The OPTIMUS (Open Platform for Teaching Integrated Modeling & Urban Simulation) project is a joint effort of the Department of Earth & Environmental Engineering, the Department of Civil Engineering & Engineering Mechanics and the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching & Learning to create a platform for modeling urban and environmental systems. Once developed, the OPTIMUS prototype will provide educators with a new tool for teaching students about complex urban systems as well as fundamental modeling concepts and techniques. Teachers will be able to use OPTIMUS to develop instructional scenarios that lead students through a learning exercise. Alternatively, students could use OPTIMUS to generate their own system models. Either tactic introduces students to problem solving that emphasizes an integrated and systems approach, a quality often lacking in traditional instruction.

OPTIMUS will also provide a gateway for researchers to study the behavior and performance of complex urban systems. The platform's architecture accommodates various types of models - automata, agents, networks. This versatility potentially supports addressing questions about spatial and temporal variation as well as system interdependencies that remain poorly understood.