System, device and methods for measuring light intensity of street lighting and environmental light pollution

A light intensity monitor for measuring environmental light along a roadway, comprising:

• a waterproof housing having a top wall, four sidewalls and a bottom wall;
• a first light sensor mounted within an aperture in a first sidewall, wherein the first light sensor is configured to measure a lux value of an intensity of light impinging on an outer surface of the first sidewall;
• a second light sensor mounted within an aperture in a second sidewall, wherein the second sidewall is directly opposite the first sidewall, wherein the second light sensor is configured to measure a lux value of an intensity of light impinging on an outer surface of the second sidewall;
• a third light sensor mounted an aperture in the top wall, wherein the third light sensor is configured to measure a lux value of an intensity of light impinging on the first sensor from above the waterproof housing;
• a pair of magnets mounted in the bottom wall, wherein the pair of magnets are configured to attach the waterproof housing to a roof of a vehicle;
• a power connector mounted within a third sidewall near the bottom wall;
• a circuit board mounted in the waterproof housing on the third sidewall above the power connector, wherein the circuit board includes:
• a wireless network communications unit;
• a dual-mode near-field communications unit;
• a global positioning receiver;
• an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) connected to each of the first light sensor, the second light sensor and the third light sensor;
• a microcontroller operatively connected to the power connector, the wireless network communications unit, the dual-mode near-field communications unit, the global positioning receiver and the I2C circuit, wherein the microcontroller includes circuitry and a memory including programming instructions stored therein that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• receive the lux values of the first intensity of light, the second intensity of light and the third intensity of light over a first sampling time from the I2C switch;
• receive the location of the vehicle during the first sampling time from the global positioning receiver;
• generate a communications packet including the lux values of the first intensity of light, the second intensity of light, the third intensity of light and the location of the vehicle;
• and
• transmit the communications packet to a remote computing device over one of the wireless network communications unit and the dual-mode near-field communications unit.

A method for monitoring light intensity along a roadway, comprising:

• measuring during successive time periods, with a light intensity monitor located on a roof of a vehicle travelling on the roadway, a lux value of an intensity of light impinging on a top wall of the light intensity monitor, a lux value of an intensity of light impinging on a first sidewall of the light intensity monitor and a lux value of an intensity of light impinging on a second sidewall opposite the first sidewall of the light intensity monitor, wherein the first sidewall and the second sidewall are oriented on the roof of the vehicle perpendicular to a direction of travel of the vehicle;
• measuring, by a global positioning sensor, a location of the vehicle at each successive time period;
• generating, by a microcontroller located in the light intensity monitor, a communications packet including the lux values of the intensity of light impinging on the top wall of the light intensity monitor, the lux values of the intensity of light impinging on the first sidewall of the light intensity monitor and the lux values of the intensity of light impinging on the second sidewall with the location of the vehicle for each successive time period;
• transmitting the communications packet to a remote computing device over one of a wireless network communications unit and a dual-mode near-field communications unit;
• receiving, by the remote computing device each successive communications packet;
• and
• displaying, on a mapping application of the remote computing device, the lux values of the first intensity of light, the second intensity of light and the third intensity of light with the location of the vehicle for each successive time period.