1. A method for facilitating development, by a user and within a model development environment, of a model describing a condition of an industrial asset, comprising: defining a first output parameter of the model, the first output parameter describing the condition of the industrial asset, comprising: associating, in response to input from the user, a first variable with the first output parameter, the first variable associated with a first set of data comprising one or more values corresponding to the first variable, and the associating performed without the user identifying a first location where the first set of data is stored; and defining a first argument type that specifies how to compute the first output parameter based upon the first variable; defining a second output parameter of the model, the second output parameter describing the condition of the industrial asset, comprising: associating a second variable with the second output parameter; and defining a second argument type that specifies how to compute the second output parameter based upon the second variable; and linking the first output parameter to the second output parameter upon receipt of an indication by the user to make the second variable a function of the first output parameter, at least some of the method implemented via a processing unit.