Effective collaboration begins with a common language By Jonathan Weinert
20 key IT terms that every lighting specifier should know Lighting designers and specifiers have had a tough time over the last 15 years. First, around 2004, LED luminaires that were powerful and high-quality enough for general illumination began to appear. Because of their flexibility and energy efficiency, they soon replaced conventional luminaires in many lighting applications. For the first time since the introduction of fluorescent light in the 1930s, lighting designers had to learn how to evaluate and specify an entirely new kind of light source. New form factors, unfamiliar photometric measurements, differences in light-loss factors and efficacy, disruption of the standard relationship between power consumption and light output—these were only some of the challenges that LED lighting posed for designers and specifiers.
88 IOT LIGHTING GLOSSARY
As if these disruptions weren’t enough, connected lighting came along a short ten years later. Today, connected luminaires are effectively computers, able to gather and share data about themselves and the illuminated environment. Lighting specifiers who want to keep up-to-date with the latest digital innovations now need at least a basic understanding of computer networking and information and communications technology, as well as of new concepts such as the IoT, indoor location services, and digital twins. The following are 20 key terms and definitions that every specifier, designer, and architect involved in designing connected systems should know.