DREAM is the Dust REgional Atmospheric Model that is nested in a National Weather Service model to forecast concentrations of dust in the air we breathe. Initially developed for the Mediterranean region by Dr. Slobodan Nickovic, the model has been adapted for the southwestern United States. A mapping application produced by the Earth Data Analysis Center (EDAC) uses DREAM data output to provide visual products of forecasted dust events in the Southwest. The adaptation of DREAM for use in health decision support and tracking systems was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Partners in the project are EDAC at The University of New Mexico and the Atmospheric Sciences Department at The University of Arizona. View and use the Web mapping application at: http://phairs-devel.unm.edu:8080/cgi-bin/mapmodule_client.py (external site, opens in a new window).

The mapping application allows exploration of a community's environment using the output from DREAM. Users can select layers such as land surfaces, cultural features (including cities, political boundaries, roads, and airports), and air quality measures to build a customized map. They also can search air quality data layers for detailed information about specific dates and locations of dust events within the DREAM domain.

The Web application maps hourly particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) forecasts for the DREAM domain and displays a specific date and hour selected by the user. The following two images are examples of the July 10, 2007 8 a.m. UTC (2007-07-10 08:00:00) particulate matter forecasts for PM_2.5 on the left, and PM₁₀ on the right. Forecasted dust concentrations are represented using the AirNOW Air Quality Index (AQI) and range from clear (no dust), green for low values, to yellow, orange, red, purple, and maroon for high values. The rectangular outline represents the DREAM domain; the background layer is a color Digital Elevation Model (DEM).

The Time Series Analysis function sets parameters for a 48-hour DREAM dust storm forecast. Selectable options include particulate matter size, date, city or point of interest, and animation scale. The image below shows the resulting dust concentration animation map and plot for the parameters PM_2.5, Phoenix, AZ, 2007-07-10, and full scale.

As the animation plays, the Dust Concentration Plot advances by each hour and indicates the AQI value for the hour. The gray box at the bottom of the map and plot areas tracks the date, UTC time, and particle size class. In the image below, the animation was stopped for UTC Time ‘08 hrs.’ Note that the vertical red line in the plot is positioned at ‘8’ and intersects the blue line at ‘AQI level 2.’