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The Lightning Detection Network (XDDE)
The Lightning Detection Network (XDDE) of the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya (Meteorological Service of Catalonia) is an important step forward in the real-time detection of thunderstorms and the short-term forecasting of their trajectory.
The XDDE is composed of three detectors (Begues, Castellnou de Seana and Muntanyola) and a processing system in SMC headquarters. The arrangement of the antennas in the country is designed to provide good coverage to all of Catalonia, with precision in pinpointing lightning at 500 metres throughout a large part of Catalonian territory.
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A lightning detector
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Precision in the pinpointing of lightning
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Lightning: characteristics and remote detection
Electrical discharges in the atmosphere emit various forms of radiation. Apart from light and sound waves which are perceived by humans, the discharges emit radio waves which are recorded by detection systems. The cloud-to-ground discharges emit low frequency (LF) waves, while the radio waves of discharges produced inside the clouds are of very high frequency (VHF) ones. This being so, the majority of detection systems operate only in LF, while the technology of the XDDE permits the detection of discharges inside of clouds. This peculiarity is important in meteorology, given that these are produced during the formation of a storm, while discharges to ground do not strike until the storm has matured. The XDDE allows then, the ability to follow thunderstorms from their origin and is therefore a valuable tool for meteorological surveillance.
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