Measuring the street light to see if it is bright enough is a daunting task for pedestrians and drivers, which usually has to be done manually.
But Gordon Dodds and his colleagues at Queen's University in the UK have designed automated processes.
They drove around after dark to take pictures, while tracking their vehicles through GPS satellites, which recorded where each photo was taken.
When they later analyze the information, the information tells them where the photos were taken.
They can then decide if the lighting needs to be improved.