Developing Lightning Data Services for Commercial and Public Applications

Lightning impacts many aspects of our daily lives and is responsible for billions of dollars in property and industry losses every year. This Phase II effort proposes the development of a lightning services API using data from the GOES-R Series Geostationary Lighting Mapper (GLM) and the development of short-term lightning prediction products including lightning initiation and lightning cessation. The API will include real-time functionality and the ability to analyze archived GLM data throughout the entire field-of-view. Leveraging CFD Research’s experience in software and API development and atmospheric sciences for lightning research applications, this API will provide a simplified framework for serving near-hemispheric lightning information available on NOAA’s Big Data Project. The proposed work seeks to build upon and transition research and operational lightning information into applications that can be readily used and understood for the average, non-meteorologist, API user. These data services address the weather enterprise’s goal of reducing potential for injury and decreasing loss productivity due to lightning.