Upgrade and Evaluation of a Lightning Detection System

From 1987 onward KNMI uses automated observing systems to record lightning activity for nowcasting and climatological purposes. The first system was a time of arrival system called LPATS (Lightning Tracking and Positioning System) operated by KEMA, a Dutch energy provider. In 1995 this system was replaced by a Safir system, called SAFIRK, that was acquired in a joint effort by KNMI, The Royal Dutch Air force, and The Royal Navy. Soon it became clear that the three detection stations used by this initial system offered to little coverage. Therefore raw data from the Belgium Safir system is used from 1997 onward to enhance reliability and coverage in southern direction. In 2001 a fourth detection station of type Safir 3000, situated in the north east of the Netherlands, came into operation. Within the scope of the project LDUP that upgrades the SAFIRK system to FLITS, the three original detection stations are now upgraded to SAFIR 3000 type stations as well. In this project also the servers and all vendor software is replaced.