The Geostationary Lightning Mapper Level 2 Lightning Detection product contains a list of lightning flashes, and their constituent groups and events. The definition of and relationship among flashes, groups, and events are governed by the following spatial and temporal characteristics: An event represents the signal detected from the cloud top associated with a lightning emission in an individual sensor pixel for a 2ms integration period; A group represents the events detected in adjacent sensor pixels for the same integration period as an event; A flash represents a series of measurements constrained by temporal and spatial extent thresholds that are associated with one or more groups. The parent, child relationship among specific flashes, groups, and events is stored in the product. Data for each flash includes an energy-weighted centroid latitude, longitude location, time span of occurrence, amount of radiant energy, and coverage area. Data for each group includes an energy-weighted centroid latitude, longitude location, mean time of occurrence, amount of radiant energy, and coverage area. Data for each event includes a latitude, longitude location, time of occurrence, and amount of radiant energy. The product includes data quality information for each flash and group. A Lightning Detection product file contains a set of flashes, and its constituent groups and events for a 20 second period. The units of measure for the flash, group, and event radiant energy values is Joules. The units of measure for the flash and group coverage areas is square meters.

The GOES-R Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Gridded Data Products consist of full disk extent gridded lightning flash data collected by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) on board each of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites R-Series (GOES-R). These satellites are a part of the GOES-R series program: a four-satellite series within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) GOES program. These are GOES-16, -17, -18, and -19. Currently, GOES-18 and GOES-19 are the active satellites. GLM is the first operational geostationary optical lightning detector that provides total lightning data (in-cloud, cloud-to-cloud, and cloud-to-ground flashes). While it detects each of these types of lightning, the GLM is unable to distinguish between each type. The GLM GOES L3 dataset files contain gridded lightning flash data over the Western Hemisphere in netCDF-4 format from December 31, 2017 to present as this is an ongoing dataset.

Lockheed Martin has updated six years of GOES-16 and GOES-17 data from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), enhancing the accessibility of this crucial information. Previously, the GLM Level-0 (L0) data stored in the Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System (CLASS) at the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) was in a format difficult for users to work with, limiting its potential benefits. To address this, NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) plans to replace the existing L0 archive with this reprocessed data, now in the more user-friendly NetCDF/HDF5 format. This collection consists of archived L0 data from the GLM aboard the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) Series, covering both GOES-East and GOES-West satellites during their operational and post-launch test phases. The GOES-R Series, extending the GOES mission through 2035, enhances our geostationary satellite observation capabilities. GOES-16, the first satellite of the GOES-R series, began operations as GOES-East on December 18, 2017. GOES-17 followed as GOES-West, starting on February 12, 2019. The reprocessed GLM L0 data spans from March 21, 2017, to September 6, 2022. The GLM, equipped to detect near-infrared optical transients over the Western Hemisphere, provides data including science, housekeeping, engineering, and diagnostic telemetry, along with orbit and attitude information from the GOES spacecraft. Each data packet, identified by a unique Application Process Identifier (APID) in its header, contains valuable information for interpretation. For detailed information on the L0 data, the GOES-R Series Product Definition and Users' Guide (PUG) offers comprehensive documentation, including instrument calibration and data reprocessing insights. Originally, the GLM L0 data was formatted in netCDF-4 with CCSDS packets stored as byte arrays, rendering them unreadable by standard netCDF applications. These were archived as hourly tar files by satellite. The newly reprocessed L0 data, however, is organized into daily files, including both background images (in FITS format) and event data (in netCDF-4), packaged as *.tgz files for easier access and use. By transitioning to a more accessible NetCDF/HDF5 file format, Lockheed Martin has significantly enhanced the utility of the GLM L0 archive, making it more beneficial for scientific and operational communities.

This data collection consists of archived Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) Series Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Level 0 data from the GOES-East and GOES-West satellites in the operational (OPS) and the post-launch test (PLT) phases. The GOES-R Series provides continuity of the GOES mission through 2035 and improvements in geostationary satellite observational data. GOES-16, the first GOES-R satellite, began operating as GOES-East on December 18, 2017. GOES-17 began operating as GOES-West on February 12, 2019. GOES-T launched on March 1, 2022, and was renamed to GOES-18 on March 14, 2022. GOES-U, the final satellite in the series, is scheduled to launch in 2024. GLM is a near-infrared optical transient detector observing the Western Hemisphere. The GLM Level 0 data are composed of Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) packets containing the science, housekeeping, engineering, and diagnostic telemetry data downlinked from the instrument. The Level 0 data files also contain orbit and attitude/angular rate packets generated by the GOES spacecraft. Each CCSDS packet contains a unique Application Process Identifier (APID) in the primary header that identifies the specific type of packet, and is used to support interpretation of its contents. Users may refer to the GOES-R Series Product Definition and Users’ Guide (PUG) Volume 1 (Main) and Volume 2 (Level 0 Products) for Level 0 data documentation. Related instrument calibration data and Level 1b processing information are archived and available for order at the NOAA CLASS website. The GLM Level 0 data files are delivered in a netCDF-4 file format, however, the constituent CCSDS packets are stored in a byte array making the data opaque for standard netCDF reader applications. The GLM Level 0 data files are packaged in hourly tar files (data bundles) by satellite for the archive. Recently ingested archive tar files are available for 14 days on an anonymous FTP server for users to download. Data archived on offline tape may be requested from NCEI.

