This software comprises phase one of the KCFAST web application, demonstrating how the previous versions of KCFAST may be redesigned and deployed to best facilitate field users in obtaining wildland fire management information.
RAWS units collect, store, and forward data to a computer system at the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, via the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES). The GOES is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The data is automatically forwarded to several other computer systems including the Weather Information Management System (WIMS) and the Western Regional Climate Center (WRCC) in Reno, Nevada.
Fire managers use this data to predict fire behavior and monitor fuels; resource managers use the data to monitor environmental conditions. Locations of RAWS stations can be searched online courtesy of the Western Regional Climate Center.
The Weather Information Management System (WIMS) is a comprehensive system that helps you manage weather information. WIMS serves as the host for the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS), incorporating both the 1978 and 1988 fuel models.
WIMS, a web-based application, resides on a suite of servers known as FAMWEB. FAMWEB hosts all of the National Fire Applications at the USDA National Information Technology Center (NITC) in Kansas City. WIMS is available on a twenty-four hour basis.
The Wildland Fire Management Information (WFMI) web-site is designed to support wildland fire organizations by providing current weather and lightning data, as well as historic fire occurrence data. In addition, the NWCG unit identifiers are maintained on WFMI.