Publications Repository - Gdańsk University of Technology

Studying the adverse effects of artificial light pollution requires systematic monitoring using various methods. One commonly used technique involves assessing the intensity of light reflected from surfaces with different types of digital cameras at various measurement levels. However, this approach does not always fully capture the characteristics of the light source itself. In our study, we focused on the potential application of a multispectral camera, designed to be mounted on a drone (UAV), to evaluate the spectrum of the light source. We conducted laboratory measurements using the Micasense Dual RedEdge-MX multispectral camera. While recording scenes that included both the light source and reflected light, we also took reference measurements with a spectrometer. Using classical image analysis and mathematical methods, we verified the feasibility of assessing the spectral characteristics of light sources. Based on these results, we developed and tested a concept for monitoring light pollution with drone-mounted multispectral cameras. Our research highlights challenges related to photogrammetry and remote sensing under nighttime conditions. The short shutter-exposure time significantly limits the data needed for generating multispectral orthomosaics. As an alternative, we correlated our data with a conventional nocturnal orthomosaic and performed point-based analysis of bright pixel clusters in the images to evaluate light-source characteristics. Our findings indicate considerable potential for using multispectral cameras to monitor artificial light pollution. By broadening the range of recorded data in narrow spectral bands, we can more accurately assess this phenomenon, which is crucial for identifying sources that may negatively affect the environment, including flora, fauna, and even humans.

Authors

• dr inż. Anna Bobkowska link open in new tab ,
• dr inż. Paweł Tysiąc link open in new tab ,
• dr inż. Paweł Burdziakowski link open in new tab ,
• dr inż. Jakub Szulwic link open in new tab