January 1, 2017 marks the 20th year for software developed in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences to provide seamless access to environmental data made available from diverse public sources. MesoWest has grown from its initial focus in the early years on the western United States to cover environmental conditions at over 50,000 locations throughout North America.
A recap of some of the diverse applications of MesoWest resources over the years will be followed by an overview of ongoing and future software development. Public policy issues facing the nation associated with utilizing environmental data will be touched upon as well.