Data-format-description.md

+LightningCast output is produced for several satellites (e.g., GOES-16, GOES-18) over several sectors (e.g., CONUS, Mesoscale1, Mesoscale2), in several formats (e.g., netCDF4, json). This page briefly describes these formats.
+
+# netCDF4
+
+LightningCast data are re-projected to a [Plate carrée](https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/latest/help/mapping/properties/plate-carree.htm) projection in order to conform to a requirement in the AWIPS resource that LightningCast utilizes for NOAA's NWS. 
+
+This is what the header looks like in an example netCDF4:
+```
+netcdf LightningCast_GOES-16_RadC_20230901-174617 {
+dimensions:
+	x = 1050 ;
+	y = 610 ;
+variables:
+	float PLTG_60min(y, x) ;
+		PLTG_60min:units = "%" ;
+		PLTG_60min:long_name = "Probability of lightning in the next 60 min" ;
+		PLTG_60min:missing_value = -100.f ;
+	float PLTG_60min_plax(y, x) ;
+		PLTG_60min_plax:units = "%" ;
+		PLTG_60min_plax:long_name = "Probability of lightning in the next 60 min" ;
+		PLTG_60min_plax:missing_value = -100.f ;
+		PLTG_60min_plax:parallax_cloud_height_in_m = 9000LL ;
+
+// global attributes:
+		:title = "NOAA/CIMSS LightningCast" ;
+		:satellite = "GOES-16" ;
+		:sector = "RadC" ;
+		:orbital_slot = "GOES-East" ;
+		:sector_id = "ECONUS" ;
+		:time_coverage_start = "20230901-174617 UTC" ;
+		:file_created_time = "20230901-174941 UTC" ;
+		:model = "/home/jcintineo/lightningcast/src//static//fit_conv_model.h5" ;
+		:NWlat = 55LL ;
+		:NWlon = -135LL ;
+		:dx = 0.1 ;
+		:dy = 0.1 ;
+}
+```
+
+The extent of the covered domain is defined by the dimensions `x` (number of lons) and `y` (number of lats), the global attributes for the northwest corner point `NWlat` and `NWlon`, and the global attributes for spacing between points `dx` and `dy`. 
+
+The two variables are very similar. The only difference is that `PLTG_60min_plax` is parallax-corrected using a constant cloud-height assumption, with the attribute variable `parallax_cloud_height_in_m`. 
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