Vaisala launches patented new lightning offering

Vaisala
Press release
June 4, 2020

Vaisala launches patented new lightning offering

The Continuing Current Dataset is the first to distinguish the most destructive types of lightning that are the most likely to cause fires and property damage.

Vaisala, a global leader in weather, environmental and industrial measurement, including comprehensive lightning data, today launched its new patented lightning offering in the U.S. The industry breakthrough detects which cloud-to-ground lightning strokes are most likely to cause damage to property or start wildfires.

“Until now, no one had the ability to identify the strokes that fall into this category,” said Markus Melin, Vice President of Vaisala Digital. “For the first time, decision-makers have the information required to target – and mitigate the impact of – the lightning events most likely to cause extreme heat damage.”

This new patented offering utilizes Vaisala's proprietary National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) and Global Lightning Dataset GLD360 capabilities, plus both Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites – GOES-16 and GOES-17 – to deliver the highest quality information that identifies strokes with continuing current and an estimate of their duration.

“This new capability paints a fuller picture to find the truly damaging lightning strokes,” said Dr. Ryan Said, Lightning Senior Scientist at Vaisala. “Our patented new offering significantly advances lightning detection by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of inspection operations and identifying where organizations should focus their oftentimes limited resources, whether it’s damage to infrastructure or wildfire-start locations.”

Fewer than 10% of lightning strokes have continuing current, which can persist up to 1,000 times as long and are more likely than a typical lightning stroke to cause fire or other extreme heat-related damage.

The primary benefits and features of Vaisala’s new lightning offering include:

    - Faster identification and more effective inspection of likely damaged areas or areas in which a fire started.
    - Warning alerts that infrastructure is likely to have been seriously damaged.
    - Early intervention to prevent more extensive damage to assets.
    - Cost reduction by prioritizing post-storm inspections of assets and infrastructure likely to have been damaged.

For more information about Vaisala’s premier suite of lightning detection technologies, please visit www.vaisala.com/lightning.

More information for the media
Amy Leger, Director of Client Services, MAPRagency
Tel. +1 763 772 4782
[email protected]

About Vaisala
Vaisala is a global leader in weather, environmental, and industrial measurement. Building on over 80 years of experience, Vaisala provides observations for a better world. We are a reliable partner for customers around the world, offering a comprehensive range of innovative observation and measurement products and services. Headquartered in Finland, Vaisala employs approximately 1,800 professionals worldwide and is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki stock exchange.
www.vaisala.com
twitter.com/VaisalaGroup