The BlueSky wildland smoke modeling framework calculates emissions from fires, ingests computer forecasts of weather, and models the dispersion of smoke and the resulting ground-level concentrations of particulate matter. BlueSky has been linked to a geographic information system (GIS) display system called the Rapid Access INformation System (RAINS) to display smoke and geographical features.
From May through December 2005, an interagency demonstration project tested the ability of
BlueSkyRAINS to model wildfire smoke in the Western United States. The test used fire information from the ICS-209 reporting system and a 12-km grid spacing for weather modeling. Funding for the BlueSkyRAINS West (BSRW) demonstration project was shared among the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of the Interior, and the USDA Forest Service. The major objectives were to (1) ensure that the BSRW system could operate reliably Westwide, (2) evaluate the performance of BSRW output against collected data, (3) assess how well BSRW output products met user needs, and (4) evaluate the potential of BlueSky for future national implementation.
In their review of the project, the interagency team concluded that although BlueSky is perhaps the best modeling framework available for wildland fire smoke particulates, it is still a research tool and needs both further development to improve the accuracy of its predictions and further testing before it can be considered operational. Although significant development work is needed, investments already made in the BlueSky framework are paying off and additional work is justified.

BlueSkyRAINS West Final Report