RMMC during the quarter assembled the 16-node AMD athlon Beowulf PC Cluster procurred from "thelinuxstore.com." Regina Peyfuss, Orkand, assisted Mark Feller in configuring both the Center's existing Beowulf PC Cluster (1 server, 12 CPU's) and the 16-node AMD athlon Cluster. System configuration included RMMC creating an internal subnet for both Clusters.

During the quarter, RMMC installed LAM/MPI Sys V version 6.3.2 and MPI/CH version 1.2.1 on the Center's existing Beowulf PC Cluster. In addition, LAM/MPI was installed on the AMD athlon PC Cluster. Installation included incorporating IPChains security software on both Beowulf PC Cluster systems.

An expert system was developed by RMMC during the quarter for installing the LINUX operating system on each Beowulf PC Cluster. During the quarter, RMMC began performance testing the configured Beowulf PC Clusters. As part of the system testing, RMMC commenced evaluating freeware available on the Internet for enhancing the Beowulf PC Clusters performance.

Mark Feller obtained the 9/26/00 SLEUTH 3.0 Alpha release (03.00.03) source code from George Xian, EDC. At the request of Ron Matheny, EPA, Mark Feller provided a list of environmental system variables for incorporation in the SLEUTH 3.0 Beta documentation. EPA distributed the 12/7/00 SLEUTH 3.0 Beta version (03.00.03) to members of the USGS/EPA/UC-Santa Barbara Urban Growth and Land Use Modeling Work Group. RMMC during the quarter worked on porting the SLEUTH 03.00.02 (8/29/00) and 03.00.03 (9/26/00) Alpha releases as well as the 03.00.03 Beta release (12/7/00) from the UNIX operating system to the LINUX OS. Presently, RMMC has ported the Alpha 03.00.02 and 03.00.03 releases of the SLEUTH source code to the Center's existing Beowulf PC Cluster. In order to validate the SLEUTH 03.00.03 Alpha installation, RMMC successfully executed coarse calibration processes using the Demo City data (50 X 50 and 200 X 200 arrays). RMMC is still working on compiling the SLEUTH 03.00.03 Beta release on both the Center's existing PC Cluster and the AMD athlon Beowulf PC Cluster.

RMMC provided Ron Matheny with the IP address for Mark Feller's SGI NT workstation, so that USGS could obtain an access restriction waiver for executing the SLEUTH 3.0 model on EPA's CRAY platform. Currently, RMMC has received a CRAY password and user account ID from EPA, but has yet to initiate a SLEUTH model execution.

Dave Hester continued serving as the Land Surface Analysis Panel Session Organizer as well as the Poster Session Chair for an upcoming integrated USGS Urban Dynamics Science Workshop. The USGS Urban Dynamics Workshop is scheduled for January 29-31, 2001 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

During the quarter, Dave Hester revised the DRAFT RMMC Geographic Research brochure's "analyzing land use change" section as well as updated the FY02 USGS Geographic Research and Applications greenbook section on "Analysis of Dynamic Urban Environments."

In response to a "Call for USGS Central Region Director Discretionary Funds," Dave Hester submitted a proposal for conducting a FY01 "Landscape Change" workshop that would focus on the land surface characteristics, land use trends, environmental constraints, hazards, endangered species, and consequences of continued urbanization that are unique to the Central U.S. landscape.

As part of investigating urban growth and associated environmental impacts in the USGS Central Region Mountain West Focus Area, Dave Hester and Carol Mladinich have been designated as NMD representatives to the USGS Urban Mountain West Science Team. The Urban Mountain West Science Team shall be responsible for developing an integrated science proposal for researching predictive urban growth modeling and the effects of urbanization on natural resources in the Colorado Front Range and Interstate 70 growth corridors.

Mark Feller, Dave Hester, and Regina Peyfuss during the quarter attended a training course entitled "Principles of Modeling" which was taught by Dr. Tony Starfield, University of Minnesota – Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior.