Lightning Strikes¶

Overview¶

Request Types¶

This portion of the API concerns lightning strikes, which are point data affecting a geographic region (defined by an extent) or proximity around a location (defined by a point and radius). There are 2 request types, providing different levels of detail. Each response identifies a possible transition to further information. These can be depicted as follows:

Request Parameters¶

Lightning summary and history requests allow for additional parameters beyond those specified by the Request Format.

OPTIONAL: A list of strike types (types) to include in the response. Accepted values are cloud (cloud-to-cloud lightning only), ground (cloud-to-ground lightning only), or both, separated by a comma. If unspecified, only ground strikes are included.
OPTIONAL (proximity requests only): A radius in statute miles or kilometers (radius) around the given location defining a search area for lightning strikes included in the response. If unspecified, radius defaults to 1. The maximum allowed radius is 20 statute miles.
OPTIONAL (proximity requests only): A unit designator (units) for interpretation of the radius as well as the distance included in the response. Accepted values are miles or km. If unspecified, units defaults to statute miles.
OPTIONAL (proximity history requests only): A sort order (sort) for lightning strikes in the response. Accepted values include distance (nearest to farthest) or time (oldest to newest). If unspecified, results are sorted by distance.

Response Content¶

The following fields are included in each representation of a lightning strike:

id (string)
date/time (RFC 3339 string including milliseconds)
type (string): “cloud” or “ground”
location (ISO 6709 string)
peak current
- unit (string): “amps”
- value (integer)
distance (proximity requests only)
- unit (string): “miles” or “km”
- value (decimal)
bearing (proximity requests only)
- unit (string): “degrees from north”
- value (decimal)

Proximity-Based Summary¶

This request returns the total number of lightning strikes impacting the proximity around a specific location within a date range (the last 24 hours by default). Results are returned as JSON or XML. A link to the proximity-based history (within the same date range) is included in the response to facilitate a client-side transition.

URI Examples¶

forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?radius=&units=&begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=
forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?radius=&units=&begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=

See prior sections for a description of the Request Format and Request Parameters.

JSON Response¶

The JSON representation of the resource is structured as follows (loosely based on Google’s JSON style guide):

{
    "apiVersion": "2.5.8",
    "lightningSummary": {
        "dateRange": {
            "begin": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss",
            "end": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss"
        },
        "location": "+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd",
        "radius": {
            "unit": "",
            "value": DD.dd
        }
        "selfLink": "/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?radius=&units=&begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=",
        "strikeCount": nn,
        "lightningHistoryLink": "/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?radius=&units=&begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=",
    }
}

XML Response¶

The XML representation of the resource is structured as follows (based on Google’s XML style guide):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<lightningSummary xmlns="http://forensic.api.wdtinc.com/lightning"
              xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
              xlink:href="/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?radius=&amp;units=&amp;begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=">
    <dateRange begin="YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss" end="YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss" />
    <location format="iso6709">+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</location>
    <radius unit="">DD.dd</radius>
    <strikeCount>nn</strikeCount>
    <lightningHistory xlink:href="/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?radius=&amp;units=&amp;begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=" />
</lightningSummary>

Region-Based Summary¶

This request returns the total number of lightning strikes impacting a given region within a date range (the last 24 hours by default). The region is required to be no more than 40 miles wide in either direction. Results are returned as JSON or XML. A link to the region-based history (within the same date range) is included in the response to facilitate a client-side transition.

URI Examples¶

forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=
forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=

See prior sections for a description of the Request Format and Request Parameters.

JSON Response¶

The JSON representation of the resource is structured as follows (loosely based on Google’s JSON style guide):

{
    "apiVersion": "2.5.8",
    "lightningSummary": {
        "dateRange": {
            "begin": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss",
            "end": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss"
        },
        "region": "+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd",
        "selfLink": "/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=",
        "strikeCount": nn,
        "lightningHistoryLink": "/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=",
    }
}

XML Response¶

The XML representation of the resource is structured as follows (based on Google’s XML style guide):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<lightningSummary xmlns="http://forensic.api.wdtinc.com/lightning"
              xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
              xlink:href="/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=">
    <dateRange begin="YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss" end="YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss" />
    <region format="iso6709">+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</region>
    <strikeCount>nn</strikeCount>
    <lightningHistory xlink:href="/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=" />
</lightningSummary>

Proximity-Based History¶

This request returns the history of lightning strikes impacting the proximity around a specific location within a date range (the last 24 hours by default). The region is required to be no more than 40 miles wide in either direction. Results are returned as GeoJSON, KML, or XML. An empty list (feature collection) is returned if there are no strikes. A link to the proximity-based summary (within the same date range) is included in the response to facilitate a client-side transition.

