Embedded system design of an advanced illumination measurement system for highways

Roadway illumination is a vital component of safety while driving during the night. There are regulations in place to ensure all publicly maintained roads are properly lit, but the validation process is too time consuming, costly, and dangerous for adequate data collection studies. This work is aimed toward remedying this problem by creating an Advanced Lighting Measurement System (ALMS) capable of recording illumination readings while traveling at normal driving speeds. This solution is based on the Arduino Uno development board, a cost effective yet powerful microcontroller. The proposed embedded system consists of Ariduino Uno microcontroller, Distance measurement instrument, USB module, event logger, GPS module, light meters, and microSD module. This work involves collecting data along 100 centerline miles of Florida roadways and converting the resulting illumination readings into GIS format, allowing them to be included in the roadway database of the Florida Department of Transportation. By including this data the FDOT will be able to repair poorly lit corridors and will be aware of possible safety concerns. The illumination values recorded by the ALMS have been validated and verified as an accurate replacement for conventional lighting measurements. The system requires minimal user interaction and rapidly speeds up illumination measurement along highways.