PCRaster

The PCRaster Environmental Modelling language is a computer language for construction of iterative spatio-temporal environmental models. It runs in the PCRaster interactive raster GIS environment that supports immediate pre- or post-modelling visualisation of spatio-temporal data.

The PCRaster Environmental Modelling language is a high level computer language: it uses spatio-temporal operators with intrinsic functionality especially meant for construction of spatio-temporal models. Compared with low level computer languages (e.g. C, Pascal) this has the advantage that models are programmed and structured according to the way of thinking applied in spatial-temporal sciences such as Geography or Geology. It allows researchers in these fields to construct models by themselves in a relatively short period of time, even when they do not have experience in programming. A list of all space-time functions in the PCRaster Environmental Modelling language can be found in the PCRaster Version 2 Manual.

Models constructed in the PCRaster Environmental Modelling language can easily be changed or extended and the results can immediately be evaluated using visualisation routines linked to the language. This interactive approach of model building is not possible with models constructed in a low level computer language. Changing such models mostly means rewriting the whole computer code which implies time consuming programming. In addition such models must be linked to separate software packages for visualisation of model output with results in clumsy data exchange.

The PCRaster research and development team that brings you PCRaster consists of Willem van Deursen and Cees Wesseling of PCRaster Environmental Software and Peter Burrough, Derek Karssenberg, Edzer Pebesma and Kor de Jong of the Department of Physical Geography, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. For more information about the R&D team see the people page.

Home of the PCRaster research team is Department of Physical Geography, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Development, sales and support are done by the company PCRaster Environmental Software.

For information about courses, research and related questions you can contact the PCRaster team at:
Faculty of Geographical Sciences
Utrecht University
PO Box 80115
3508 TC Utrecht
The Netherlands
Tel: (31) 30 2532768
Fax: (31) 30 2540604
E-mail: ln.uu.oeg@retsarcp
WWW: pcraster.geo.uu.nl

Further information about distribution can be obtained at:
PCRaster Environmental Software
Van Swindenstraat 97
3514 XP Utrecht
The Netherlands
Tel: (31) 30 8791048
E-mail: ln.retsarcp@ofni
WWW: www.pcraster.nl

More information about PCRaster can be found at the Introduction page.