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The founders of the TALQ Consortium have recognized the following trends in outdoor lighting:

• Accelerated introduction of LED luminaires in road and urban lighting
• Growing need for tailor-made lighting
• Professionalization of city operations management to increase efficiency
• High pressure in the society to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions

The way outdoor lighting systems are operated and managed has changed greatly over time. In traditional lighting scouting team were driving during the night to spot failed lights. Paper maps and files were used to manage the maintenance of the lighting installation. Light levels could not be changed; the lighting remained at the same level throughout the night. The energy consumption of the lighting installation could only be estimated.

In intelligent lighting operation it is possible to remotely monitor the lighting installation and failures are automatically reported. The system can smartly plan and route the maintenance work to minimize street blockages and maintenance effort. Smart systems can dim the lights during low traffic hours to save energy or enhance lighting to improve safety. Intelligent systems are in addition often capable of accurate measuring of the consumed energy.

Interoperalibility in outdoor lighting networks

Controllable Outdoor Lighting Networks are already used in many countries. The systems consist of a central computer/server or Central Management System (CMS), and networks of connected light points, the so-called Outdoor Lighting Networks (OLN), that can be controlled by the CMS.

Some manufacturers have developed their own proprietary technologies while others are using similar protocols. Interoperability between systems and system components of different brands is required to enable municipalities to benefit from systems from various manufacturers. See picture below.