The current GUIs are being rewritten in the JAVA programming language to enable MMS application to a wider range of computer platforms. Time-series data from existing databases as well as from field instrumentation are prepared for use in selected model applications. The spatial analysis needed to derive model parameters is accomplished using the GIS Weasel. The model component is the core of the system and includes the tools to selectively link process modules from the module library together into a model and to interact with this model to perform a variety of simulation and analysis tasks. The library can contain several modules for a given process, each representing an alternative conceptualization for simulating that process.
All user interfaces are menu and map driven.
MRUs are defined as areas delineated within a watershed, or region of interest, that reflect a model's treatment of spatially distributed characteristics, such as slope, aspect, elevation, soils, and vegetation. An MRU may represent an area whose character or composition is assumed to be homogenous with respect to one or more attributes or it may be heterogeneous with respect to all attributes. In addition to an MRU map and estimates of model parameters for each MRU, the GIS Weasel also delineates the drainage network and computes the connectivity of MRUs with the drainage network. The location of data collection sites can be overlaid on the MRU map and the connectivity relations among MRUs, the drainage network, and the data sites also can be computed. The history of previously completed processing steps is also recorded to enable the user to reenter the computational process at any point and use an alternative computational procedure.