WindNinja GUI Redesign

If you would like to see the code base, check out the GitHub link below!

WindNinja is a tool created by the USDA Forest Service Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory that simulates low elevation wind vectors depending on surface features. Geographic features like mountain ranges, buttes, and valleys can change the direction of wind at treeline compared to the atmospheric conditions, which is pertinent to wildfire activity. Windninja is used as a safety tool on top of its analysis capabilities, as a means of recognizing dangerous conditions for wildfire firefighters before deploying a unit. 

One of the key issues with this software was that it was running on a 15 year old graphical user interface (GUI), which was both dated and difficult to use. The original software functioned like an input window, feeding it input files and parameters until it would spit out an output file. Which would then need to be downloaded and opened in another program like Google Earth or arcGIS. If mistakes were made while choosing an input file or during parameter choices, it would take a few minutes and several steps to find out. This was unacceptable under the emergency circumstances of a wildfire response. 

I was on a team of 4 members at Montana State University tasked with Redesigning the GUI for WindNinja, starting August 2024 and delivering our final product in April 2025. The new design uses a more modern GUI framework, Qt6, and includes a native map viewer so that users can view outputs without downloading files or using external software. 

The forest service is thrilled with our output and our redesign is being pushed into production for the working app. They expressed the desire to hire our team, however, the current political environment restricts this. In fact, our contacts at the Forest Service fear for their own jobs. While this is a devastating outcome, at least our unpaid efforts could not be canceled and our project reached completion.

Design UML

Have any Questions? Contact me by phone or email on the home page!