Raw imaging survey data of night-time environments around Exeter, UK, February-May 2023
https://doi.org/10.5285/5da2b840-140e-473c-b9cd-d35b6c26558e
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This dataset contains RAW night-time imagery recorded using a Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera during a survey of artificial light in night-time environments across Exeter, UK between February and May 2023. This dataset comprises the CR2 imagery and information logs. The DSLR camera was setup on a tripod at each location. High Dynamic Range (HDR) imagery was taken in each cardinal direction, as well as a final photo towards zenith. The locations were chosen via randomly selecting roads through stratified random sampling of land use classes. We made each draw in a round-robin manner in quadrants of the city to ensure that they were also spatially well distributed. This data was collected by fieldworkers at the University of Exeter (primarily Sam Morrell and Maisy Inston) to process into flux-calibrated 360 degree maps of the lighting environment across the city.
Publication date: 2026-05-14
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Format
Comma-separated values (CSV)
Spatial information
Study area
Spatial representation type
Tabular (text)
Spatial reference system
OSGB 1936 / British National Grid
Temporal information
Temporal extent
2023-02-01 to 2023-05-31
Provenance & quality
The data were captured on a Canon EOS 5D Mk II in the field. The settings for the manual exposure were set such that most nighttime environments across the city were well bracketed by the dynamic range of the camera sensor. However, in locations that were too dim or bright, additional HDR imagery with wider bracketing were also acquired. The imaging data are that copied directly from the camera with no additional processing. The log files were scanned from paper logs maintained on the night. Finally, the survey metadata were generated directly from the document used to track the status of the survey.
Licensing and constraints
This dataset is available under the terms of the Open Government Licence 
Cite this dataset as:
Morrell, S.; Inston, M.J.; Rayner, C.W.; Shannon, J.P.; Hatchell, J.; Bennie, J.; Gaston, K.J. (2026). Raw imaging survey data of night-time environments around Exeter, UK, February-May 2023. NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/5da2b840-140e-473c-b9cd-d35b6c26558e
Correspondence/contact details
Other contacts
Publisher
NERC EDS Environmental Information Data Centre
info@eidc.ac.uk
Rights holder
University of Exeter