By applying the method to actual and planned developments, the long-term effects of past, present, and future land use can be determined.

The basic information required for the model is:

• Location (state and county): This is used to select local climate data used in the analysis.
  
  
• Area of actual and proposed land uses: This can be obtained from paper or digital maps. Satellite images and air photos can be used to determine the land uses.
  
  
• Hydologic soil groups for land use areas: These can be obtained from the standard soils data layer in GIS or from your local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD).