Montana Climate Office

What Montana Climate Office does

Montana Climate Office (MCO) is Montana's official state climate office, designated by Governor Schweitzer in 2006 and housed within the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana in Missoula. The office's core asset is the Montana Mesonet, a network of 215+ automated HydroMet stations measuring temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation, soil moisture, and snow across central and eastern Montana at approximately one station per 500 square miles, with pan-tilt-zoom cameras deployed at over 120 stations. Building on this infrastructure, MCO operates the D3 Drought Data Dashboard (covering the continental United States), a REST-based Mesonet API, an OGC API Features endpoint for GIS integration, the Mesonet Photo Explorer for visual monitoring, an Android mobile application, and EcoRestore Montana, a web portal containing a database of 225+ native plant species.

The office's product portfolio includes agricultural decision-support tools such as Growing Degree Days, Reference Evapotranspiration, Feels Like Temperature, Livestock Risk Index, Soil Water Potential, and Soil Profile Plots, alongside the DroughtCast machine learning framework that forecasts US Drought Monitor conditions 1–12 weeks ahead. MCO serves Montana state and local governments, tribal nations, agricultural producers, land managers, researchers, and GIS professionals through free, publicly accessible data channels including its website, API endpoints, mobile applications, GIS integrations, and a monthly Montana Drought & Climate newsletter.

MCO does not generate commercial revenue; it is funded through University of Montana institutional support and government contracts, with the most significant disclosed award being a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contract in 2020 to fund 205 additional HydroMet stations for drought assessment and flood forecasting across the Upper Missouri River Basin. The go-to-market is therefore direct-to-public-service rather than commercial: data and tools are distributed free of charge with no pricing tiers or subscription models, and distribution relies on digital channels including the website, GitHub open-source repositories, social media, and partner networks such as NIDIS, NGP RIDR, and the University of Arizona EcoRestore Portal network.

Name

Montana Climate Office

Legal name

Montana Climate Office

Website

https://climate.umt.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Montana Climate Office is Montana's official state climate office, operating a 215+ station Mesonet weather network and the D3 Drought Data Dashboard to provide free, real-time climate, drought, and agricultural decision-support data to state agencies, tribal nations, agricultural producers, land managers, and researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Climate Data and Weather Monitoring Services

NAICS

Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture & Land-Use MRV (Soil carbon, livestock, forestry/REDD+) (EUAHADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Inventory, Mapping & Monitoring (GIS/Remote Sensing/MRV) (IMAMAJAB), Remote Sensing & Geospatial MRV (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, SAR) (EUABACAF)

Keywords

• Climate monitoring services
• Weather station networks
• Drought analytics
• Agricultural decision support
• Environmental data APIs

Headquarters

HQ city

Missoula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Public Services (No Revenue Generation): The Montana Climate Office operates as Montana's official state climate office designated by Governor Schweitzer in 2006. As an independent state-designated body within the University of Montana, it provides free, publicly accessible climate information and services. The office does not generate revenue from customers but is funded through government grants, contracts (e.g., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), and institutional support from the University of Montana.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Montana Climate Office operates the Montana Mesonet, a statewide network of 215+ automated weather, soil moisture, and snow monitoring stations, and delivers free, publicly accessible climate, drought, and water resources information to Montanans. Its core deliverables include real-time station observations via dashboards and APIs, the D3 Drought Data Dashboard for multi-index drought monitoring across the continental US, the EcoRestore Montana native plant restoration portal, and agricultural decision-support tools for growers and land managers.

Product overview

The Montana Climate Office operates a unified climate monitoring and decision-support platform centered on the Montana Mesonet network of 215+ automated weather stations. The core infrastructure includes the Mesonet stations with pan-tilt-zoom cameras, the D3 Drought Data Dashboard for multi-index drought visualization, and the Montana Mesonet API providing both REST and OGC API access for real-time and historical data. Supporting products include the Mesonet Photo Explorer for visual monitoring, a mobile app for field access, and EcoRestore Montana for ecological restoration planning. Agricultural decision tools include Growing Degree Days, Feels Like Temperature, Livestock Risk Index, Soil Water Potential, Reference ET, and Soil Profile Plots. Data is freely available without account/login through multiple access points.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Montana Mesonet Statewide network of 215+ automated HydroMet weather, soil moisture, and snow monitoring stations across Montana measuring air temperature, relative humidity, soil moisture, precipitation, wind, and solar radiation. Includes pan-tilt-zoom cameras at stations for visual monitoring. Used by government agencies, agricultural producers, and researchers across Montana.
• Mesonet Photo Explorer Interactive web map tool for browsing landscape imagery from 120+ HydroMet station cameras across Montana, searchable by date, time, and cardinal direction. Provides shareable links and PNG export. Used by the public, agricultural producers, and researchers to verify ground conditions.
• Montana Mesonet Mobile App Mobile application providing real-time access to Montana Mesonet station data including weather, soil moisture, and snowpack readings with interactive maps and historical data access for field use by agricultural producers, land managers, and the public.
• D3 Drought Data Dashboard Interactive mapping platform for visualizing real-time drought conditions across the continental US using multiple drought indices (SPI, SPEI, EDDI, SVPDI, soil moisture, streamflow) at national, state, and county scales. Includes convergence-of-evidence compositing, USDM overlays, and data export capabilities. Used by state and local governments, agricultural producers, and researchers for drought assessment.
• Montana Mesonet API (v2) REST API providing programmatic access to Montana Mesonet station metadata, real-time observations (updated every 5 minutes), hourly/daily historical data, station photos, and calculated agricultural metrics (Reference ET, Growing Degree Days). Free public access with documentation; used by researchers, consultants, and application developers.
• Montana Mesonet Spatial Services (OGC API) High-performance OGC API Features (WFS) endpoint streaming live Mesonet station observations in GeoJSON for integration with QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, and ArcGIS Online. Data refreshes every 60 seconds with spatial filtering support. Used by GIS professionals and consultants.
• EcoRestore Montana Web-based portal for native plant restoration supporting ecological resilience in Montana. Features a searchable, filterable database of 225+ native plant species with filters for habitat, soil type, restoration goals, and lifecycle, plus 12 Montana-specific restoration goal guides. Used by practitioners, land managers, landowners, and native plant enthusiasts across Big Sky Country.

