European project · Environmental monitoring
Openred – Light pollution
Measure artificial light at night at street level with the public and share it on an open map
About the project
Openred – Light pollution (light pollution) takes the Openred open data platform, originally created to measure environmental gamma radiation, and applies it to measuring artificial light at night. Members of the public walk through streets, parks and riverbanks with light meters and share their measurements on an open map.
It is Ibercivis’s own initiative, funded through the European project PLAN-B, which studies how to reduce the effects of artificial light at night on biodiversity. Ibercivis leads PLAN-B task 6.3.
Each light meter connects via Bluetooth to the Openred app, which links every light reading to the phone’s GPS position in real time. At the end of the walk, the data are uploaded automatically to map.open-red.es, where they build heat maps and profiles that can be compared with high-resolution night-time satellite images (SDGSAT layer).
Project objectives
- Measure light pollution at ground level, to complement satellite images and fixed stations.
- Identify the ‘dark corridors’ worth protecting and the areas where excess light affects nocturnal wildlife and human wellbeing.
- Keep all data open for research, policy-makers and civil society.
- Build local communities of practice able to organise their own measurement campaigns.
The role of Ibercivis
Ibercivis has developed the Openred platform and its measurement app, coordinates the campaigns and leads the community of practice in Zaragoza, one of the PLAN-B pilot areas alongside Gdańsk, Leipzig and Belo Horizonte.
Our activities
- Campaigns with around 30 high-precision portable light meters, on guided night walks from city centres out to parks and natural areas.
- Launch of the Zaragoza community of practice with the Agrupación Astronómica Aragonesa (September 2026).
- Measurements in Zaragoza, Madrid and Granada and in cities in Finland, Poland and Austria: 17,000 measurements recorded as of October 2026.
- Manuals and protocols so that local groups can organise their own campaigns, with materials from Citizen Observers and Cities at Night.
Would you like to join the next night walks in Zaragoza? Email dlisbona[at]ibercivis.es.
Gallery
Project details
Type of project
European
Duration
Since 2025
Funding
European project PLAN-B (Horizon Europe, grant agreement No 101135308), in which Ibercivis leads task 6.3
Area
Environmental monitoring