⚡ Lightning Strike Data Visualization & Peak Current Analysis

🌟 Overview

This project visualizes lightning strike data from Excel files using interactive heatmaps and data plots. You can:

• 🌎 View lightning strikes spatially across Florida.
• 📊 See hourly lightning frequency distributions.
• 💥 Identify and map the strongest lightning strike (based on peak current Ip).

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📂 Features

Feature	Description
🌎 Interactive Heatmap	Visualize lightning strikes on a map by specifying month, day, hour, and minute.
📊 Hourly Distribution Plot	Display bar charts showing lightning activity by hour.
💥 Peak Current (Ip) Locator & Map	Automatically find the strongest lightning strike and mark it on an interactive map.
🔎 User Input-Based Filtering	Filter large datasets by exact date, time, and second to zoom in on key moments.

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🛠️ Technologies Used

• Python 3
• Pandas
• Folium (with HeatMap plugin)
• Matplotlib
• OpenPyXL
• Jupyter Notebook (for inline map display)

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📁 Project Structure

File Name	Purpose
april22.xlsx	Lightning strike dataset for April.
Sep7.xlsx	Lightning strike dataset for September 7th (example file).
spatial_plot.py	Script to generate a lightning strike heatmap for a given time.
hourly_distribution.py	Script to generate bar charts showing hourly lightning frequency.
peak_current_map.py	Script to find the strongest peak current (Ip) and visualize its location on a map.

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🚀 How to Run

1️⃣ Clone the Repository:

git clone https://github.com/krocks9903/Lightning-Research-Using-Python.git
cd Lightning-Research-Using-Python

2️⃣ Install Required Packages:

pip install pandas folium matplotlib openpyxl

3️⃣ Run the Scripts:

Script	How to run
🌎 Spatial Heatmap	python spatial_plot.py
📊 Hourly Distribution	python hourly_distribution.py
💥 Peak Current Locator	python peak_current_map.py

⚠️ Make sure your Excel files are in the same directory as the script or adjust paths accordingly.

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📸 Example Output

• Interactive Folium maps showing density of lightning strikes.
• Bar plots showing hourly lightning distributions.
• Pinpoint location of the highest peak current strike, marked in red.

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🏅 Badges

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👨‍💻 Author

Krish Shah
🌐 GitHub Profile

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⭐ Future Improvements

• Add dynamic time slider to heatmaps.
• Automate daily data updates via APIs.
• Add alert system for peak lightning conditions.