URI Examples¶

forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?radius=&units=&begin=&end=&types=&sort=&u=&t=
forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.kml?radius=&units=&begin=&end=&types=&sort=&u=&t=
forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?radius=&units=&begin=&end=&types=&sort=&u=&t=

See prior sections for a description of the Request Format and Request Parameters.

GeoJSON Response¶

The GeoJSON representation of the resource is structured as follows:

{
    "apiVersion": "2.5.8",
    "lightningHistory": {
        "dateRange": {
            "begin": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss",
            "end": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss"
        },
        "features": [
            {
                "geometry": {
                    "coordinates": [
                        -85.930000000000007,
                        38.079999999999998
                    ],
                    "type": "Point"
                },
                "properties": {
                    "timestamp": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.ssss",
                    "id": "...",
                    "location": "+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd",
                    "peakCurrent": {
                        "unit": "amps",
                        "value": DDD
                    },
                    "proximity": {
                        "bearing": {
                            "unit": "degrees from north",
                            "value": DD.dd
                        },
                        "distance": {
                            "unit": "",
                            "value": DD.dd
                        }
                    },
                    "type": "cloud"
                },
                "type": "Feature"
            },
            {
                "geometry": {
                    "coordinates": [
                        -74.930000000000007,
                        42.019999999999998
                    ],
                    "type": "Point"
                },
                "properties": {
                    "timestamp": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.ssss",
                    "id": "...",
                    "location": "+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd",
                    "peakCurrent": {
                        "unit": "amps",
                        "value": DDD
                    },
                    "proximity": {
                        "bearing": {
                            "unit": "degrees from north",
                            "value": DD.dd
                        },
                        "distance": {
                            "unit": "",
                            "value": DD.dd
                        }
                    },
                    "type": "ground"
                },
                "type": "Feature"
            },
            :
            :
        ],
        "lightningSummaryLink": "/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?radius=&units=&begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=",
        "location": "+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd",
        "radius": {
            "unit": "miles",
            "value": DD.dd
        },
        "selfLink": "/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?radius=&units=&begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=",
        "type": "FeatureCollection"
    }
}

KML Response¶

The KML representation of the resource is structured as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
    <Document>
        <name>Lightning History</name>
        <ExtendedData>
            <Data name="selfLink">
                <value>/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?radius=&amp;units=&amp;begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=</value>
            </Data>
            <Data name="beginDate"><value>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ</value></Data>
            <Data name="endDate"><value>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ</value></Data>
            <Data name="location"><value>+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</value></Data>
            <Data name="radius"><value>DD.ddd</value></Data>
            <Data name="radius-unit"><value>miles</value></Data>
            <Data name="lightningSummaryLink">
                <value>/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?radius=&amp;units=&amp;begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=</value>
            </Data>
        </ExtendedData>
        <Placemark>
            <name>id</name>
            <ExtendedData>
                <Data name="timestamp"><value>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sssZ</value></Data>
                <Data name="distance"><value>...</value></Data>
                <Data name="distance-unit"><value>...</value></Data>
                <Data name="bearing"><value>...</value></Data>
                <Data name="bearing-unit"><value>degrees from north</value></Data>
                <Data name="peakCurrent"><value>DDD</value></Data>
                <Data name="peakCurrent-unit"><value>amps</value></Data>
                <Data name="type"><value>cloud</value></Data>
            </ExtendedData>
            <Point>
                <coordinates>-91.95,39.5024</coordinates>
            </Point>
        </Placemark>
        <Placemark>
            <name>id</name>
            <ExtendedData>
                <Data name="timestamp"><value>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sssZ</value></Data>
                <Data name="distance"><value>...</value></Data>
                <Data name="distance-unit"><value>...</value></Data>
                <Data name="bearing"><value>...</value></Data>
                <Data name="bearing-unit"><value>degrees from north</value></Data>
                <Data name="peakCurrent"><value>DDD</value></Data>
                <Data name="peakCurrent-unit"><value>amps</value></Data>
                <Data name="type"><value>ground</value></Data>
            </ExtendedData>
            <Point>
                <coordinates>-81.847,42.7024</coordinates>
            </Point>
        </Placemark>
            :
            :
    </Document>
</kml>

XML Response¶

The XML representation of the resource is structured as follows (based on Google’s XML style guide):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<lightningHistory xmlns="http://forensic.api.wdtinc.com/lightning"
              xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
              xlink:href="/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?radius=&amp;units=&amp;begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=">
    <dateRange begin="YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss" end="YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss" />
    <location format="iso6709">+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</location>
    <radius unit="miles">DD.ddd</radius>
    <strike id="...">
        <timestamp>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sssZ</timestamp>
        <location format="iso6709">+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</location>
        <peakCurrent unit="amps">DDD</peakCurrent>
        <proximity>
            <distance unit="">DD.dd</distance>
            <bearing unit="degrees from north">DD.dd</bearing>
        </proximity>
        <type>cloud</type>
    </strike>
    <strike id="...">
        <timestamp>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sssZ</timestamp>
        <location format="iso6709">+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</location>
        <peakCurrent unit="amps">DDD</peakCurrent>
        <proximity>
            <distance unit="">DD.dd</distance>
            <bearing unit="degrees from north">DD.dd</bearing>
        </proximity>
        <type>ground</type>
    </strike>
        :
        :
    <lightningSummary xlink:href="/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?radius=&amp;units=&amp;begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=" />
</lightningHistory>

