ASTM_E_1472_-_03.pdf

Designation:E 1472 03An American National StandardStandard Guide forDocumenting Computer Software for Fire Models1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 1472;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon(e)indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide provides information that should be indocumentation for computer software prepared for scientificand engineering computations in fire models and other areas offire protection engineering.1.2 The guidelines are presented in terms of three types ofdocumentation:(1)technical document;(2)users manual;and(3)installation,maintenance,and programming manual.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E 176 Terminology Relating to Fire StandardsE 1355 Guide for Evaluating the Predictive Capability ofDeterministic Fire ModelsE 1591 Guide for Obtaining Data for Deterministic FireModelsE 1895 Guide for Determining Uses and Limitations ofDeterministic Fire Models2.2ANS Standards:ANSI/ANS 10.2 Portability of Scientific and EngineeringSoftware3ANSI/ANS 10.3 Documentation of Computer Software3ANSI/ANS 10.5 Accomodating User Needs in ComputerProgram Development32.3INCITS Standards:ANSI/INCITS X3.172 American National Standard Dictio-nary for Information Systems4ANSI/INCITS X3.88 Computer Program Abstracts42.4IEEE Standards:ANSI/IEEE 610.12 Glossary of Software Engineering Ter-minology5ANSI/IEEE 1063 Software User Documentation53.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsDefinitions used in this guide are in accor-dance with Terminology E 176,unless otherwise indicated.ANSI/INCITS X3.172 and ANSI/IEEE 610.12 include defini-tions of some technical terms used in this guide.4.Significance and Use4.1 This guide provides recommendations for writers ofusers manuals and other documents for computer softwareprepared for scientific and engineering computations in firemodels and other areas of fire protection engineering.Theguide provides information that can be included in terms ofthree types of documents.4.2 This guide is intended to assist in the understanding,usage,transfer,conversion,and modification of computersoftware.If the options and instructions contained in this guideare considered when documentation is prepared,the softwareshould be used more readily for its intended purposes.4.3 The use of fire models currently extends beyond the fireresearch laboratory and into the engineering,fire service,andlegal communities.Sufficient documentation of computer soft-ware for fire models is necessary to ensure that users can judgethe adequacy of the scientific and technical basis for themodels,select the appropriate computer operating environ-ment,and use the software effectively within the specifiedlimitations.Adequate documentation will help prevent theunintentional misuse of fire models.4.4 Additional guidelines on documentation can be found inANSI/ANS 10.3 and ANSI/IEEE 1063.4.5 ANSI/ANS 10.2 and 10.5 provide guidelines for pro-gramming to ease the portability of the software and meet userneeds.5.Types of Documents5.1 General:1This guide is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee E05 on Fire Standardsand is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E05.33 on Fire Safety Engineering.Current edition approved Oct.1,2003.Published November 2003.Originallyapproved in 1992.Last previous edition approved in 1998 as E 147292(1998).2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3Available from American Nuclear Society,555 North Kensington Avenue,LaGrange Park,IL 60526.4Available from InterNational Committee for Information Technology Stan-dards,c/o Information Technology Industry Council,1250 Eye Street NW,Suite200,Washington D.C.20005.5Available from Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers StandardsAssociation,P.O.Box 1331,445 Hoes Lane,Piscataway,NJ 088551331.1Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959,United States.5.1.1 There are many levels of desirable documentation,ranging from that needed by the user who wants only to run theprograms,to documentation needed by the user who intends tomake extensive modifications or additions to the programs.5.1.2 This guide provides suggestions for items to include inthree types of documents:(1)technical document;(2)usersmanual;and(3)installation,maintenance,and programmingmanual.The items suggested for these manuals