2  Introduction    2.2  For Whom is this Model Intended?    2.3  What can CRYSTAL Do?    2.4  What Software was Used?    

2.5  General Overview

     

2.1  Why Was This Model Created?

In 1997, the University of Washington began funding the Puget Sound Regional Integrated Synthesis Model (PRISM) Project. This project combined the talents of faculty, staff and students in the fields of science, engineering and education to serve as a solution for important issues in the Puget Sound region. This project is a multi-disciplinary, multi-objective effort, one element of which is "Virtual Puget Sound" (VPS). VPS is a computer model of the Puget Sound region that traces water resources from the rain that falls in the mountains to the circulation of water in Puget Sound.

 

VPS includes five fundamental models:

  • MM5 -- Atmospheric Circulation Model.
  • DHSVM (Distributed Hydrology Soils and Vegetation Model).
  • UrbanSim -- Population distribution model.
  • Princeton Oceanographic Model.
  • CRYSTAL -- Cascade Regional Yield SimulaTion and AnaLysis Model

Coupling these models provides a conceptual template for the Puget Sound region that can be used to plan for future growth and answer questions about human impact on the environment.

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