This data set contains the lightning detection gridded product data from the GOES-16 satellite Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) during the period of RELAMPAGO operations. Included are flash/group extent density, flash/group centroid density, event density, average flash area, and total energy. The data are in NetCDF files packed into daily tar files.

GLM L2 lightning products (flashes, groups, events) for GOES-West and GOES-East with 20 seconds refresh rate in netCDF format, collected in files (tared and gziped) of 5 minutes.

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Instrument Engineering Telemetry Data file contains data used to monitor and evaluate the health and performance of the GLM. This data is transmitted to the ground in raw digital counts, and subsequently converted into physical units by the ground system. Some of the data pertains to the temperature of components of the GLM. This includes temperatures for the CCD pedestal, focal plane array, and filtering temperatures. Other telemetry includes the number of events rejected by instrument on-board processing filters and background image count statistics. The GLM Background Image Data file contains the average background value in digital counts for pixels in the instrumentâ s CCD. The averaging is performed by the instrument prior to downlink. This data is used to support the generation of GLM Level 1b products.

NOAA GOES-16 Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Level 2 satellite data are included in this Lake Effect Electrification (LEE) Field Project dataset. These data were collected during the LEE project field phase. The Lightning Detection Gridded product generates fields starting from the GLM Lightning Detection Events, Groups, Groups, Flashes product. It consists of flash extent density, event density, average flash area, average group area, total energy, flash centroid density, and group centroid density. Please see the sample netCDF header file in the documentation section of this web page for a list of parameters included in this dataset. The data are stored in gzipped tar files by day. For the complete reference, use the following: Bruning, E., Tillier, C. E., Edgington, S. F., Rudlosky, S. D., Zajic, J., Gravelle, C., et al. (2019). Meteorological imagery for the geostationary lightning mapper. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 124, 14,258–14,309. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JD030874 This is a large dataset. Please only order the days needed.

NEW GOES-19 Data!! On April 4, 2025 at 1500 UTC, the GOES-19 satellite will be declared the Operational GOES-East satellite. All products and services, including NODD, for GOES-East will transition to GOES-19 data at that time. GOES-19 will operate out of the GOES-East location of 75.2°W starting on April 1, 2025 and through the operational transition. Until the transition time and during the final stretch of Post Launch Product Testing (PLPT), GOES-19 products are considered non-operational regardless of their validation maturity level. Shortly following the transition of GOES-19 to GOES-East, all data distribution from GOES-16 will be turned off. GOES-16 will drift to the storage location at 104.7°W. GOES-19 data should begin flowing again on April 4th once this maneuver is complete.

NEW GOES 16 Reprocess Data!! The reprocessed GOES-16 ABI L1b data mitigates systematic data issues (including data gaps and image artifacts) seen in the Operational products, and improves the stability of both the radiometric and geometric calibration over the course of the entire mission life. These data were produced by recomputing the L1b radiance products from input raw L0 data using improved calibration algorithms and look-up tables, derived from data analysis of the NIST-traceable, on-board sources. In addition, the reprocessed data products contain enhancements to the L1b file format, including limb pixels and pixel timestamps, while maintaining compatibility with the operational products. The datasets currently available span the operational life of GOES-16 ABI, from early 2018 through the end of 2024. The Reprocessed L1b dataset shows improvement over the Operational L1b products but may still contain data gaps or discrepancies. Please provide feedback to Dan Lindsey (dan.lindsey@noaa.gov) and Gary Lin (guoqing.lin-1@nasa.gov). More information can be found in the GOES-R ABI Reprocess User Guide.


NOTICE: As of January 10th 2023, GOES-18 assumed the GOES-West position and all data files are deemed both operational and provisional, so no ‘preliminary, non-operational’ caveat is needed. GOES-17 is now offline, shifted approximately 105 degree West, where it will be in on-orbit storage. GOES-17 data will no longer flow into the GOES-17 bucket. Operational GOES-West products can be found in the GOES-18 bucket.

