Using lightning data to generate proxy reflectivity data

摘要

A computer method for generating proxy reflectivity data and radar-like images associated with lightning activity, the method comprising: detecting, by a network of lightning detection sensors (102a-102c), each of which monitors a particular geographic area, radio frequency (RF) energy data associated with lightning flashes in the corresponding geographic area; transmitting, by the lightning detection sensor network, the RF energy data to a computer device (106) communicably coupled to the lightning detection sensor network; format, using the computing device, the RF energy data received from the lightning detection sensor network into consolidated lightning flash data; identify, using the computer device, one or more lightning activity cells based on the consolidated lightning flash data, which include positioning each lightning flash on a map according to its geographical location, superimposing a first grid on the map and identify sectors of the first grid with a high density of lightning flashes, superimpose a second grid only on the identified sectors of the map to locate closed contours associated with a ray cell within the identified sectors, and generate a convex polygon from each of the closed contours, where the sectors of the first grid are larger in geographical area than the sectors of the second grid; determine, using the computing device, a logarithmic scale of a combined cloud-to-ground and in-cloud flash rate (dBR) for the identified lightning activity cells; generating, using the computer device, proxy reflectivity data based on the dBR of the identified lightning activity cells and the geographic location of the identified lightning activity cells; generating, by means of a graphics processing unit (GPU) (206) of the computing device, radar-like images based on the proxy reflectivity data, the radar-like images including a polygon having a position corresponding to a position of each convex polygon generated by the computer device and having a color associated with a severity of lightning activity; displaying, using a display device coupled to the GPU (206), the radar-like images; and broadcasting, via the computing device, the radar-like images to one or more remote computing devices that monitor geographic areas at risk that correspond to geographic areas in the radar-like images as part of an alert notification message.