Case Study: International Dark‑Sky Association achieves fast, accurate coastal lighting surveys to protect sea turtles with Fulcrum

International Dark-Sky Association - Customer Case Study

The International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving nighttime environments and reducing light pollution. Tasked by the Florida DEP and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to assess coastal lighting at 25 conservation areas, IDA needed baseline night-sky quality measurements to protect endangered sea turtle hatchlings—millions of which in Florida are often disoriented and killed each year by artificial beachfront lighting. Previously, data were collected on paper and logged in Excel with no GIS integration, leading to inconsistencies and analysis challenges.

IDA deployed the Fulcrum mobile app on iOS to collect geo-tagged field data quickly with no steep learning curve, exportable in multiple formats for analysis. The improved, GIS-enabled dataset allowed IDA to recommend targeted coastal lighting retrofits to reduce hatchling disorientation, and they plan to use Fulcrum again to document post-retrofit improvements as part of a Deepwater Horizon NRDA-funded restoration effort.

International Dark-Sky Association