ModelMuse: A U.S. Geological Survey Open-Source, Graphical User Interface for Groundwater Models

ModelMuse is a free publicly-available graphical preprocessor used to generate the input and display the output for several groundwater models. It is written in Object Pascal and the source code is available on the USGS software web site. Supported models include the MODFLOW family of models, PHAST (version 1), and SUTRA version 2.2. With MODFLOW and PHAST, the user generates a grid and uses 'objects' (points, lines, and polygons) to define boundary conditions and the spatial variation in aquifer properties. Because the objects define the spatial variation, the grid can be changed without the user needing to re-enter spatial data. The same paradigm is used with SUTRA except that the user generates a quadrilateral finite-element mesh instead of a rectangular grid. The user interacts with the model in a top view and in a vertical cross section. The cross section can be at any angle or location. There is also a three-dimensional view of the model. For SUTRA, a new method of visualizing the permeability and related properties has been introduced. In three dimensional SUTRA models, the user specifies the permeability tensor by specifying permeability in three mutually orthogonal directions that can be oriented in space in any direction. Because it is important for the user to be able to check both the magnitudes and directions of the permeabilities, ModelMuse displays the permeabilities as either a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional vector plot. Color is used to differentiate the maximum, middle, and minimum permeability vectors. The magnitude of the permeability is shown by the vector length. The vector angle shows the direction of the maximum, middle, or minimum permeability. Contour and color plots can also be used to display model input and output data.