--- title: Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat, 2023 to 2025 resource: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/ publisher: City of Ballarat licence: CC BY 3.0 AU licence_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/ version: 2025-04-07 rows: 29403 fields: 6 source: https://data.ballarat.vic.gov.au/api/explore/v2.1/catalog/datasets/lightning-observations/exports/csv?delimiter=%2C&with_bom=false source_sha256: d128407c0affb6387f0f5c97d2e5633ef763307c364504b1701bbbf021cc0afd language: en-AU operator: National Digital not_endorsed: true --- # Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat, 2023 to 2025 About 29,000 readings from a City of Ballarat lightning sensor between March 2023 and April 2025, each with the count of strikes registered and their average distance. Published by City of Ballarat under CC BY 3.0 AU and republished here in other formats, with cells typed and suppressed values made null. City of Ballarat has not endorsed this site. Also called: Ballarat lightning observations, Lightning strikes Ballarat sensor data, City of Ballarat lightning sensor. ## Download Latest version, redirects to `https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/v/2025-04-07/`: - csv: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.csv (1.8 MB) - xlsx: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.xlsx (829 KB) - json: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.json (4.6 MB) - parquet: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.parquet (220 KB) - sqlite: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.sqlite (1.8 MB) - duckdb: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.duckdb (400 KB) - ndjson: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.ndjson (4.5 MB) - arrow: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.arrow (190 KB) - csv.gz: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.csv.gz (181 KB) Pinned version 2025-04-07: `https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/v/2025-04-07/data.`. Dated versions never change. ## Query The query API returns only the rows you ask for, as JSON, NDJSON or CSV, from the same typed rows as the files. It needs no key. Rows: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/rows. Counts and sums: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/aggregate. - Rows: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/rows?limit=5 - Aggregate: https://publicdata.au/api/v1/datasets/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/aggregate?group=location_description&metric=sum.strikes Each filter is `field=operator.value` in the query string, and every filter must match. A number or date field compares as a number or date, and a text field compares as text. Values are case-sensitive except with `ilike`. Prefix `not.` to negate a filter, as `not.eq.value`. Operators: `eq.value`, `neq.value`, `gt.value`, `gte.value`, `lt.value`, `lte.value`, `like.*text*`, `ilike.*text*`, `in.(a,b,c)`, `is.null`. - `select`: Fields to return, comma-separated. Every field when absent. - `order`: `field.asc` or `field.desc`, comma-separated. The publisher's row order when absent. - `limit`: Rows per page, 1 to 10,000. 100 when absent. - `offset`: Rows to skip. The `next` URL in each answer sets it for you. - `group`: On `aggregate`, fields to group by, comma-separated. - `metric`: On `aggregate`, `count`, `sum.field`, `avg.field`, `min.field` or `max.field`, comma-separated. `count` when absent. - `format`: `json`, `ndjson` or `csv`. JSON carries the provenance header, and the others carry it in response headers. Without a version the API answers from the newest loaded version, and that answer changes when the publisher releases again. Put `versions//` before `rows` or `aggregate` for an answer that never changes. `/api/v1/datasets//versions` lists the loaded versions. The API allows 60 requests in 10 seconds from one address. Above that it answers 429 for 10 seconds with a `Retry-After` header, a `RateLimit-Policy` header and a JSON body that gives the limit. Every API answer carries the same `RateLimit-Policy`. A client should wait the `Retry-After` seconds, or read the files, which have no limit. OpenAPI for this dataset: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/openapi.json ## Explore Charts and dashboards in the browser: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/explore/. A dashboard can be shared as a link or embedded. ## Fields | field | type | publisher's header | note | |---|---|---|---| | `date_time` | datetime | date_time | The time of the reading, in UTC as the portal gives it. | | `location_description` | string | location_description | | | `latitude` | number | latitude | | | `longitude` | number | longitude | | | `strikes` | integer | strikes | The number of strikes the sensor registered in the measurement period. | | `average_distance` | number | average_distance | The average distance to the strikes as the sensor reports it. The portal gives no unit. | ## Versions - 2025-04-07: 29403 rows, 6 fields, sha256 d128407c0aff. https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/v/2025-04-07/ Machine-readable: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/versions.json, https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/changes.json, https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/datapackage.json, https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/schema.json, https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/history.tar.zst ## Same subject, other publishers - [Lakes and rivers