Dobbins JLUS IMP Public Draft Light Pollution Study | Page 14
The purpose of this mapping is to show where growth has occurred, where
redevelopment is likely to occur, and where the risk of light encroachment is
likely. This will help Cobb County and the cities of Marietta and Smyrna, and
their residents, understand the need and provide the justification for
additional actions supportive of lighting complementary to the Dobbins ARB
flight mission.
Baseline Lighting Calculations at Night Time
The Project Team used 2017 Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite
(VIIRS) data from the Earth Observation Group, which is part of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National
Centers for Environmental Information to measure reflectivity of the
ambient night lighting surrounding Dobbins ARB. These measurements, as
produced from NOAA’s satellite data, were filtered to exclude data impacted
by stray light, lunar illumi nation, and cloud‐coverage, and are averaged
monthly over the course of the year. The values are appropriate for this
analysis since they display light reflectivity from ground sources, i.e., what a
pilot would experience visually from an elevated position in the sky as
opposed to the light pollution that screens the night sky when viewed from
the ground. The purpose of these values is to measure how much ambient
light is actually affecting the night sky in and around Dobbins ARB.
After the baseline lighting calculations were established, the Project Team
began preparing the Light Pollution Study (Study) which includes the rough
order of magnitude costs for the backlight, uplight, glare (BUG) luminaires,
on‐base and off‐base mitigation analysis, and supporting recommendations
for Cobb County and the cities of Marietta and Smyrna lighting regulations.
These components are discussed fully in the following pages of this Study.
Page 1‐4
DRAFT Dobbins Air Reserve Base Light Pollution Study
March 2018