In recent years webcams have become a significant source of real-time observations used in analysis and forecasting at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Fairbanks, Alaska. Webcams can indicate when observations from an automated platform are erroneous, and webcams can provide additional information that an automated platform cannot supply, such as a change in weather moving toward a location. Webcams can also help forecasters determine precipitation type and snow depth.
There are many sources of webcams, including the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), DOT (Department Of Transportation), and various groups conducting research. The NWS office in Fairbanks uses a script to automatically collect images from a wide variety of webcams -- the script then organizes and archives the images for quick and easy access at the forecat desks.