Maxwell and his colleagues believe the SME could benefit more than just scientists. Policies for managing natural resources are often based on computer modeling studies. With its graphical approach, the SME could allow city planners, architects, politicians, legislators and even ordinary citizens to participate in the modeling process. By conducting their own "what if" experiments, they could gain a deeper understanding of the ecosystems while ensuring that their interests are served. "The collaborative process of building the models may be the most important part of this entire process, because that's when the people involved are really learning," Maxwell says. Adds Costanza, "The more they know about the system, the better off we'll be." The development of the Spatial Modeling Environment was supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Computational Science Alliance.