Strike Radar: real-time monitoring and logging of lightning strikes

Every year, tens of thousands of lightning strikes hit French territory. Yet, most facility managers don't know if their site has been struck, when, or with what intensity. Strike Radar LPS France 's professional service that transforms this uncertainty into certified and actionable data—without any on-site equipment installation.

What is Strike Radar?

Strike Radar is a real-time lightning strike monitoring and logging service. Specifically, it allows any facility manager to know if lightning has struck within a radius of up to 100 km around their site — with hourly, geographical, and physical accuracy.

Vaisala GLD360+ global sensor network . This network uses VLF/LF detection technology, which captures the electromagnetic signature of each lightning strike. Multi-sensor triangulation ensures rigorous cross-validation of each strike. The resulting data complies with IEC 62793:2020 and can be used for risk assessment according to IEC 62305-2:2024 .

For each detected impact, Strike Radar provides:

• The precise GPS coordinates of the impact
• The exact date and time (certified timestamp)
• Current intensity in kiloamperes (kA)
• Polarity (positive or negative)
• The estimated distance from the monitored site
• The number of sensors that have validated the impact

Two professional deliverables for each situation

Strike Radar does more than just display raw data. It generates two types of deliverables that can be used directly by lightning protection professionals.

The Keraunic Report

This summary report analyzes lightning activity over a given period around a site. It presents the history of strikes, their intensity, frequency, and distance. It is an ideal tool for:

• To establish a lightning risk study based on real data
• Justify an upgrade to the Lightning Protection Level (LPL)
• Prepare a preventive maintenance plan for the end customer
• Ng data to calculate Nsg (ground lightning density, IEC 62305-2:2024 parameter) via the LPS France v2.0

The NSG (number of ground impacts per km² per year, 10 × 10 km grid) is indeed the normative reference for assessing the level of risk. Strike Radar allows it to be calculated from actual data measured on site — and not from generic statistical tables.

The lightning strike certificate

When a lightning strike is detected near a facility, Strike Radar generates a certificate . This document officially confirms the strike, including the date, time, intensity, and polarity. It is corroborated by multiple sensors and constitutes certified evidence, usable in various contexts:

• Claim filed with an insurer
• Justification for post-impact maintenance intervention
• Regulatory traceability for establishments subject to audit (ICPE, ERP, IGH)
• Documentation of a technical expertise report

Why Strike Radar is changing its lightning maintenance logic

Until now, lightning protection system maintenance followed a fixed schedule—for example, an annual or biannual inspection. This model has a problem: it is not triggered by actual events. A site might experience a severe strike in January and not be inspected until December.

With Strike Radar, the logic is reversed. It is the lightning event that triggers the action . As soon as a strike is detected within a certain radius of the site, the responsible party is notified and can decide on an immediate inspection. This approach complies with the recommendations of the IEC 62305-3 , which advocates for a verification of the protection system after a severe lightning event.

early streamer emission lightning rod ( Paraton@ir or Ellips® Ellips LPS LPS France ) can:

1. Receiving a Strike Radar alert confirming an impact 3 km from its site
2. Trigger a priority inspection of its down conductors and grounding points
3. Download the lightning strike certificate to create your traceability file
4. Justify the maintenance expense to management with dated and certified proof

Strike Radar and risk calculation according to IEC 62305-2:2024

The international standard IEC 62305-2:2024 defines the method for assessing lightning risk. It is based on several parameters, including the local NSG — that is, the density of lightning strikes on the ground in the geographical area of ​​the site.

In many risk studies, this parameter is estimated from generic regional tables. Strike Radar goes further: by providing Ng (ground flash density) data from real measurements over a minimum of 3 months of history, it allows the calculation of an Nsg compliant with NF C 17-102:2011 via the LPS France v2.0 method (Km = 2.0) — an indicator anchored in the physical reality of the site, much more precise than generic regional tables.

These measured Ng data then become an objective argument for:

• Validate or reconsider the installed level of protection
• Update an existing risk study
• Strengthening the credibility of a technical report submitted to the client

Note: The Ng data provided by Strike Radar is an indicator to aid in calculating Nsg. The Ng → Nsg conversion (Km factor = 2.0 according to IEC 62305-2:2024) must be applied before any use in a certified risk assessment. These values ​​should be used as a supplementary parameter and not as the sole parameter.

A service that requires no installation and is immediately accessible

One of Strike Radar's major advantages is its ease of implementation. Unlike a physical surveillance system, no hardware needs to be installed on-site . The service is entirely cloud-based, continuously powered by the GLD360+ network.

Getting started is immediate. Simply define the site(s) to monitor (GPS coordinates or address), set the desired monitoring radius (up to 100 km), and access the data via the online interface. PDF reports can be downloaded directly from the platform.

LPS France monitoring ecosystem : Strike Radar data can be consulted in addition to field data from Contact@ir System , which detect impacts directly on the head of the Paraton@ir ® or the ESE Ellips .

Strike Radar in the LPS France ecosystem

LPS France offers a complete lightning protection chain, from equipment to monitoring. Strike Radar is part of this comprehensive vision:

• Physical protection : Paraton@ir ® and Ellips ® (PDA with initiation device, standards NF EN 62305 / IEC 62305:2024 and NF C 17-102:2011)
• Field detection : Contact@ir System — detects impacts directly on the ESE head, 868 MHz radio transmission
  • Contact@ir MD (integrated IoT/SIM version) — for sites without local network (isolated sites, wind turbines, telecom towers, ICPE facilities that are difficult to access)
• Cloud monitoring : LPS Manager — SaaS for facility and maintenance management, integrating Contact@ir
• Certified data : Strike Radar — historical record of impacts on the GLD360+ network, reports and PDF certificates
• Preventive alert : Sky Sentinel — real-time weather monitoring and storm warning, compliant with IEC 62793:2020
• Personal protection : AtmoGuard — free mobile lightning alert app (+10,000 downloads)

post-impact evidence (something happened, here is the data). Sky Sentinel provides pre-impact (a storm cell is approaching). Contact@ir detects the impact directly on-site . Together, they constitute an unprecedented level of traceability and control for lightning protection professionals.

To go further in managing your lightning protection installations, also discover the Dongl@ir Contact@ir data collection ) and the Rout@ir (fixed 868 MHz Radio receiver — connected to the local network (LAN/WiFi) for continuous monitoring).

Conclusion

Strike Radar addresses a long-overlooked need in lightning risk management: access to objective, dated, and certified evidence of events. By combining the power of the GLD360+ network, compliance with IEC 62305-2:2024 standards, and the simplicity of a cloud-based, installation-free service, Strike Radar empowers lightning professionals to transform every storm event into an informed decision—and a documented argument.

Whether it is to justify a maintenance intervention, to compile an insurance file or to refine a risk study, lightning data has never been so accessible and usable.