Connected lighting refers to a system of luminaires and sensors that are networked together and have remote connectivity. By leveraging upon LED lighting, information and communication technologies, connected lighting provides several benefits like sustainable energy savings, remote system health monitoring, data-driven insights and a dense infrastructure for realising new smart building and smart city applications that go beyond lighting. At the time of writing of this editorial (April 2020), we are amid a global shutdown due to the coronavirus. This has affected the way we live and work, have social interactions and engage within our communities. With people advised to stay safe at home, avenues like tourist landmarks, stadiums, schools, airports and hotels, that would typically be buzzing, are deserted. In these unprecedented times, what role can connected lighting play, I asked myself. Two thoughts occurred to me that underscored the value of connected lighting. One deals with the ability to remotely manage connected lighting systems. A number of functions like performing firmware updates, restarting/resetting devices, identifying system anomalies and faults, data collection and analysis can be executed securely from home without having to travel onsite. Any corrective actions requiring physical interventions can then be carefully planned and effected, especially at sites where critical services like healthcare, production of essential goods, logistical and supply chain operations are running. The second thought relates to the role of connected lighting in social engagement and delivering meaning. In several parts of the world, landmarks have been lit as a sign to express support and show recognition: the Empire State Building was lit in heartbeat and hourly sparkle to honour first responders, hotels and casinos in Niagara Falls were lit up with glowing heart displays to signal hope and solidarity, various landmarks in the UK were lit in blue to pay tribute to healthcare workers, the Pyramid of Giza was lit up with a message of solidarity and assurance towards people in the fight against the pandemic. Strikingly, at least some of these landmarks were controlled remotely. Similarly, people at home in different parts of the world have (re)lit homes in colours in a concerted manner, as a sign of spirit and joy in difficult times. It was heartening to see people sharing messages and posting pictures of lit landmarks and homes to express solidarity on social media platforms; some even suggested specific lighting colours to recognise different sections of the workforce offering various services in these times, or to create scenes that convey a sense of calm amid urgency. Information mined from such posts can be further used in a feedback loop to light landmarks in a meaningful way. Along with other art forms, lighting can thus be an enabler to creating a closely knit (virtual) community in this period of social distancing.

中文翻译：

---

社论：互联照明和社会影响

联网照明是指由灯具和传感器组成的系统，它们联网在一起并具有远程连接性。通过利用 LED 照明、信息和通信技术，互联照明提供了多项优势，例如可持续节能、远程系统健康监测、数据驱动的洞察力以及用于实现超越照明的新型智能建筑和智慧城市应用的密集基础设施。在撰写本社论时（2020 年 4 月），我们正处于因冠状病毒而导致的全球停摆之中。这影响了我们的生活和工作方式，影响了我们的社交互动和社区参与。由于建议人们在家中保持安全，旅游地标、体育场、学校、机场和酒店等通常会熙熙攘攘的街道都空无一人。在这前所未有的时代，我问自己，联网照明可以发挥什么作用。我想到了两个想法，强调了互联照明的价值。一种处理远程管理连接照明系统的能力。许多功能，例如执行固件更新、重启/重置设备、识别系统异常和故障、数据收集和分析，都可以在家中安全地执行，而无需前往现场。然后可以仔细计划和实施任何需要物理干预的纠正措施，尤其是在医疗保健、必需品生产、物流和供应链运营等关键服务正在运行的场所。第二个想法与互联照明在社交参与和传递意义中的作用有关。在世界的几个地方，地标被点亮作为表示支持和认可的标志：帝国大厦以心跳和每小时的方式点亮以纪念急救人员，尼亚加拉大瀑布的酒店和赌场点亮了发光的心脏显示以表示希望和团结，各种英国的地标被点亮以向医护人员致敬，吉萨金字塔被点亮，向人们表达对抗击大流行病的团结和保证的信息。引人注目的是，这些地标中至少有一些是远程控制的。同样，世界不同地区的人们在家中以协调一致的方式（重新）用颜色点亮房屋，作为困难时期精神和欢乐的标志。看到人们在社交媒体平台上分享信息并张贴点亮的地标和房屋的照片以表达团结，这是令人振奋的；有些人甚至建议使用特定的照明颜色来识别在这些时代提供各种服务的不同部门的劳动力，或者创造在紧急情况下传达平静感的场景。从这些帖子中挖掘出的信息可以进一步用于反馈循环，以有意义的方式点亮地标。因此，与其他艺术形式一样，照明可以成为在这个社会疏远时期创建紧密联系（虚拟）社区的推动因素。