TOA Lightning Location Retrieval on Spherical and Oblate Spheroidal Earth Geometries

Abstract

A simple linear algebraic solution is introduced for retrieving the location and time-of-occurrence of lightning ground strikes on a spherical earth from a network of four or more time-of-arrival sensors. Since the solution accounts for earth curvature, it represents an extension to earlier planar model results. A test of the retrieval method is provided using computer-simulated datasets. The method is easy to comprehend and completely avoids reference to the mathematics of spherical hyperbolas. An extension to the spherical earth solution is provided for an oblate spheroidal earth geometry, and the importance/relevance of oblate effects are discussed. Future application of these methods in support of the North American National Lightning Detection Network is desirable, but additional theoretical investigations are required to incorporate magnetic bearing information into the present solution process.