A digital representation of the physical world encompassing terrestrial and marine environments.

Virtual Puget Sound (VPS) is an incorporation of the University of Washington�s resources in support of research, education and decision making for environmental issues facing Puget Sound. This integration is accomplished through linking major ecosystem process based models through a shared infrastructure for data and information. In this way VPS is not a single model but rather a modeling framework that constructs virtual linkages among observations, forecasts, simulations and visualizations of the Puget Sound environment.

VPS is based upon a digital representation of the physical world encompassing terrestrial and marine environments. VPS products may include data access, cartographic representations, integrated visualization, documents and presentations which address both regional issues and. science themes. VPS represents PRISM�s response to the ongoing challenges faced in bringing university research and advanced technology into the classroom and the Puget Sound community.