DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17376946
title: FLASHMAP: A Global Gridded Cloud-to-Ground and Intra-Cloud Lightning Dataset

description: The Flash Location Aggregation from Strokes into a High-resolution Multi-scale Analysis Product (FLASHMAP) dataset is a global gridded lightning product derived from Vaisala’s Global Lightning Detection Network (GLD360) stroke detections. It provides comprehensive information on both cloud-to-ground (CG) and intra-cloud (IC) lightning events at multiple spatiotemporal resolutions.   

 

FLASHMAP consists of two data categories:



Main lightning data



Flash variables  



Counts of CG and IC flashes

Flash multiplicity statistics of CG and IC flashes



CG stroke variables  



Counts of +CG and -CG strokes

Peak current statistics of +CG and -CG strokes



IC stroke variables  



Counts of +IC and -IC strokes

Peak current statistics of +IC and -IC strokes





Ancillary data



Global grid cell areas at multiple spatial resolutions

Location accuracy



Location accuracy statistics of CG strokes

Location accuracy statistics of IC strokes



Absolute peak current percentiles of total strokes



The 5th percentile

The 95th percentile



Number of sensor reports of total strokes




Note 1: A CG flash contains at least one CG stroke; an IC flash consists exclusively of IC strokes.  Note 2: The multiplicity of a CG flash is the count of CG strokes it contains; the multiplicity of an IC flash is the count of IC strokes it contains.  Note 3: Total strokes represent the sum of CG and IC strokes.  

 

FLASHMAP attributes:  



Temporal coverage: 2019–2024  

Spatial coverage: Global (90°S–90°N, 180°W–180°E)  

Spatial reference system: Geographic coordinates (WGS84, EPSG:4326) 

Spatiotemporal resolutions:



 Main lightning data:



0.5° monthly  

0.25° daily  

0.1° hourly 



Ancillary data:



Global grid cell area: 0.5°, 0.25°, and 0.1° 

Others: 0.25° monthly  





Institutions:



Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)  

University of East Anglia (UK)  



Contact:



y.qu@vu.nl

s.s.n.veraverbeke@vu.nl

matthew.w.jones@uea.ac.uk




 

All main and ancillary data are stored in NetCDF version 4 format.  

 
description: Table 1. Description of flash variables within the FLASHMAP dataset.




Variable Name
Deacription
Unit


CG_flash_count
Number of CG flashes
-


CG_flash_multiplicity_mean
Mean multiplicity of CG flashes
-


CG_flash_multiplicity_median
Median multiplicity of CG flashes
-


CG_flash_multiplicity_stddev
Standard deviation of multiplicity of CG flashes
-


IC_flash_count
Number of IC flashes
-


IC_flash_multiplicity_mean
Mean multiplicity of IC flashes
-


IC_flash_multiplicity_median
Median multiplicity of IC flashes
-


IC_flash_multiplicity_stddev
Standard deviation of multiplicity of IC flashes
-




 

Table 2. Description of CG stroke variables within the FLASHMAP dataset.




Variable Name
Deacription
Unit


CG_positive_stroke_count
Number of CG strokes with positive polarity
-


CG_positive_peak_current_mean
Mean peak current of CG strokes with positive polarity
kA 


CG_positive_peak_current_median
Median peak current of CG strokes with positive polarity
kA


CG_positive_peak_current_stddev
Standard deviation of peak current of CG strokes with positive polarity
kA


CG_negative_stroke_count
Number of CG strokes with negative polarity
-


CG_negative_peak_current_mean
Mean peak current of CG strokes with negative polarity
kA


CG_negative_peak_current_median
Median peak current of CG strokes with negative polarity
kA


CG_negative_peak_current_stddev
Standard deviation of peak current of CG strokes with negative polarity
kA




 

Table 3. Description of IC stroke variables within the FLASHMAP dataset.




