LuckGrib Update: All is well — exciting things are happening behind the scenes

Every now and then, I hear from customers, or potential customers, wondering about the pace of updates. Some have noticed the blog has been quiet and are concerned the project might be slowing down or even stalling. If that’s been on your mind, please rest assured: LuckGrib is very much alive, actively developed, and here for the long term. The weather data services will continue without interruption, and it’s perfectly safe to make a commitment to the app today.

LuckGrib first launched on macOS in August 2015, with the iOS version following in April 2018. Those early years were full of rapid improvements: new models, the Offshore Data system in 2019, Weather Routing in 2020, and a steady stream of enhancements. The app has always prioritized speed, reliability, ease of use and powerful, useful tools. These core values remain unchanged.

While the current app is actively maintained (any bugs will be fixed promptly), it is largely feature-complete for its original scope. Many of you have asked for support on additional platforms, and that is now my highest priority. Achieving this requires a significant rewrite using modern tools and languages that take full advantage of today’s powerful hardware. This new codebase is highly portable and will run smoothly on all major platforms.

Over the years, I’ve learned a great deal about GRIB files, and how to work with the data they contain. I remember first reading the GRIB-1 WMO standard while anchored off of a beautiful beach in New Zealand (hey, you can’t hike and swim every hour of the day!) All of the learned lessons are being incorporated into the new codebase. The result will be an even more capable, flexible, and future-proof LuckGrib.

If you’ve followed the app for a while, you may remember a similar quiet period before Weather Routing was released in 2020. That feature took 18 months of intensive background work (with three full rewrites of the isochrone solver) before launch, and since release, it’s been rock-solid, uniquely powerful, and amazingly fast. The current project is larger in scope, so it will take longer, but the results are already impressive and will be worth the wait.

Thank you all for your continued support and patience. This project has always been full of interesting technical puzzles and challenges, and it retains my full interest. I’m excited about what’s coming. More details will be shared when the time is right.

Fair winds!
— Craig