TOA Systems

TOA Systems, Inc. (TOA) is located in Melbourne, Florida, USA and was founded with the mission of developing, manufacturing, selling and supporting lightning location networks, and lightning hazard warning sensors and systems. TOA is focused on providing our clients with the most accurate, affordable and reliable lightning detection and warning systems available today. The TOA group has more than 20 years of experience in designing, manufacturing, installing and supporting lightning location systems. TOA's beginnings started back in 1983 with Dr. Rodney B. Bent, the founder and CEO of TOA, pioneering the Time-of-Arrival technology. Dr. Bent is globally recognized as the man who pioneered and patented the use of Time-of-Arrival technology in lightning location applications during the 1980's. This Time-of-Arrival based lightning network technology was 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, the Lightning Position & Tracking System (LPATS), was also installed in 16 countries around the world and is today still used in Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan and many other countries. TOA Systems has scored major successes in the United States and international markets since its initial founding, establishing TOA as a credible and effective supplier of lightning detection network solutions worldwide. Dr. Rodney Bent has over 35 years of experience in atmospheric and space physics, with particular emphasis on lightning detection and protection and atmospheric electricity. He has held a senior position with the United Kingdom Government in space physics on lightning investigation and detection, which involved international inter-agency scientific liaison work. Dr. Bent has traveled extensively throughout the world giving scientific papers and holding discussions with many leading scientists. He has over 80 scientific publications in leading journals and is a member of the British National Committee for Scientific Radio 1967-1974. Dr. Bent is an elected member of the International Commission of Atmospheric Electricity, Lightning Sub commission 1970-1975 and was elected Secretary of the Lightning and Sferic Sub commission in 1975. He has presented many technical papers to universities and national organizations on various topics of lightning and surge physics. Dr. Bent acted as a consultant on lightning physics to the U.S. Government and other large corporations. He was elected to be a member of the Lightning Institute Code Committee. In 1980, was elected to the U.S. Standard Lightning Protection Code Committee, NFPA81, and in 1981, was elected as the U.S. delegate to the International Electro-technical Committee technical group on lightning and surge protection, which was developing a worldwide standard.