Product Design, Manufacturing & Innovation Resources

Blitzortung

Live Monitoring & Tracking

Free
No Download/Install required
No registration

https://www.blitzortung.org/en/live_lightning_maps.php

Blitzortung is a community operated lightning detection network that shows lightning strikes on a live map. The map displays strikes as they are detected, with color indicating the age of each strike, and offers views for Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Asia and Africa as well as for the whole world.

Detection is based on a worldwide network of volunteer operated VLF receivers that record the radio signal of a discharge with GPS timestamps. The location is computed from the differences in arrival time at several stations, which provides a position for each strike. The map also shows the active stations and statistics such as strike counts and detection coverage.

Tip: unique info, but interactive map can be slow if a lot is happening. Use the continent filters on the left rather than zooming on your location of interest.

The live map is useful for monitoring thunderstorm cells, planning outdoor work, aviation and event operations, and for comparison with radar. It is a volunteer project with detection efficiency that varies by region, and it is not a safety system or an official warning. Viewing is free, and operating a station requires registration.

Disciplines: Meteorology, Aviation, Outdoor sports, Insurance, Electrical engineering, Event management.

Free alternative to Vaisala Xweather, Earth Networks.

Blitzortung compared with Vaisala Xweather and Earth Networks
Blitzortung	Vaisala Xweather	Earth Networks
Detection method: Volunteer receivers record very low frequency (VLF) radio signals and send them to central servers. Positions are computed with time of arrival (TOA) and time of group arrival (TOGA) methods.	Detection method: Sensors designed and manufactured by Vaisala locate events with patented time-of-arrival and magnetic direction-finding. GLD360 also relies on this combination to keep detection efficiency from dropping steeply with distance.	Detection method: Proprietary algorithms and machine learning models refine location accuracy and filter out bad location data. The detection frequency band was not stated.
Network and coverage: A community network where membership is open to anyone without fees. Operators build a detector, and a basic understanding of the reception technique is needed.	Network and coverage: Combines NLDN (contiguous United States), GLD360 (global, over land and sea) and private member networks for local coverage.	Network and coverage: More than 1,800 sensors in more than 100 countries, with the stated aim of covering nearly any location where a customer operates.
Reported performance: The site reports an average delay of 3 to 20 seconds depending on server load. Timing at each station uses GPS with microsecond accuracy.	Reported performance: Vendor figures: median location accuracy of 84 meters over the contiguous United States and reporting in about 15 seconds. GLD360 alone is given a median accuracy of 1 km and 80% cloud-to-ground detection efficiency.	Reported performance: Vendor figures: location accuracy within 100 meters, 95% detection efficiency and 90% classification accuracy, with delivery in under 15 seconds. These are provider claims, not independent measurements.
	Cloud-to-ground and in-cloud data: Reports location, polarity, peak current and other characteristics for cloud-to-cloud pulses and cloud-to-ground strokes. Classification accuracy is stated as 80% for in-cloud versus cloud-to-ground.	Cloud-to-ground and in-cloud data: Detects and classifies both in-cloud and cloud-to-ground lightning (total lightning).
Access and cost model: Live maps are public. Raw sferic position data is free to users who transmit their own data, and station owners may use it for non-commercial purposes only.	Access and cost model: Delivered through a REST Lightning API with history from 2016, SDKs for iOS, Android and JavaScript, webhooks and the Xweather Protect alerting platform.	Access and cost model: Data feeds in several file types for system integration, plus weather monitoring and alerting tools.