GOES satellites (GOES-16, GOES-17, GOES-18 & GOES-19) provide continuous weather imagery and monitoring of meteorological and space environment data across North America. GOES satellites provide the kind of continuous monitoring necessary for intensive data analysis. They hover continuously over one position on the surface. The satellites orbit high enough to allow for a full-disc view of the Earth. Because they stay above a fixed spot on the surface, they provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric "triggers" for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hailstorms, and hurricanes. When these conditions develop, the GOES satellites are able to monitor storm development and track their movements. SUVI products available in both NetCDF and FITS.

The GOES-R Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Gridded Data Products consist of full disk extent gridded lightning flash data collected by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) on board each of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites R-Series (GOES-R). These satellites are a part of the GOES-R series program: a four-satellite series within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) GOES program. GLM is the first operational geostationary optical lightning detector that provides total lightning data (in-cloud, cloud-to-cloud, and cloud-to-ground flashes). While it detects each of these types of lightning, the GLM is unable to distinguish between each type. The GLM GOES L3 dataset files contain gridded lightning flash data over the Western Hemisphere in netCDF-4 format from December 31, 2017 to present as this is an ongoing dataset.

This data set contains the lightning detection data from the GOES-16 satellite Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) during the period of VORTEX-SE 2018 operations. The data are in NetCDF files packed into daily tar files.

The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is the first optical lightning detector in geostationary orbit, and GLM sensors operate aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES R-series: GOES-16, -17, -18, and -19). The first to launch was GOES-16 on November 19, 2016 and it was placed in the GOES-East position. On March 1, 2018 GOES-17 launched and would eventually become operational in the GOES-West position. Since that time, the United States has maintained one satellite in each position. Currently, GOES-18 (west) and GOES-19 (east) are the operational satellites. With these instruments, the combined monthly thunder hour dataset has been created. A thunder hour is an hour during which thunder can be heard at a given location. Thunder hours represent a historical measure of lightning occurrence and a metric of thunderstorm frequency that is comparatively less sensitive to geographic variations in the detection capabilities of a lightning location system. The GLM thunder hour dataset will provide a long-term means of tracking trends in lightning occurrence over the Americas and surrounding oceans. The GLM Combined Monthly Thunder Hour dataset is calculated from lightning detections from 1 January 2019 onward, during which time GLMs are operating from GOES-West and GOES-East positions, providing continuous lightning detection for a broad region from the Aleutian Islands and New Zealand eastward to the western tip of Africa. The data are provided at 0.05° latitude/longitude resolution in netCDF-4 format.

This data set contains the lightning detection data from the GOES-16 satellite Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Lightning Cluster-Filter Algorithm (LFCA) during the period of RELAMPAGO operations. The data are in NetCDF files packed into daily tar files.

Global Lightning Imager Level 2 (GOES-East) 10 minutes aggregrated lightning count grid (0.05°). GOES satellites provide continuous weather imagery and monitoring of meteorological and space environment data across North America. GOES satellites hover continuously over one position on the surface. Because they stay above a fixed spot on the surface, they provide a constant vigil for the atmospheric 'triggers' for severe weather conditions such as tornadoes, flash floods, hailstorms, and hurricanes. When these conditions develop, the GOES satellites are able to monitor storm development and track their movements.

The GOES-R PLT Fly’s Eye GLM Simulator (FEGS) dataset consists of lightning flash, lightning pulse, and radiance data collected by the FEGS flown aboard a NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft during the GOES-R Post Launch Test (PLT) airborne science field campaign. The GOES-R PLT airborne science field campaign took place between March 21 and May 17, 2017 in support of the post-launch product validation of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). These data files are available in ASCII format with browse imagery available in PNG format.

The GLM Events and Flashes Data consist of the size and number of lightning flashes and events. The data were collected from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument on the GOES-16 and GOES-17 satellites and are available as L1b events (raw) and L2 flashes (processed). They are available from March 15, 2021, through March 18, 2021, in netCDF-4 and HDF-5 formats.

This data set contains the lightning detection data from the GOES-16 satellite Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Lightning Cluster-Filter Algorithm (LFCA) during the period of Organization of Tropical East Pacific Convection (OTREC) field project operations. The data are in NetCDF files packed into daily tar files.

The GOES-R PLT Fly’s Eye GLM Simulator (FEGS) dataset consists of lightning flash, lightning pulse, and radiance data collected by the FEGS flown aboard a NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft during the GOES-R Post Launch Test (PLT) airborne science field campaign. The GOES-R PLT airborne science field campaign took place between March 21 and May 17, 2017 in support of the post-launch product validation of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). These data files are available in ASCII format with browse imagery available in PNG format.

This data set contains the lightning detection data from the GOES-16 satellite Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) during the period of VORTEX-SE Meso18-19 operations. The data are in NetCDF files packed into daily tar files.

Core data used in Xin_RS_2021_GOES_lightning repository.

For more detail, please check the README.md file.