Gravitational wave (GW) data analysis can be largely summarized as “comparing a model to the data.” The theoretical assumptions of data models at the foundation of GW analyses are not fully realized in observational data. To compensate, phenomenological models that parsimoniously fit realistic features in the data were developed to reduce biases that may otherwise be present in inferences of GW transients observed by the LIGO-Virgo detectors. This talk will summarize the motivations behind developing these models, the ingredients that make them adaptable to real life data, the algorithms used to prevent overfitting the data, examples of the flexible models at work, and a future outlook as the capabilities of the detectors continues to improve.
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