A high-time resolution Neutron Monitor Database (NMDB) has started to be realized in the frame of the Seventh Framework Programme\ud of the European Commission. This database will include cosmic ray data from at least 18 neutron monitors distributed around\ud the world and operated in real-time. The implementation of the NMDB will provide the opportunity for several research applicationsmost of which will be realized in real-time mode. An important one will be the establishment of an Alert signal when dangerous solar\ud cosmic ray particles are heading to the Earth, resulting into ground level enhancements effects registered by neutron monitors. Furthermore,\ud on the basis of these events analysis, the mapping of all ground level enhancement features in near real-time mode will provide an\ud overall picture of these phenomena and will be used as an input for the calculation of the ionization of the atmosphere. The latter will beuseful together with other contributions to radiation dose calculations within the atmosphere at several altitudes and will reveal the\ud absorbed doses during flights. Moreover, special algorithms for anisotropy and pitch angle distribution of solar cosmic rays, which have\ud been developed over the years, will also be set online offering the advantage to give information about the conditions of the interplanetary\ud space. All of the applications will serve the needs of the modern world which relies at space environment and will use the extensivenetwork of neutron monitors as a multi-directional spectrographic detector. On top of which, the decreases of the cosmic ray intensity –\ud known as Forbush decreases – will also be analyzed and a number of important parameters such as galactic cosmic ray anisotropy will be\ud made available to the users of NMDB. A part of the NMDB project is also dedicated to the creation of a public outreach website with the scope to inform about cosmic rays and their possible effects on humans, technological systems and space-terrestrial environment. Therefore, NMDB will also stand as an informative gate on space research through neutron monitor's data usage.\ud © 2010 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

High electric fields that occur in thunderstorm clouds in the Earth's atmosphere might accelerate energetic charged particles produced by cosmic rays. Such energetic particles, especially electrons, can cause additional ionization as they are multiplied and thus form avalanche of relativistic electrons. These relativistic electrons emit Bremsstrahlung in the X-or gamma-ray spectral ranges as they lose their kinetic energy via collisions. Thunderstorm ground enhancements (TGEs) of secondary cosmic ray fluxes recorded at the top of a sharp rocky mountain of Lomnický Štít in High Tatras (2634 m, Slovak Republic) are compared with simultaneous measurements of electric field at the mountain top and on its slope at the observatory of Skalnaté Pleso (1780 m). Results of measurements performed from May to September in 2017 and from May to October in 2018 are presented. The cosmic ray flux is measured by Space Environment Viewing and Analysis Network (SEVAN) and by neutron monitor with 1-s resolution. The TGEs that persisted usually several minutes were mainly detected in the SEVAN channel 1 which has the lowest energy threshold, about 7-8 MeV. A statistical analysis shows that these enhancements usually occurred (not only) during large values of vertical, upward-pointing electric fields measured just above the detector. It is shown that the measurement of electric field at Skalnaté Pleso, distant about 1.86 km from the mountain top is also partly correlated with the enhancements and can provide additional useful information about the distance or dimension of charge structure and dynamics of electric field, especially on short time scales. The enhancements usually did not exceed several tens of percent of background values. However, events that exceeded the background values several times were also recorded. The most extreme event exceeded the background values about 215 times. This event was also detected by other SEVAN channels and by the neutron monitor (~ 130% enhancement), which indicates a possibility of photonuclear reactions. The enhancements were often terminated by a nearby lightning.

Since March 2014, there is a continuous measurement of secondary cosmic rays by the detector system SEVAN (Space Environmental Viewing and Analysis Network) at Lomnický štít, altitude 2,634 m above sea level. Starting from June 2016, the count rates (1 s resolution) obtained from the three SEVAN detectors and from their coincidences are available, along with selected meteorological characteristics. Since 30 May 2016 the electric field measurements have been installed at the same site. Several events with clear increase of the count rate in the upper detector of SEVAN were observed during the thunderstorms until 17 September 2016. Examples of these measurements are presented and discussed. Barometric pressure correction and elimination of low‐frequency variability from the signal allow to extract 2 min averaged increases from the data. It is shown that the 2 min averaged increases of count rates measured by SEVAN correspond with periods of high electric field (with higher probability during negative polarity) rather than with the individual discharges (lightning).