like SplitCom). Currently, several standard models are included but the intent is for researchers to add new subdirectories containing the data and models they are using for their project. For example, if a developer is using GTAP-BIO to look at sugarcane trade, the might add an additional subdirectory for GTAP-BIO and one for sugarcane data.
Note that the disaggregated GTAP database is not included here in the public version of the program, as that data is licensed. However, it is recommended that researchers with access to that database include it in their version.
The OutputFiles directory contains the final results of various simulations run by Auto-GTAP. This directory does not contain all results generation by the simulation. As part of the Auto-GTAP configuration file, researchers can configure which results they wish to export, and only those results are exported.
The WorkFiles directory contains temporary files used by Auto-GTAP as it is in the process of running the different parts of a GTAP project. It contains all files generated by the various programs and simulations run by Auto-GTAP and thus will have all results of the most recently run Auto-GTAP run (OutputFiles only has a subset of these results). All contents of this directory are deleted at the beginning of each Auto-GTAP run.
The python files preform the actual work of Auto-GTAP: moving files between directories, editing files, and executing programs. The python files are grouped into a number of different modules based on their purpose. The primary python file is Main and it calls all the other modules.
These other modules all relate to a particular task in Auto-GTAP: deleting temporary files, moving files from InputFiles to WorkFiles, generating GEMSIM programs, running simulations, etc.
The final component of Auto-GTAP is the configuration file. This file gives the specifics to the Python files about which steps to run, in which order, with which models and data, etc. The intent is to keep the Python files generic and put details relevant to particular model applications in the configuration file.