In Memory of Ian Ashdown
With intense sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved friend, Ian Ashdown, PEng (Ret), FIES, Senior Scientist and co-founder of SunTracker Technologies Ltd.
Ian’s profound passion and dedication to lighting, unwavering commitment to scientific integrity, and remarkable expertise have left an indelible mark throughout his extraordinary career spanning over four decades. His contributions encompassed a wide range of academic articles, lighting standards, and software developments.
Beyond his renowned reputation as an engineer and scientist in the lighting field and beyond, Ian possessed a remarkable spirit of compassion. He selflessly assisted numerous individuals personally and professionally throughout their journeys.
Ian’s departure has left an immeasurable void; we deeply feel his absence. However, SunTracker Technologies remains unwavering in its dedication to preserving and advancing Ian’s exceptional legacy within the lighting community and beyond.
For those wishing to convey their sympathies or have memories to share, don’t hesitate to contact us at memorial@suntrackertech.com.
SunTracker Technologies Ltd.
& HelioSol Software Solutions Inc.
SunTracker and HelioSol have an exclusive worldwide arrangement to license SunTracker’s Suite of Cerise™ Software to the lighting industry as real world solutions to lighting design and engineering problems.
Our Cerise™ Suite of Products
Cerise365™
Cerise365™
+GreenHouseDesigner™
CeriseDocs™
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CeriseUV™
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Our Food Security
Recent public health events have highlighted the need for food security in local communities. In northern (and less hospitable) climates like Canada long term, year round food growth will depend on indoor facilities such as greenhouses, vertical farms (plant factories), and hybrid facilities. Proper lighting is critical for these facilities to successfully produce the necessary quality and quantity of food to sustain the population at a reasonable cost. SunTracker has developed CAD modelling tools to allow the horticultural industry to assess and specify the most efficient and effective commercial lighting for the horticulture industry, lighting that is critical for the sustainability of food security.
Latest News
Thoughts on Color Rendering
Lamp with a CRI of 90 or above, good. Lamp with a CRI of less than 80, bad. Is there anything else that lighting designers need to know about the Color Rendering Index (CRI) metric? To be brutally honest … no. Despite all that has been written on the topic over the...
Ian Ashdown’s podcast with ‘Get a Grip On Lighting’ – It’s Just a Hobby
Ian Ashdown is a SunTrackers's Senior Scientist and a consultant with over forty years’ experience in lighting design, research and development, and software engineering (He built the original version of AGI32). He holds more than 160 patents and patents pending....
An Interview with Optics & Photonics News: Ian Ashdown on Fostering Creativity
In this installment of Senior Member Insights, OPN talks with Ian Ashdown, senior scientist and president of SunTracker Technologies in Victoria, BC, Canada. He and his team develop lighting-design software for architectural, horticultural, entertainment and health...
SunTracker Technologies Free to use DLI Calculator IS NOW LIVE!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qewhmzRJITU SunTracker Technologies Ltd. is excited to release the newest version of our free DLI Calculator with a new Global feature on June 1, 2021. Users will be able to visualize the DLI values on the interactive map with...
DIFFUSED FIBRE-OPTIC HORTICULTURAL LIGHTING
https://patents.google.com/patent/US10966376B2/en Published #: US10966376B2 Issue Date: 06-Apr-21 Abstract: Laser light emanates from optical components that are mounted on a substrate, each optical component being coupled to an...
Cerise 365 and DAYSIM
Cerise365™ and DAYSIM are daylighting analysis software programs that perform climate-based annual daylight simulations, including the calculation of annual daylight metrics. This white paper compares their performance in terms of accuracy and calculation times....
Specifying LED Colors for Horticultural Lighting
When the first high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps were introduced in the late 1960s, they were quickly adopted by commercial greenhouse operators as a means of providing supplemental electric lighting. This made it economically possible to grow vegetables and flowers...
Filtered LEDs and Light Pollution
The problem is astronomical — the blue light emitted by LED roadway luminaires has been shown to contribute to light pollution, especially when cool white LEDs are used.
All Things Lighting Association Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28th, 2022: The ALL THINGS LIGHTING ASSOCIATION (ATLA) has been founded as a non- profit organization to advance, support, promote, and contribute to innovation, science, and engineering in all fields of lighting, including architecture,...