Lightning Mapping: Techniques, Challenges, and Opportunities

Despite the significant progress made in studying the lightning phenomenon, precise location and mapping of its occurrence remain a challenge. Lightning mapping can be determined by studying the electromagnetic radiation accompanying the lightning discharges. It can contribute substantially to efforts made to protect lives and valuable assets. There are three main methods used to locate lightning, which are Magnetic Direction Finder (MDF), Time of Arrival (TOA), and Interferometer (ITF). A thorough study of these methods provides researchers with a guide to better understand and progress in this field. This paper reviews existing approaches used to locate and map lightning within these three methods. We study the implemented techniques, analyze their merits and demerits, and sort them in a way that facilitates extracting opportunities for further improvements. We conclude that for better development in determining the location and map of lightning, improving the processing of lightning signals and filtering the associated noise with it is essential. This includes introducing new processing methods such as wavelet transformation instead of the traditional cross-correlation. The use of artificial intelligence may also contribute a lot, particularly deep learning, to determining the type of lightning, which enables better mapping for the lightning and its occurrence. We also could conclude that unlike MDF and TOA, which can locate the lightning strike points, ITF can produce lightning discharge propagation images that can unveil the mechanism of lightning discharges. Finally, this paper serves as a reference for researchers focusing on lightning mapping to give them insight into the field.