BlueSky Playground

Playground provides interactive access to the models and calculations enabled by the BlueSky Framework. Users can enter basic fire information and compute various fuels, fire, and emissions information as well as model plume rise and smoke dispersion. This can be particularly useful for prescribed burns, potential wildfire burnouts, and other wildland fire simulations.

Disclaimer: Tools are provided for research purposes only, and may not accurately reflect what happened due to numerous reasons. Models are subject to errors and inaccuracies.  Data are provisional and subject to change. Use at own risk.

Tool Link

Version 3.5

• • Use https://tools.airfire.org/playground/v3.5 to access. 

  • See what's new in this version: Updates Log 

Compatibility

This tool works best under Google Chrome.  Internet Explorer / Edge browsers in particular may have issues and features are not guaranteed to work.

Help

Help Pages

An extensive set of help pages for Playground v3.5 is in development, and are split out according to specific user interface sections.

• • • Playground v3.5 Help Pages

Demo Exercise

A demo exercise is available that includes instructions and a recorded walkthrough

• • • Demo Exercise and Recording for Version 3.5

Questions

Internal inquiries Air Resource Advisors should post questions/issues to the WFAQRP > #playground channel.  System outages should be posted in the WFAQRP > #critical channel

External inquiries Questions regarding the BlueSky Playground, the BlueSky Daily Run Viewer, and the BlueSky Modeling Framework may be directed to Dr. Sim Larkin, USFS-AirFire, sim.larkin (at) usda.gov. 

Credits 

Community Credits

BlueSky Playground would not be possible without the generous assistance and involvement of many people.  We particularly wish to thank the model and data developers who have created the great fire information, fuels information, consumption models, emissions factors, meteorological forecasts, and dispersion models used within Playground.

FUELS INFORMATION DATASETS

FCCS – Fuels Characteristic Classification System, U.S. Forest Service FERA Team, esp. Dr. Don McKenzie

LANDFIRE – U.S. Forest Service Missoula Fire Lab

CONSUMPTION MODELS

CONSUME – U.S. Forest Service FERA Team, esp. Drs. Roger Ottmar, Susan Prichart, and Clint Wright also many thanks to MTRI and Prof. Nancy French.

EMISSIONS FACTORS / MODELS

Emissions Factors –  from Prichard et al. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1071/WF19066

DISPERSION MODELS

HYSPLIT – NOAA Air Resources Laboratory, esp. Dr. Roland Draxlar

VSMOKE-GIS – U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station, esp. Dr. Scott Goodrick

METEOROLOGICAL FORECASTS

National 12-km Forecast – from the National Weather Service NAM forecast model

National 3-km Forecast – from the National Weather Service NAM forecast model

PNW 4-km Forecast – from the Northwest Regional Modeling Consortium, lead Prof. Cliff Mass, University of Washington

PNW 1.33-km Forecast – from the Northwest Regional Modeling Consortium, lead Prof. Cliff Mass, University of Washington

California / Nevada 4-km Forecast – from the California / Nevada Smoke and Air Consortium (CANSAC), led by Prof. Tim Brown, Desert Research Institute

California / Nevada 1.33-km Forecast – from the California / Nevada Smoke and Air Consortium (CANSAC), led by Prof. Tim Brown, Desert Research Institute

Arizona / New Mexico 1.8-km Forecast – from the University of Arizona

Alaska 12-km Forecast – from the National Weather Service NAM forecast model

Playground Development Credits

• • Original Concept and Project Lead:  Sim Larkin, USFS AirFire

  • Major Development Lead: Susan O'Neill, USFS AirFire

version 3

• • • Front End Development (v3):  Sonoma Technology, Inc.

    • Backend Processing Through BlueSky v4 Pipeline Development: Joel Dubowy, UW SEFS

versions 1 and 2

• • • Lead Development: Sonoma Technology, Inc.

Playground development has been supported by numerous organizations, principally:

• • US Forest Service

  • National Fire Plan

  • Joint Fire Sciences Program

  • NASA

  • Department of the Interior