Tools and methods for simulation and evaluation of very large volume Cherenkov neutrino detectors

We report on the use of the HOU Reconstruction & Simulation (HOURS) software package in evaluating the performance of a Very Large Volume Neutrino Telescope. We present results of our study concerning the capability of a deep sea Cherenkov telescope in the Mediterranean Sea in detecting/discovering galactic and extragalactic high energy neutrino sources as well as measuring diffuse neutrino fluxes. Finally, we study a construction strategy of a large neutrino telescope that will lead to an early discovery of extragalactic neutrinos from gamma ray bursts.