# Geostationary Lightning Mapper
*sensor . products*

GOES-R Series single-channel near-infrared optical transient detector for continuous lightning mapping from geostationary orbit.

## Specifications
- **manufacturer**: noaa
- **deployment context**: orbital
- **product status**: operational
- **sensor**: {"instrument_family":"passive-optical","measurement_principle":"passive","spectral_band_count":1,"spec_disclosure":"undisclosed"}
- **entity type**: sensor
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-15
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: unclaimed
- **provider**: noaa
- **attributes**: {"kind":"sensor","manufacturer":"noaa","description":"GOES-R Series single-channel near-infrared optical transient detector for continuous lightning mapping from geostationary orbit.","deployment_context":"orbital","product_status":"operational","sensor":"{\"instrument_family\":\"passive-optical\",\"measurement_principle\":\"passive\",\"spectral_band_count\":1,\"spec_disclosure\":\"undisclosed\"}"}

## Editorial
The Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) is a single-band near-infrared optical transient detector built by Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center (Palo Alto, CA) for NOAA's GOES-R satellite series.[^goes-r-glm-page] It operates continuously from geostationary orbit, providing real-time detection of total lightning activity across the Americas and adjacent ocean areas.[^goes-r-glm-page]

GLM detects lightning flashes by sensing the brief optical pulses they produce in the near-infrared, using a single spectral channel centred at the 777.4 nm oxygen triplet emission line.[^nesdis-glm] The instrument achieves a total flash detection efficiency of 70 to 90 percent.[^nesdis-glm] It detects both cloud-to-ground and intra-cloud lightning events. Its field of view spans the full Earth disk visible from geostationary orbit at roughly 8 km spatial resolution.[^goes-r-glm-page]

Flown on GOES-16, GOES-17, GOES-18, and GOES-19, GLM provides continuous lightning observations that support severe weather nowcasting, convective initiation tracking, and aviation safety applications.[^goes-r-products]

## Compositional position
- goes-17 (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> Geostationary Lightning Mapper
- goes-16 (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> Geostationary Lightning Mapper
- goes-19 (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> Geostationary Lightning Mapper
- goes-18 (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> Geostationary Lightning Mapper

## Sources
- [goes-r-glm-page] | GOES-R Series Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) - NOAA | https://www.goes-r.gov/spacesegment/glm.html | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-15
- [nesdis-glm] | NOAA NESDIS Geostationary Lightning Mapper | https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/our-satellites/currently-flying/goes-east-west/geostationary-lightning-mapper-glm | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-15
- [goes-r-products] | GOES-R Series data products overview | https://www.goes-r.gov/products/overview.html | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-15

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/glm
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)