WSI Corporation and Unidata are pleased to announce the availability of global lightning data to members of the Unidata community.
WSI Corp.'s Global Lightning Network (GLN) provides high quality real-time and archive lightning stroke data to clients throughout the world. Lightning sensors are located at more than 150 international hosting partner sites, in addition to the detectors that make up the North American Precision Lightning Network (all NAPLN data is included in the GLN data feed). In the key deployment areas, including North and South America, Europe, and Asia/Australia, GLN detection efficiency values are as high as 90-95%, with corresponding location accuracies less than 1 km. Real-time data are collected in a 1-minute bin, and contain cloud-to-ground lightning stroke data and some cloud flash discharges.
Kim Rauenzahn, Lightning Product Manager for WSI Corp., says that "WSI appreciates the opportunity to expand our provision of lightning data to the Unidata community. Serving the educational and research institutions is very important to WSI with, we feel, mutual benefits for all involved. We look forward to working with organizations interested in global lightning research."
As with the existing NAPLN and USPLN data feeds, registration with WSI is required to request the GLN data. Unidata members who agree to the Conditions of Use of WSI Lightning Data by Unidata Participants receive the GLN data free of charge. Subscriptions must be renewed annually. Registered users will receive GLN data from the primary and backup servers using Unidata's Local Data Manager (LDM) software. The decoders provided by Unidata for GEMPAK and McIDAS software packages support this data format. Details for configuring your LDM configuration will be sent after registration is complete and the distribution LDM servers have been configured to allow your system.
Because GLN detection efficiency and location accuracy can vary geographically, WSI also requests that Unidata members provide a brief description of the research for which the data will be used, to ensure that the GLN data will be appropriate.
See Lightning Data Available Through Unidata for additional information on the LDM feed types, data record formats, and administrative details of lightning data subscriptions.
Other Changes to WSI Offerings
In addition to the introduction of the GLN data, WSI has made several changes to the data feeds it provides to Unidata members:
- Registration for the feeds is now handled directly by WSI Corp. Previously, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) handled registration of Unidata members for access to USPLN and NAPLN data. ERAU still serves as backup LDM feed support for the WSI lightning data feeds.
- New subscriptions to the USPLN data feed are discouraged in favor of subscriptions to the NAPLN data feed. The NAPLN data feed covers a slightly larger area (5-65N, 52-140W as opposed to 20-52N, 65-128W for the USPLN). While the USPLN feed will continue to exist, Rauenzahn encourages new projects to use the NAPLN feed.
- WSI is discouraging the use of an older record format available for the USPLN and NAPLN data feeds in favor of their current record format. (The current record format, which was referred to as the "extended" format, has been in use for several years.) Data using the older format are still available for NAPLN and USPLN data feeds — again, no changes to existing subscriptions are necessary — but Rauenzahn encourages sites making new data requests to use the new record format.
Other Lightning Data Available through Unidata
Unidata community members can also take advantage of the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) data feed made available by Vaisala. Conditions on the use of NLDN data are similar to those placed on the NAPLN and GLN data feeds, but registration and the main LDM feed are administered by the University at Albany, State University of New York. See Lightning Data Available Through Unidata for details.
