The State of the system (SOS) model is the result of an attempt to develop a methodology that relates ecological concepts including regional carrying capacity to the social scientists' concepts of regional growth and development, and quality of life. SOS should be considered at this time as only a conceptual research tool. The initial operational model, SOS-1, was developed to investigate details of the results predicted by the theory, and to explore data requirements and needs. Therefore, the results of the model runs provided are purely illustrative and should be interpreted using extreme care. The SOS Model began as an attempt to provide an example form of constrictor model of the Decision Analysis System (DAS) to be used in conjunction with the General Environmental Model (GEM). It is intended that the later developments of SOS should complete this development as a constrictor model within DAS as well as continue its refinement as a stand-alone analysis tool. The model, as given in the SOS-1 form, is flexible and new data and algorithms can be substituted with relative ease. In order to maintain this ease in later, more complex versions, segmentation of its procedures into smaller modules would be useful. Such a form will increase the utility of SOS as an educational and research tool.

"February 1974." "Contract No. GS-03S-38351." "Order No. P3-01-02023." "Program element 1H1096." "Project Officer: Peter W. House, Ph. D, Director, Environmental Studies Division, Washington Environmental Research Center." Includes bibliographical references.

Instructions for turning the modeling material known as Plasticine (or a similar modeling clay) into flat pictures and three-dimensional objects.