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Full catalog/isslis_v3_fin
isslis_v3_fin·v3·dataset

Lightning flashes seen from the Space Station (LIS, quality-checked)

Quality Controlled Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on International Space Station (ISS) Science Data V3
atmosphere NASA GHRC_DAAC Level 2 netCDF-4 - HDF4
In plain English

What it measures. Where and when lightning flashes happen across the tropical and subtropical parts of the world, both day and night. This is the cleaned-up, quality-checked version of the measurements.

How it's made. Recorded by the Lightning Imaging Sensor mounted on the International Space Station, then reprocessed and quality-controlled into this version covering 2017 to 2023.

How & where you'd use it. Helps with spotting and studying severe storms and exploring how lightning interacts with the atmosphere.

What's measured

ATMOSPHERE › ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY › LIGHTNING

Coverage & cadence

  • Time span2017-03-01 → 2023-11-16
  • Measured byISS (LIS)
  • Processing levelLevel 2
  • Spatial extent-180, -55, 180, 55
  • FormatsnetCDF-4 - HDF4
  • StatusCOMPLETE

What you can do with it

  • Map air pollutants — NO₂, aerosols, ozone
  • Track greenhouse gases and Earth's energy budget
  • Feed weather and air-quality analysis
Official description

The Quality Controlled Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on International Space Station (ISS) Science Data dataset was collected by the LIS instrument mounted on the ISS and are used to detect the distribution and variability of total lightning occurring in the Earth’s tropical and subtropical regions. This dataset consists of quality controlled science data. This data collection can be used for severe storm detection and analysis, as well as for lightning-atmosphere interaction studies. The LIS instrument makes measurements during both day and night with high detection efficiency. The data are available in both HDF-4 and netCDF-4 formats, with corresponding browse images in GIF format. This reprocessed version 3 dataset covers the entire mission from March 1, 2017 through November 16, 2023.

Get the data

isslis_v3_fin_access.py
import earthaccess
earthaccess.login(strategy="netrc")          # free Earthdata Login

results = earthaccess.search_data(
    short_name="isslis_v3_fin",
    version="3",
    bounding_box=(-122.5, 37.2, -121.8, 37.9),  # your area (W,S,E,N)
    temporal=("2024-01-01", "2024-12-31"),       # your dates
)
files = earthaccess.open(results)   # stream straight from GHRC_DAAC
Browsing CMR needs no login. Downloading or streaming bytes needs a free Earthdata Login + the earthaccess package.