(Today, 00:35)ThunderDownUnder Wrote: Recently we had a strong storm front, mainly lightning with little rain. I grabbed a screenshot from lightningmaps.org for the last hour. A question has been raised on what the map actually shows, as to whether they are cloud to ground strikes, cloud to cloud, strikes or strokes.
I thought the grid total is for strikes, and strike locations may and often do include many strokes.
Appreciate any clarity we can get on this.
Thanks.
Blitzortung.org : The network is a Lightning Locator system. We look for the ground point of a lightning discharge... which implies Cloud to Ground, in some cases Ground to Cloud. The algorithms and analysis is not, presently, oriented to inter/intra cloud discharges. Those are quite complex, and we, after all, are a volunteer, hobbyist group, and operate on our 'own dime'. The system is inherently capable of much more than we can actually analyze and provide because of money, money, money, time, time, time, politics, politics, politics, components, etc... Not every stroke detected is assigned as having a 'ground point'. However, SOME are recognized as associated with IC discharges.
Lightningmaps.org: Is an 'adjunct' website, maintained by one of the developers as he has free time, and resources... currently is somewhat behind the latest updates to the 'official' Blitzortung servers and processing. Lightningmaps.org IBOD servers are, also, the initial receiving servers for the entire network, before routing to the Blitzortung computational servers. Lightningmaps processing is more or less separate from the 'official' data, though I believe Tobi is incorporating most, if not all, of the Blitzortung computations, as well as some degree of 'experimental'. Stroke regional assignments and station analysis may not always follow the 'official' databases. Lightning maps works the same raw data as the 'official' site, but the approach is more toward the 'development' side of the community and network. On that site you MAY see 'experimental' data displayed which may vary from the 'official' Blitzortung maps of 'located' strikes, for example. In short, we don't always know what Tobi's doing over there until he announces something.
The 'Thunder' sound timing is one such 'experimental' display which has been refined over the years. Feedback indicates, especially in some areas, that it's pretty darn accurate... assuming we got a good 'location' for the discharge.
Re: Grids... you are correct, they indicate the number of strokes, assigned a ground point (location) in a grid defined by latitude and longitude... that's all.
Yes, a single impulse series can have multiple 'ground point' discharges. They usually display as a single stroke, depending on the density and location of receivers, and other factors. They can occur so rapidly they can't be 'displayed' individually on a presentation such as the web maps.
One interesting operational point: "Local" receivers normally have little to do with a nearby impulse identification... the 'locating' is done mostly by receiver data outside, for example, a 50km radius of the ground point. Impulse energy and activity in a cell is outrageous, and generally a 'local' is programmed to "not send" (go into interference mode) with such heavy and frequent nearby activity. Blitzortung is NOT a warning system.
Hope this confuses enough that you'll consider a whole bunch of research! Have fun!
Mike
