NOAA National Weather Service's National Digital Forecast Database available as a mobile service and KML service in addition to a shapefile service and image service

The NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) has been applying numerous GIS applications to enhance local internal forecast operations, and to meet the growing customer and partner demand for forecast products in a GIS compatible format. The NWS National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) is designed to provide access to weather forecasts in digital formats. In response to the growing customer and partner demand for GIS compatible forecast products NOAA's National Weather Service is providing access to gridded weather forecast information as GIS compatible shapefiles, as images through an ArcIMS image service application, and most recently as a mobile service and a kml service.

The NDFD is now being made available to users as a mobile service and a kml service. The mobile service provides the ability for users to access the NDFD from their mobile devices. For instance, fire fighting personnel will have access to the NDFD information from remote field locations through a mobile device. The NDFD is also available as a kml service and can be accessed through programs like Google Earth, ArcGIS Explorer or others that can read and display kml files.

This paper will discuss in further detail the NDFD mobile service and NDFD kml service that are now being offered to users. Examples and uses of these applications by several local Southern California agencies will be presented and summarized.