UK / Mapped Streetlight Atlas
A spectacular data layer only works if it is honest. This atlas tracks mapped streetlights and public inventories, not a complete census of every lamp on Earth.
OpenStreetMap `highway=street_lamp` coverage
OSM currently has about 6.18m mapped street-lamp objects globally, but coverage reflects mapping effort, not real lamp counts.
| Region | Mapped lamps | Relative coverage |
|---|
Why this matters for line marking
Lighting data becomes useful when it is tied to surface visibility: car park entrances, pedestrian routes, service yards, crossings and worn markings in low-light areas.
When a site has poor lighting or high night traffic, line contrast and repaint planning become the next practical step. Review car park line marking only when the surface-marking need is real.
Data-source rule
Use labels such as “mapped streetlights”, “council open-data inventory” and “night-light background”. Avoid claims like “all streetlights in the world”. UK council datasets can be added one by one where licences permit.