Ventilation Climate Information System (VCIS) - Assessing Values of Air Quality and Visibility at Risk from Wildland Fires

The Ventilation Climate Information System (VCIS) allows users to assess risks to values of air quality and visibility for historical patterns of ventilation conditions through an interactive, Internet map server. Ventilation potential can be overlain with sensitive receptors, terrain features, or political boundaries. The data apply to local, regional, or national scales.

VCIS is based on a 40-year database that includes twice-daily values of wind, mixing height, and a ventilation index that is the product of wind speed and mixing height. Data are spatially interpolated to a grid of spacing of 2.5 minute latitude / longitude (about 5 km), except Alaska where the grid spacing is fixed at 5 km x 5 km. VCIS offers the first nationally-consistent maps of surface wind and ventilation index and includes the longest climate record of mixing height in the country.

Project Website

Final Report (Sept. 27, 2007)

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