Region-Based History¶

This request returns the history of lightning strikes impacting a given region within a date range (the last 24 hours by default). Results are returned as GeoJSON, KML, or XML. An empty list (feature collection) is returned if there are no strikes. A link to the region-based summary (within the same date range) is included in the response to facilitate a client-side transition.

URI Examples¶

forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?begin=&end=&types=&sort=&u=&t=
forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.kml?begin=&end=&types=&sort=&u=&t=
forensic.api.wdtinc.com/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?begin=&end=&types=&sort=&u=&t=

See prior sections for a description of the Request Format and Request Parameters.

GeoJSON Response¶

The GeoJSON representation of the resource is structured as follows:

{
    "apiVersion": "2.5.8",
    "lightningHistory": {
        "dateRange": {
            "begin": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss",
            "end": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss"
        },
        "features": [
            {
                "geometry": {
                    "coordinates": [
                        -85.930000000000007,
                        38.079999999999998
                    ],
                    "type": "Point"
                },
                "properties": {
                    "timestamp": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sss",
                    "id": "...",
                    "location": "+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd",
                    "peakCurrent": {
                        "unit": "amps",
                        "value": DDD
                    },
                    "type": "cloud"
                },
                "type": "Feature"
            },
            {
                "geometry": {
                    "coordinates": [
                        -74.930000000000007,
                        42.019999999999998
                    ],
                    "type": "Point"
                },
                "properties": {
                    "timestamp": "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sss",
                    "id": "...",
                    "location": "+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd",
                    "peakCurrent": {
                        "unit": "amps",
                        "value": DDD
                    },
                    "type": "ground"
                },
                "type": "Feature"
            },
            :
            :
        ],
        "lightningSummaryLink": "/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=",
        "region": "+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd",
        "selfLink": "/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?begin=&end=&types=&u=&t=",
        "type": "FeatureCollection"
    }
}

KML Response¶

The KML representation of the resource is structured as follows:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<kml xmlns="http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
    <Document>
        <name>Lightning History</name>
        <ExtendedData>
            <Data name="selfLink">
                <value>/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=</value>
            </Data>
            <Data name="beginDate"><value>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ</value></Data>
            <Data name="endDate"><value>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ</value></Data>
            <Data name="region"><value>+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</value></Data>
            <Data name="lightningSummaryLink">
                <value>/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd?begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=</value>
            </Data>
        </ExtendedData>
        <Placemark>
            <name>id</name>
            <ExtendedData>
                <Data name="timestamp"><value>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sssZ</value></Data>
                <Data name="peakCurrent"><value>DDD</value></Data>
                <Data name="peakCurrent-unit"><value>amps</value></Data>
                <Data name="type"><value>cloud</value></Data>
            </ExtendedData>
            <Point>
                <coordinates>-91.95,39.5024</coordinates>
            </Point>
        </Placemark>
        <Placemark>
            <name>id</name>
            <ExtendedData>
                <Data name="timestamp"><value>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sssZ</value></Data>
                <Data name="peakCurrent"><value>DDD</value></Data>
                <Data name="peakCurrent-unit"><value>amps</value></Data>
                <Data name="type"><value>ground</value></Data>
            </ExtendedData>
            <Point>
                <coordinates>-81.847,42.7024</coordinates>
            </Point>
        </Placemark>
            :
            :
    </Document>
</kml>

XML Response¶

The XML representation of the resource is structured as follows (based on Google’s XML style guide):

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<lightningHistory xmlns="http://forensic.api.wdtinc.com/lightning"
              xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"
              xlink:href="/v2/lightning/history/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=">
    <dateRange begin="YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss" end="YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss" />
    <region format="iso6709">+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</region>
    <strike id="...">
        <timestamp>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sssZ</timestamp>
        <location format="iso6709">+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</location>
        <peakCurrent unit="amps">DDD</peakCurrent>
        <type>cloud</type>
    </strike>
    <strike id="...">
        <timestamp>YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sssZ</timestamp>
        <location format="iso6709">+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd</location>
        <peakCurrent unit="amps">DDD</peakCurrent>
        <type>ground</type>
    </strike>
        :
        :
    <lightningSummary xlink:href="/v2/lightning/summary/+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd+DD.ddd-DDD.ddd.xml?begin=&amp;end=&amp;types=&amp;u=&amp;t=" />
</lightningHistory>