Method for evaluating artificial lighting of a surface

A method of evaluating artificial lighting of a surface comprising the steps of:

• A. measuring a first lumen output at a first location on the surface at a first altitude in a range of between 0.5 m and 6.5 m;
• B. photographing the surface from a second altitude in a range of between 60 m and 3,050 m to obtain an aerial photograph of the surface, said aerial photograph comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel of the plurality of pixels has an X coordinate and a Y coordinate corresponding to a specific spatial location of the pixel on the surface, wherein each pixel of the plurality of pixels has a second lumen output, and wherein the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of at least one pixel of the plurality of pixels corresponds with the first location;
• C. conducting an altitude adjustment on the second lumen output according to the formula E1=(d1/d2)233 E2 to obtain a third lumen output where E1 is the third lumen output, d1 is the second altitude, d2 is the first altitude, and E2 is the first lumen output;
• D. dividing the aerial photograph into a plurality of zones wherein each zone corresponds to a section of the surface and comprises a total number of pixels from the plurality of pixels;
• E. establishing a user-defined threshold lumen output for each zone of the plurality of zones wherein the user-defined threshold lumen output for each zone is independently in the range of between 10 lm/m2 and 1,500 lm/m2 when measured at the first altitude, and
• F. identifying a percentage of the total number of pixels in each zone of the plurality of zones which meet or exceed the user-defined threshold lumen output by comparing the third lumen output of each pixel to the first lumen output;
• and
• wherein the step of measuring the first lumen output occurs at a first time, the step of photographing the surface from the second altitude occurs at a second time, and the first time and the second time are separated by no greater than +/− 15 minutes.