water quality samples, ACT](https://publicdata.au/d/act-lakes-rivers-water-quality/) (ACT) - [Recreational lakes and rivers water quality, ACT, 2019-20 season](https://publicdata.au/d/act-recreational-water-quality-2019-20/) (ACT) - [Recreational lakes and rivers water quality, ACT, 2018-19 season](https://publicdata.au/d/act-recreational-water-quality-2018-19/) (ACT) - [Automatic weather stations, DPIRD network, Western Australia](https://publicdata.au/d/wa-dpird-weather-stations/) (WA) ## Attribution and citation City of Ballarat, Lightning Observations, sourced 3 October 2026, https://data.ballarat.vic.gov.au/explore/dataset/lightning-observations/information/, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. The licence requires the publisher's attribution. We ask that you also name publicdata.au and link to the version you used. Plain text: City of Ballarat, Lightning Observations, sourced 3 October 2026, https://data.ballarat.vic.gov.au/explore/dataset/lightning-observations/information/, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au, https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/v/2025-04-07/ Harvard: City of Ballarat (2025) Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat, 2023 to 2025, version 2025-04-07 [data set], CC BY 3.0 AU, sourced 3 October 2026. Serialised and versioned by National Digital at publicdata.au. Available at: https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/v/2025-04-07/ Markdown: Data: [Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat, 2023 to 2025](https://data.ballarat.vic.gov.au/explore/dataset/lightning-observations/information/), City of Ballarat, [CC BY 3.0 AU](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/), sourced 3 October 2026. Files: [publicdata.au](https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/v/2025-04-07/) by [National Digital](https://nationaldigital.com.au/). ## Questions ### How do I download Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat as a CSV file? Open https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/latest/data.csv. It redirects to the newest dated version, which is https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/v/2025-04-07/data.csv today. The same path serves Excel, JSON, Parquet, SQLite, DuckDB, NDJSON, Arrow. A dated URL never changes, so use it when the file must stay the same. ### Can I open Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat in Excel? Yes. https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/v/2025-04-07/data.xlsx is a workbook with the 29,403 rows on a records sheet, the field list on a second sheet and the provenance on a third. The CSV also opens in Excel. https://publicdata.au/d/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations/v/2025-04-07/data.csv.gz is the CSV at about a tenth of the size. ### What years does Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat cover? The current version covers the years since 2023. Each release from City of Ballarat becomes a new dated version here, and earlier versions stay online. ### How often is Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat updated? City of Ballarat has published no new readings since April 2025. This site checks the portal every week and adds a dated version when the file changes. ### Can I use Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat commercially? Yes. CC BY 3.0 AU allows commercial use, redistribution and derived works as long as the attribution is kept. The attribution string is in this page's side column and inside every file. ### Is this the official source for Lightning sensor observations, Ballarat? No. The publisher is City of Ballarat, and its page is https://data.ballarat.vic.gov.au/explore/dataset/lightning-observations/information/. This site republishes the publisher's file without changing its content. The original sits beside every version as source.csv with its SHA-256, so the two can be compared. ### What does each row hold? One reading from a City of Ballarat lightning sensor, with its time in UTC, the sensor's location, the number of strikes it registered in the measurement period and their average distance. Most readings record no strikes. ### How does the sensor work? The council's description says the sensor listens for the disturbance a strike makes in an AM radio signal, and reports the count of strikes and their average distance in each period, as set out in the ATMOS41 manual. The council says it is not an official source of weather information. ### What are the rows with location none? About 1,400 readings name no location and give 0 for latitude and longitude. They are kept as published. They run from 27 March to 7 April 2025. The rest come from the sensor at the rowing course and stop on 2 April 2024, so the table holds no readings from 2 April 2024 to 27 March 2025. ### Is it still updated? The council's portal says the dataset is typically updated every 15 minutes, but the last reading is from 7 April 2025 and the portal has not changed since. ## What this site did to the data Cells were typed, headers were renamed to snake_case and the encoding was made UTF-8. Rows were left alone. Nothing is derived. The publisher's file is beside every version as `source.csv`. ## Improve this dataset This page is built from [register/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations.yaml](https://github.com/National-Digital/publicdata.au/blob/main/register/vic-ballarat-lightning-observations.yaml) on GitHub, and a fix to it is welcome as a pull request. https://publicdata.au/contribute/ explains how.