This is the first in a series of tutorials which demonstrate workflows for parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis with the PEST/PEST++ suites. These are not the only (or necessarily the best) workflows; their purpose is to take the reader through the fundamentals of how to accomplish common tasks whilst also providing insights in how to apply the outcomes.
The present document is a tutorial on how to prepare a PEST input dataset and then calibrate a (very) simple model. Most groundwater modelling graphical user interfaces (GUI’s) support construction of PEST input datasets of varying complexity. In many cases, PEST setup achieved in this way is fit for purpose. However, no GUI is able to cater for every conceivable history-matching context. Hence there are many contexts in which a user may need to construct or customize his/her own PEST input dataset. This tutorial provides some guidance on how to do this. At the same time, several different regularisation options are demonstrated to highlight the different outcomes of using each of them.
This same model and PEST input dataset will provide the basis for subsequent tutorials in this series.