TOA Systems
TOA Systems, Inc. (TOA) is located in Melbourne, Florida, USA and was founded in 2002 with the mission of developing, manufacturing, selling and supporting lightning location networks, and lightning hazard warning sensors and systems. They are totally focused on providing their clients with the most accurate, most affordable and most reliable lightning detection and warning systems available today. The TOA team has more than 20 years of experience in designing, manufacturing, installing and supporting lightning location systems. TOA’s current senior staff members are the very same individuals, who in 1983 developed, patented and marketed the first time-of-arrival technology Lightning Location Systems.
The founder and CEO of TOA is Dr. Rodney B. Bent, who is recognized as the man who pioneered and patented the use of Time-of-Arrival technology in lightning location applications during the 1980’s. This first Time-of Arrival based LDN technology was also the first to be installed across the USA in order to establish a national lightning detection network. The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) subsequently awarded a contract to acquire the data from this network. This lightning location system, known locally as LPATS, for Lightning Position & Tracking System, was also installed in 16 countries around the world and is today still used in the network which covers Australia, as well as in Canada, Germany, Japan and many other countries.
Since the company’s founding in 2002, it has scored major successes in the US and international markets, establishing itself as a credible and effective supplier of Lightning Detection Network solutions worldwide. As a closely held corporation, TOA does not publish financial information, but has in this 5 year period achieved annual system sales which are growing at 30-40% per annum, and data services sales which increase at nearly twice that rate annually. This is what has made possible an investment of over US$2,000,000 in the set-up of the US Precision Lightning Network (USPLN).