Putting lighting on the map

Abstract

Street lighting departments often use maps as an aid to maintenance planning. Maps are drawn, either by the Ordnance Survey (OS) or other organizations who often use derivatives from OS. Computer Aided Design systems can be used to draw maps, but the map is then 'only' a set of lines or symbols. If, however, the information represented is stored in a database, and if the interpretation of that information could result in a drawn map, then one has the nucleus of a Geographic Information System (GIS). If the information about streets, inventory, plant and accidents is held on a full-functioning database, and that information can be interrogated, analyzed, sifted, sorted and then presented as a report, barchart or map, one has a GIS. If the information about spatial entities is stored in a suitably managed database, the information processing capabilities of computer technology today can help 'browse the map' and present the selected results as a unique map.