The city of Glendale, Ariz., is using an automated monitoring system to help it track performance of street lights throughout the city, according to a story over at Government Technology.

The 55-square mile area’s 20,000 street lights are interconnected through a system called Remote Operations Asset Management, or ROAM.

“I describe it as a photo cell on steroids,” said Mike Sills-Trausch, Glendale’s city’s street lighting program manager. “Every street light across the United States is operated by a photo cell that tells the light when to turn off and when to turn on, but the ROAM photo cells have a computer circuitry in it and that allows each node to communicate its operating condition to a gateway approximately every 30 minutes.”

Glendale used to have quarterly or biannual sweeps of the city, in which volunteers would drive around and record what street lights weren’t functioning properly. The new system removes the need for this, and allows the city more accuracy with repairs.

Do you think this system is a good idea? Could you see it being implemented in your city?

Light Monitoring System Keeps

Glendale, Ariz., Out of the Dark

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