While the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) have published numerous reports and standards aimed at reducing light pollution around the world, Ashdown has focused on mathematical modeling of the causes of light pollution. As he puts it, “Unless you can quantify a problem, you will never have confidence in your proposed solutions.”
On April 16th, 2020, the IDA and IES announced a strategic collaboration to advance quality lighting to reduce light pollution. SunTracker’s volunteer contribution to this effort has been to analyze the spectral properties of several thousand different light sources provided by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and compare the performance of light pollution metrics that have been proposed by astronomers, ecologists, and lighting researchers around the world.
Related to this, Ashdown is the Vice Chair of the IES Sky Glow Calculation Committee and a member of CIE Technical Committee 4-58, Obtrusive Light from Colourful and Dynamic Lighting and its Limitation. He has previously studied, written about, and presented seminars on astronomical, ecological, and botanical light pollution issues. His latest effort, a review and analysis of ecological light pollution from commercial greenhouses, is scheduled to be published in the June-July issue of Maximum Yield magazine.
“Light pollution issues may seem somewhat removed from SunTracker’s focus on architectural and horticultural lighting design software,” he says, “but it is not. We live in an interconnected world, and light pollution is one of society’s aggrievances upon the planet. It is our corporate responsibility to lend our expertise towards finding viable solutions.”
About SunTracker Technologies: Established in 2011, SunTracker develops and licenses fast and accurate software tools to plan lighting needs and photorealistic renderings for the architectural design, horticulture, entertainment, and healthcare lighting industries. Learn more at suntrackertech.com and www.allthingslighting.org.
