MAP Background Information

The Materials Algorithms Project serves as a centre for the "validation" and distribution of algorithms of use in the modelling of materials, in the context of materials science and metallurgy. Validation in this context means that effort has been expended to check that the program reproduces the example output from the example inputs, that there is a reasonable level of documentation, and that appropriate references are provided.

The MAP Library consists of a perpetual library of elementary subroutines that enables the user to develop new concepts using existing methods as a foundation. The software may be written in any standard programming language.

MAP originated from a joint project of the University of Cambridge and the National Physical Laboratory. It is a non-profitmaking venture which will distribute the library at cost. The project was sponsored for four years by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the United Kingdom. It is now run without explicit funding, for the good of the subject.

MAP Founder Members include :-

University of Cambridge

• H. K. D. H. Bhadeshia
• R. Thomson
• G. Rees
• J. Wilkins
• S. Cardie
• C.A. Walsh

National Physical Laboratory

• T. Barry
• H. Davies
• A. Dinsdale
• S. Hodson
• B. Roebuck

• Access to algorithms for modelling materials properties.
• Makes published work more accessible.
• Removes need for duplication of effort.
• Modular library to permit the construction of new models or integration into your existing software.
• Complete programs and example data available.
• Mechanism for the publication of source code.

Organisation of the site

The site is split into several libraries, divided broadly by subject. Each library is further subdivided into sub-libraries for complete programs, subroutines and functions; a master index is provided for each sub-library. Following the link for a particular routine will give the complete documentation for that routine in HTML format. An annotated example of the layout is provided.

Routine naming follows the pattern :-

MAP_LIBNAME_ROUTNAME

where LIBNAME is the library identifier and ROUTNAME is the unique identity given to the routine. For example, MAP_CRYSTAL_ANGLEE is routine ANGLEE from the crystallography sub-library of MAP.

A complete list of libraries is available on the MAP contents page.

Clicking on the downloading link will invoke your browser's downloading procedure; you should select a suitable target directory. The files follow the naming convention identity.tar, where identity is the unique name of the MAP routine; for example, MAP routine MAP_CRYSTAL_ANGLEE is packed as anglee.tar.

Average filesize is approximately 40 kbytes, with the maximum around 300 kbytes.

Format of MAP files

MAP routines are provided in Unix tar format. In general four documents are packed in each file :-

Source code

FORTRAN 77 or 90 source code have file extension .f

C source code has file extension .c

Documentation

Provided in three formats :-

ASCII text file; file extension .txt

Plain TeX; file extension .tex

Postscript; file extension .ps

These are unpacked using the Unix command :-

e.g. having downloaded anglee.tar, it is unpacked by typing :-

This will give a response similar to :-

indicating that the files have been successfully unpacked and are ready for use.

Advice for contributors

We actively encourage MAP users to contribute their own source code and data. The source code may be written in any standard programming language; however, FORTRAN or C/C++ is preferred. Source code in FORTRAN should be ANSI-standard FORTRAN 77 or FORTRAN 90, although older and non-standard versions of FORTRAN may also be accepted. An executable program, rather than the source code, may also be submitted for inclusion in MAP provided it does not contain any code from commercial software libraries, such as the NAG library.

Potential contributors should, in the first instance, read the Advice for Contributors document.

All donors will be fully acknowledged in the documentation.

Note that the Code Donor Agreement must be signed and returned to MAP before software can be accepted for distribution

Standard templates for MAP documentation

Information

• National Physical Laboratory
• University of Cambridge
• Materials Science and Metallurgy
• Phase Transformations and Complex Properties Group
• The Online Material Information Resource

• Scientific Applications on Linux (SAL)
• Periodic table