Spatial Analysis and Modeling Tool (SAMT): 1. Structure and possibilities

This paper presents an overview of the integrated Spatial Analysis and Modeling Tool (SAMT). SAMT has been designed to integrate models from different sciences such as economics and ecology. This is necessary for the evaluation of sustain ability of landscapes. Traditional geographic information systems and modeling systems have specific limitations. To overcome such limitations, the new tool has been developed with the emphasis on interactive spatial simulation. Major advances are inclusions of methods of expert knowledge (fuzzy models) and extract models from examples (such as neural networks).