According to previous studies, roadway lighting conditions are highly associated with driver and pedestrian safety at night. To maintain and evaluate the functionality of roadway lighting systems, it is essential to perform field lighting measurements in a timely manner. Currently, field measurements of roadway lighting systems often are conducted manually by handheld light meters, resulting in the collection of relatively limited data. This paper presents an Advanced Lighting Measurement System (ALMS) that can be used to collect very large amounts of illuminance lighting level data in an efficient, safe, and effective manner. The lighting measurement system consists of a light meter, a distance measurement instrument (DMI), a laptop computer, software, and an electronic converter circuit to connect the computer to the hardware. This system not only reduces the cost of lighting data collection efforts but also enhances the safety of the personnel involved in the illuminance measurement by limiting human involvement. This system was used to collect illuminance lighting levels on approximately 245 centerline miles for the Florida Department of Transportation District7. It has been found that the system is useful for collecting very large amounts of data and can help identify segments that require improvement orspecial attention.
Abstract