The outdoor advertising industry has made significant strides in addressing light pollution concerns. Today’s digital billboards incorporate sophisticated technology and thoughtful design, offering a commitment to our community by protecting our night skies.
Digital billboards represent one of the most significant advancements in out-of-home advertising in recent history. Large LED screens display images in brilliant color, day and night, offering a wealth of advantages to businesses of all sizes. As more and more of these structures appear in our everyday landscape, it’s vital that sign builders are committed to being thoughtful and responsible partners within their communities.
Street Media Group takes this responsibility seriously. After all, this is where we all live and raise our families. Through careful sign placement, position, and state-of-the art light mitigation techniques, we are committed to protecting the charm and virtue of this wonderful place that we all call home.
Automatic Brightness Adjustments
Street Media Group’s digital billboards use advanced light sensors. These sensors continuously monitor ambient light conditions and automatically adjust brightness levels throughout the day.
During bright sunny afternoons, our displays operate at stronger brightness levels to keep them visible against intense sunlight. As darkness falls, our billboards automatically dim to a small fraction of their daytime brightness. This significant reduction prevents overly-bright displays that can be distracting for nighttime drivers. Lower light levels of our digital billboards at night fall well within strict industry standards, and are comparable to the brightness of a dimmed computer monitor. Automatic brightness adjustments happen continuously throughout the day based on each billboard’s photocell sensor readings.
Today's digital billboards incorporate sophisticated technology and thoughtful design to minimize their environmental impact.
The development of these light mitigation technologies was implemented by leading lighting expert Dr. Ian Lewin. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America commissioned Dr. Lewin to establish scientific brightness standards for digital displays. His research resulted in the widely adopted recommendation that digital billboards should not exceed 0.3 footcandles above ambient lighting conditions when measured at appropriate distances. This standard has been built into modern billboard designs, ensuring that displays integrate more harmoniously with their surroundings rather than overwhelming them. The standard provides a scientific framework that balances visibility needs with community comfort and environmental responsibility.
Strategic Placement and Design
Street Media Group positions and angles each display face to protect residential areas from light spillage while capturing consumers in high-traffic commercial zones. This careful approach ensures that advertising messages reach their intended audience without intruding into private spaces where light would be unwelcome.
Our digital billboards also incorporate directional illumination technology that focuses light outward and downward, significantly reducing upward light scatter that contributes to sky glow. This design innovation limits illumination spillage onto unintended areas, protecting both residential neighborhoods and the night sky for our stargazing community.
Modern light mitigation technology directs light outward, preventing light pollution and protecting our night skies.
The environmental benefits of these light mitigation technologies extend beyond human communities. Migratory wildlife, particularly birds, rely on natural light patterns for navigation during their seasonal journeys. By reducing overall light output and eliminating unnecessary upward illumination, Street Media Group’s digital billboards help protect these natural migration patterns. The automatic dimming capabilities are particularly important for wildlife protection, as the dramatic brightness reduction during nighttime hours minimizes disruption to nocturnal animals and their natural behaviors.
The integration of light mitigation technology in modern digital billboards represents more than just technological advancement—it demonstrates the industry’s commitment to being good community partners. These advances prove that effective advertising and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive goals. Through the combination of automatic brightness adjustment, directional illumination, strategic placement, and adherence to scientific lighting standards, modern digital billboards are setting new standards for how outdoor advertising can coexist harmoniously with communities and the natural environment.
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