Potential issue in run_forecast function

[ajitashwath]

I'm new to this project and while exploring the code in run_forecast, I noticed a few things that might be worth addressing:

The model is loaded within the function every time it's used. This might make processes slow if forecasts are run a lot.

For instance, the line of code below could be placed outside the function so the model is loaded just once.

# load model only once
model = load_model(f"{dir_path}/../models/model-0.3.0.pkl")

With respect, as much as it's not exactly a high priority with the lone call in run_eval, importing the model within run_forecast could be a performance issue if the function was repeatedly called, which might be worth optimizing.

[peterdudfield]

Thanks @ajitashwathr10 for this. would you be intersted in optimizing?
and perhaps good to discuss the solution before implementing

[ajitashwath]

Thanks for the feedback! Maybe we could just load the model outside run_forecast function to make it better for multiple calls, without modifying anything much?

[peterdudfield]

there could be a case to leave run_forecast how it is, but create a class that is used for running multiple forecasts. What use case are you thinking btw for running mulitle forecasts?

[ajitashwath]

Thanks for the input!

I like this idea of leaving run_forecast as it is designed and coded for single-use cases. My idea is to introduce a Forecaster class. This class could load the model once during initialization and offer a method to efficiently handle multiple forecasts with different inputs. It would optimize performance for batch or repeated calls without altering the existing function’s behavior.

A use case which would be practical in case, for example running multiple forecasts could be forecasting energy outputs for multiple PV sites in a batch process (or even in real-time) where run_forecast is called repeatedly. Loading the model each time in these scenarios could introduce significant performance delays, especially with the case of frequent calls.

What are your thoughts on this approach?

[peterdudfield]

Sounds a good idea!

[ajitashwath]

Would you assign me this one so that i can work on it?

[ajitashwath]

Resolved in #261