Our services in Europe are founded on the reliability of the Météorage Network, which is overseen and maintained 24/7 and 100% available
The network performed impressively: 98% of lightning strikes were detected with a median accuracy of 100 metres
Since 1987, Météorage has managed and operated a lightning detection network that has now expanded to include a large part of Western Europe.

This network is made up of over 100 sensors, a calculator and a data processing system that runs the database and helps to provide services to users.


Evolution réseau de capteur de foudre

How does the network pinpoint lightning ?

The network works continuously and in real time, i.e. it is constantly scanning electromagnetic field variations created by lightning. As soon as a radio frequency signature from an atmospheric discharge is detected by the sensors, the corresponding measurements are transmitted to two independent and redundant calculators, which will accurately pinpoint the discharge via a combination of triangulation and time-difference-of arrival techniques.

Some additional features are also calculated, such as the dating, polarity and peak intensity of the current, as well as the type of cloud-to-ground or intra-cloud discharge.

 

How does the detection network perform ?

Vaisala technology, currently regarded as among the best in the world, enables us to attain performance levels confirmed by numerous studies and scientific papers

Performances in Western Europe confirmed by science demonstrated that the network is capable of detecting 98% of cloud-to-ground strikes with a median accuracy of 100 metres.