PEtab Extensions

[FFroehlich]

Which problem would you like to address? Please describe.

An elaborate, monolithic format would make it difficult to understand and implement support for PEtab, leading to a steep learning curve and discouraging support in new toolboxes. This can be addressed by splitting up format specification into PEtab core and multiple extensions. This modular specification evens the learning curve and provides toolbox developers with more guidance on which features to implement to maximize support for real world applications. Moreover, such modular extensions facilitate and promote the use of specialized tools for specific, non-parameter estimation tasks such as visualization.

Describe the solution you would like
Add a separate development process for PEtab extensions that is parallel to changes to the PEtab core specification. Require that all PEtab problems include YAML file where required and optional extensions are listed.

Describe alternatives you have considered
The only viable alternative would be to continuously extend the PEtab core standard, which puts a high burden on practitioners and tool developers, as described above.

Additional context
Add any other context about the request here.