Overview of LPATS
History of the LPATS System LPATS is the name given by Dr. Bent to a Lightning Position And Tracking System. Initially LPATS was designed using direction-finding technology but errors caused by fundamental technical problems with direction finding soon led to the pursuit of a time of arrival approach. Direction finding requires each of two sites to locate a direction to a lightning discharge provided the location is not close to the line joining and extending beyond the two sites. Time of arrival technology is far more accurate, but requires three sites to monitor the precise time that lightning arrives at the sites. By monitoring the time at each site the intersection of two time-defined hyperbolas provides the position of the lightning. Today's LPATS is a time of arrival (TOA) locating system, that obtains accurate timing from GPS satellite receivers placed at each LPATS remote site. These receivers and associated hardware and software allow the timing resolution of received transmissions from lightning to be recorded and time stamped to an accuracy of the order of 100 nanoseconds. This time correlated lightning data is sent over communication lines to a central processor. The central analyzer receives data transmitted from the LPATS receivers and time correlates the received signals. Spherical hyperbolic geometry in three dimensions allows the position of lightning strikes to be calculated and located to accuracies of only a few hundred meters depending on receiver geometry. The solution data can then be ingested into a display system for observation and forecasting purposes. During the late 1970's and early 1980's, a direction-finding approach to lightning location was pursued by Dr. Bent in the USA. This was effectively a continuation of the work by Dr. Bent in the late 1960's for the British Government on magnetic field lightning location throughout the world but more specifically Europe. Dr. Bent was at that time a Chief Scientist for the British Government in charge of a satellite magnetic field experiment to locate lightning throughout the world. In 1982, Dr. Bent changed his company's technology from the direction-finding approach to a time-of-arrival lightning location approach in order to obtain substantially higher accuracy. Two patents were subsequently awarded for this time-of-arrival technology. Within the last five years, time-of-arrival systems have been sold to major organizations throughout the world, and to date, they continue to provide valuable lightning data to these companies. Systems were sold to KEMA to cover Holland; the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute to cover Sweden; the Swiss PTT (Post Office and Telecommunications) to cover Switzerland; two systems to Siemens to cover East and West Germany; two independent utility companies in Japan; a third system for a weather distribution company in Japan; to CEMIG, a large utility, to cover part of Brazil; to Iberdrola, a large utility, to cover half of Spain; and a system installed on the south eastern coast of Australia for use by utility companies. Other LPATS systems have recently been installed in Austria, Israel, South Africa, Quebec Canada, Colombia, Indonesia and South Korea. The majority of these systems have been installed in the last three years. The major volume of users around the world have a primary interest in monitoring cloud-to-ground strokes, as these are the strokes that have an affect on many organizations and business activities in the fields of productivity and safety. LPATS detects a high proportion of these ground strokes with an unparalleled accuracy. LPATS also has the ability to detect, locate and identify cloud strokes. There is a growing global awareness of the availability of equipment to accurately position and track lightning over huge areas. There is also a substantial growth in the demands of the existing market, which is using the competitor's product. This market, having grown to rely on lightning data, now demands better performance from their systems. Both the growing awareness and the needs of existing users are increasing the market demand for LPATS. The structuring of real time data services has created an even greater market for a lower-cost product, but at high volumes. There is little precedence to determine the profile of each typical lightning data service customer. This itself is being evolved with experience and with the awareness that is being created throughout the U.S. and elsewhere. Inquiries are often received from organizations of which we have little knowledge, who themselves have decided they are a potential lightning data customer.
History of LPATS in Australia The Lightning Position and Tracking System (LPATS) has been in operation in Australia for over eight years under the direction and ownership of Dr. Bent. Its capabilities are well known to many people but in order for this proposal to be well understood a brief history of the Australian LPATS system follows. The National LPATS Network being implemented by GPATS will bring a high level of detection and location accuracy of lightning to Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and of Western Australia. It is the intention of GPATS to install GPATS Precision Lightning Sensor receivers to cover the entire nation of Australia within the next 3 months that will give an enhanced detection efficiency and accuracy greater than comparable systems installed in other countries around the world.
LPATS Series III and GPATS Precision Lightning Sensor Systems
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