LDAR Raw Lightning Detection Data for Space Shuttle Operations

February 25, 1997 through June 11, 2008 of volumetric lightning mapping data collected at the Kennedy Space Center. The dataset provides level 1 lightning location data in near real-time, with coordinates representing distance in meters from a central network point at latitude 28.5387 and longitude -80.6428. It was created by the GHRC_DAAC organization to support Space Shuttle operations.

Use Cases

• Analyzing lightning strike density and frequency over time using the temporal coverage from 1997 to 2008.
• Modeling the 3D spatial structure of lightning channels using the provided x, y, and z coordinate distance values.
• Studying correlations between lightning activity and specific weather events in the Kennedy Space Center region.
• Validating other lightning detection systems against a high-resolution volumetric mapping dataset.
• Investigating long-term trends in atmospheric electricity for a fixed geographic location.

Strengths

• Covers a long temporal range of over 11 years, from February 1997 to June 2008.
• Provides precise 3D volumetric mapping of lightning with coordinates relative to a known central point (28.5387, -80.6428).
• Dataset is hosted on multiple authoritative platforms (NASA Earthdata and Data.gov), indicating established importance.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and total dataset size are not provided by any source.
• Sources conflict on the last updated date, with one listing 2008-06-11 and another listing 2026-03-13.
• Data format is listed as ASCII, which may require parsing for modern analytical use.

Provenance

Source

GHRC_DAAC

Collection Method

Collected by the Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) system, a volumetric lightning mapping network.

Time Range

1997-02-25 to 2008-06-11

Freshness

2026-03 13 01:09:42.051008

Geography

Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA (centered at 28.5387, -80.6428)