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Consultant, 9299 William Cody Drive, Evergreen, CO, 80439 USA
Model developers have been highly successful in building usable, useful, and reliable one-dimensional models, and in convincing explorationists to use them. Development of convenient, universal software played an instrumental role in the acceptance of 1-D modelling. The remaining weaknesses in technology and training, while serious, can be resolved through a few years of intensive work in certain specific areas. 2-D and 3-D fluid-flow modelling, in contrast, finds itself today largely in the position occupied by 1-D modelling more than a decade ago. The concept of fluid-flow modelling has not yet been adequately sold to explorationists, mainly because existing software is often inadequate to meet the real needs of exploration personnel. Development of appropriate software will probably have to precede widespread popularization of fluid-flow modelling. To improve existing software, two major areas must be addressed: (1) making models more comprehensive by including all relevant geologic phenomena, and (2) making software easier to use.
