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REGIONAL PLANNING POTENTIAL OF DETERMINISTIC HYDROLOGIC SIMULATION MODELS By Bob O. Benn* 1. The determination of acceptable uses of land for industry, agricul- ture, fores try,. recreation, transportation, living space, ete., can be made only after studying the interaction of a large number of resource parameters (natural, technological, labor, finance, etc.). Land use and resource parameters are dynamic; therefore, land analysis cannot be done once and for all, but must be updated as required for decision making. The determina- tion of land use in the modern society must be aimed at obtaining maximum benefit for specific purposes without undue detriment to other purposes. This paper addresses the development of procedures for predicting the inter- action of phenomena in complex environmental systems concerning large land areas. These predictions provide the basis for value judgments concerning the degree of optimization that can be allowed for one land use at the ex- pense of others. 2. The Terrain Analysis Branch, Mobility and Environmental Division, Waterways Experiment Station (WES), has been engaged for the past 10 years in research to develop analytical procedures for predicting quantitatively the performance of men and machines in various military operational environments. During the course of this research a concept for area analysis applicable to both military and civil projects has evolved. The steps required in this concept to make an area evaluation for specific purposes are as follows:] Step 1. Development of performance prediction models. This involves the development of mathematical simulation of the interaction of the activity and the environment. For example, the cross- country locomotion model developed at WES simulates a vehicle traversing specific terrains and predicts its speed. Step 2. Acquisition of environmental inputs to the performance pre- diction models. In Step 1, specific quantitative environ- mental factors were identified as input requirements to the mathematical expression. The areal distribution of the factors must be determined at a scale or degree of detail commensurate with model requirements, and the factors then must be synthesized and stored for efficient manipulation. Many of the factors required are dynamic and often have to * Research Civil Engineer, Terrain Analysis Branch, Mobility and Environ- mental Division, USAE Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, Miss. 13