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About

About the React Applications Development Framework For Fisheries (RADFish)​

RADFish is framework developed by NOAA Fisheries. RADFish modernizes electronic reporting and streamlines application development across multiple regions.

1. Why It Matters​

Traditionally, fisheries collected data via paper reports. These reports were time-consuming, error-prone, and experienced delays. To provide reliable and efficient data, NOAA Fisheries prioritized electronic reporting. Electronic reporting automates data processing, such as rejecting incomplete reports.

Electronic reporting can also streamline and standardize the process across various regions and programs. However, many fishery regions developed their own electronic reporting systems independently. This lead to a duplication of efforts, inconsistent practices, siloed technology stacks, and other challenges. A unified, cross-regional framework can eliminate these inefficiencies. RADFish creates a collaborative, coordinated effort to modernize fishery data collection across NOAA.

2. Our Vision​

The core objective of RADFish is to support an active community of developers across NOAA Fishery regions. This community will build a standardized, modular, and reusable web framework that focuses on offline data collection through progressive web application (PWA) technologies. RADFish's modularity allows it to meet program-specific requirements while maintaining technology, security, and accessibility standards. It's based on React, a leading open-source JavaScript library known for its scalability and flexibility. It also includes the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) as implemented by the react-uswds open source project.

3. Key Benefits​

  • Modular and Reusable: The framework provides pre-built, ready-made components, boilerplate scaffolding, CLI tooling, and examples that can be easily adapted for different web development projects. These modular components speed up the development process and reduce redundant work.

  • Cross-Regional Standardization: By utilizing a common framework, NOAA Fisheries will be able to standardize web development best practices across regions. This ensures consistency while allowing for flexible, program-specific customizations.

  • Powered by React: RADFish is built on React, enabling developers to leverage reusable components and follow modern web development best practices. This ensures flexibility, scalability, and efficiency in building feature-rich, dynamic web applications.

  • Progressive Web Application Ready: RADFish supports PWA development, allowing apps to function offline and provide a seamless user experience even in low-connectivity environments. This is ideal for at-sea data collection and other fieldwork scenarios.

  • Consistent and Accessible Styling: RADFish incorporates styling based on the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) as implemented by the react-uswds open source project. This ensures a consistent, accessible, and user-friendly interface across all NOAA applications. It also complies with federal design standards and enhances usability for all users.

  • Open-Source Governance: All source code, documentation, and governance policies will be accessible to NOAA Fisheries and our partners via GitHub. This allows for transparent and collaborative development. Updates or improvements made to the core framework can be shared across regions, ensuring ongoing alignment and innovation.

4. Project Scope​

By adopting free, open source, agile development principles, RADFish will continuously evolve. RADFish developers use iterative sprints to deliver fully-tested, fully-documented software. that meets security, accessibility, and operational standards. This software provides NOAA Fisheries with a unified, cost-effective, and scalable solution for electronic reporting. Electronic reports improve the quality of data collected and the efficiency of fisheries management.

5. Conclusion​

RADFish modernizes fisheries data collection. It addresses the current challenges of fragmented systems and inconsistent practices by enabling the efficient development of new, secure, and accessible electronic reporting systems. NOAA Fisheries is committed to making this framework publicly available and open-source, ensuring its broad utility and long-term sustainability across fisheries programs nationwide.

For more detailed information, please refer to our project documentation and source code repository on GitHub.