Quantifiable outcome

• 215+ weather stations statewide with cameras providing visual ground-truth context
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Bureau of Land Management — Montana/DakotascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Bureau of Land Management — Montana/Dakotas, which manages approximately 8 million acres of public land in Montana, is the key funding partner for the EcoRestore Montana project. BLM supports native plant restoration through seed collection, plant materials development, and habitat enhancement programs. This partnership enables the development and maintenance of the EcoRestore Montana web portal.
• Faist Lab at University of MontanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The Faist Lab at the University of Montana's W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation leads scientific development for EcoRestore Montana. The lab studies rangeland restoration ecology, invasive species, and native plant communities across the Northern Rockies and Great Plains. Site design and hosting is provided by the Montana Climate Office.
• University of Arizona — School of Natural Resources and the EnvironmentmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The University of Arizona coordinates the EcoRestore Portal network — a collaborative community of state-based restoration resources developed at universities across the American West. Montana joined this network in 2026 as its newest member, joining Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and California.
• NGP RIDR (National Geospatial Intelligence Program)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner for the D3 Drought Data Dashboard providing real-time drought conditions across the continental United States.
• NIDIS (National Integrated Drought Information System)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner for the D3 Drought Data Dashboard, supporting drought early warning systems.
• Montana DNRC (Department of Natural Resources and Conservation)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency partner for drought monitoring and response, collaborating on the D3 Drought Data Dashboard.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• California State Climate Office (CDFA Climate Smart Agriculture): California's state climate activities provide climate data and decision-support for the state's agricultural and water sectors. While structurally different, it is a direct functional peer as a state-level climate data provider serving western US agricultural producers.
• Northeast Regional Climate Center: NRCC at Cornell University is a NOAA Regional Climate Center with comparable mission, university hosts, and service offerings (climate monitoring, data products, decision-support). Direct peer in role and institutional model, though geographically distinct.
• Colorado Climate Center: The Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University serves as Colorado's state climate office, providing climate data, drought monitoring, and applied research. It is a direct functional peer to MCO as a university-based state climate office serving western US stakeholders.
• Western Regional Climate Center: WRCC, hosted by the Desert Research Institute, is one of six NOAA Regional Climate Centers and serves the western United States including Montana. It is a direct peer in climate monitoring, data services, and stakeholder support for the western US.
• National Drought Mitigation Center: NDMC at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln helps develop the U.S. Drought Monitor and the Drought Impact Reporter. NDMC is a strong direct peer given MCO's D3 dashboard overlaps with the USDM ecosystem and drought early warning is a core MCO mission.
• Texas Mesonet: The Texas Mesonet is a growing statewide network of automated weather stations led by Texas Tech University. It shares Montana's model of university-operated, real-time monitoring infrastructure serving agricultural producers and emergency management.
• Midwestern Regional Climate Center: MRCC at the Illinois State Water Survey is a NOAA Regional Climate Center serving the Midwest. Direct peer in mission and institutional structure as a Regional Climate Center providing climate data and tools to agricultural and water stakeholders.
• Oklahoma Mesonet: The Oklahoma Mesonet is a statewide network of 120+ automated weather stations operated by the University of Oklahoma. It is the closest direct peer to the Montana Mesonet in scope, mission, and operating model (university-operated, real-time station network supporting agriculture and public safety).
• High Plains Regional Climate Center: HPRCC is a NOAA-funded Regional Climate Center covering Montana and surrounding states. It is a direct peer providing climate data, monitoring, and decision-support tools to the same agricultural and water stakeholder base that MCO serves.

Broad incumbents

• NOAA Climate Prediction Center: NOAA CPC produces national and global seasonal climate outlooks and ENSO/ENSO forecasts that MCO directly incorporates. It is a broad incumbent as the federal authoritative source for seasonal climate and drought outlook products used widely by state climate offices.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mt_climate
• GitHubgithub.com/mt-climate-office
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-climate-office

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Montana Climate Office