Variable Name
Deacription
Unit


IC_positive_stroke_count
Number of IC strokes with positive polarity
-


IC_positive_peak_current_mean
Mean peak current of IC strokes with positive polarity
kA 


IC_positive_peak_current_median
Median peak current of IC strokes with positive polarity
kA


IC_positive_peak_current_stddev
Standard deviation of peak current of IC strokes with positive polarity
kA


IC_negative_stroke_count
Number of IC strokes with negative polarity
-


IC_negative_peak_current_mean
Mean peak current of IC strokes with negative polarity
kA


IC_negative_peak_current_median
Median peak current of IC strokes with negative polarity
kA


IC_negative_peak_current_stddev
Standard deviation of peak current of IC strokes with negative polarity
kA




 

Table 4. Description of ancillary variables within the FLASHMAP dataset




Variable Name
Deacription
Unit


grid_area_050
Global grid cell area at 0.5° × 0.5° spatial resolution
km2


grid_area_025
Global grid cell area at 0.25° × 0.25° spatial resolution
km2 


grid_area_010
Global grid cell area at 0.1° × 0.1° spatial resolution
km2


CG_LA_0_10kA_mean
Mean location accuracy of CG strokes with absolute peak current between 0–10 kA
m


CG_LA_10_20kA_mean
Mean location accuracy of CG strokes with absolute peak current between 10–20 kA
m


CG_LA_20_30kA_mean
Mean location accuracy of CG strokes with absolute peak current between 20–30 kA
m


CG_LA_30kA_plus_mean
Mean location accuracy of CG strokes with absolute peak current above 30 kA
m


CG_LA_0_10kA_median
Median location accuracy of CG strokes with absolute peak current between 0–10 kA
m


CG_LA_10_20kA_median
Median location accuracy of CG strokes with absolute peak current between 10–20 kA
m


CG_LA_20_30kA_median
Median location accuracy of CG strokes with absolute peak current between 20–30 kA
m


CG_LA_30kA_plus_median
Median location accuracy of CG strokes with absolute peak current above 30 kA
m


IC_LA_0_10kA_mean
Mean location accuracy of IC strokes with absolute peak current between 0–10 kA
m


IC_LA_10_20kA_mean
Mean location accuracy of IC strokes with absolute peak current between 10–20 kA
m


IC_LA_20_30kA_mean
Mean location accuracy of IC strokes with absolute peak current between 20–30 kA
m


IC_LA_30kA_plus_mean
Mean location accuracy of IC strokes with absolute peak current above 30 kA
m


IC_LA_0_10kA_median
Median location accuracy of IC strokes with absolute peak current between 0–10 kA
m


IC_LA_10_20kA_median
Median location accuracy of IC strokes with absolute peak current between 10–20 kA
m


IC_LA_20_30kA_median
Median location accuracy of IC strokes with absolute peak current between 20–30 kA
m


IC_LA_30kA_plus_median
Median location accuracy of IC strokes with absolute peak current above 30 kA
m


total_5th_percentile_peak_current
The 5th percentile absolute peak current of total strokes
kA


total_95th_percentile_peak_current
The 95th percentile absolute peak current of total strokes
kA


total_NSR_0_10kA_mean
Mean number of sensor reports of total strokes with absolute peak current between 0–10 kA
-


total_NSR_10_20kA_mean
Mean number of sensor reports of total strokes with absolute peak current between 10–20 kA
-


total_NSR_20_30kA_mean
Mean number of sensor reports of total strokes with absolute peak current between 20–30 kA
-


total_NSR_30kA_plus_mean
Mean number of sensor reports of total strokes with absolute peak current above 30 kA
-


total_NSR_0_10kA_median
Median number of sensor reports of total strokes with absolute peak current between 0–10 kA
-


total_NSR_10_20kA_median
Median number of sensor reports of total strokes with absolute peak current between 10–20 kA
-


total_NSR_20_30kA_median
Median number of sensor reports of total strokes with absolute peak current between 20–30 kA
-


total_NSR_30kA_plus_median
Median number of sensor reports of total strokes with absolute peak current above 30 kA
-