First dissemination of operational data from Meteosat Third Generation
Data from Lightning Imager released for operational use
Data from the Lightning Imager instrument on the first of EUMETSAT’s Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) satellites is now being disseminated for operational use.
Last Updated
31 October 2024
Published on
31 October 2024
“Pre-operational data from the Lightning Imager was released in July, and the feedback we have received from weather forecasters has been very positive,” EUMETSAT Director-General Phil Evans said.
“That feedback has helped us validate the data, stabilise the ground segment, and brings us to the point where the service can be declared operational.”
This animation combines the fields of view of the Lightning Imager’s four cameras and shows lightning activity throughout October. The video speed is 24 frames per second and one second illustrates one day.
The Lightning Imager boasts four cameras with fields of view covering Europe, Africa, the Middle East, parts of South America and most of the Atlantic Ocean.
It is the first instrument of its kind covering Europe and Africa.
The cameras continuously observe lightning activity from space and can capture 1,000 images per second.
Evans said EUMETSAT expected data from the other imaging instrument on board MTG-I1, the Flexible Combined Imager, to also start being disseminated operationally by the end of this year. The satellite mission will be declared fully operational at that time.
“MTG-I1 is an entirely new type of satellite that took longer than we had anticipated to bring to an operational status,” Evans said. “Thanks to the expertise and dedication of our teams, we are very proud and happy to start disseminating this life-saving, new and more precise data.”
