Talking Photometry: Understanding Photometric Data Formats

One of the most common tests that we're asked to perform at Photometric Testing is the generation of
photometric data files. To many, the contents of an EULUIMDAT file are a complete mystery - this
article will shed some light on photometric data files and why they are so useful. We will explain:
1. What information is in a photometric data file?
2. What formats they come in?
3. How to generate one>
4. What to do with one once you have it?

The Photometric Data Itself

What goes into a photometric data file? There are two photometric
units that we need to consider here, total luminous flux and
luminous intensity. Total luminous flux is the total amount of light
emitted from a light source, corrected for the spectral response of
the human eye to light. It is measured inlumens. The luminous
intensity defines the amount of lumens in a given direction, per
solid angle. This is measured in lumens per steradian,
or candela.The luminous intensity in a photometric file will be
defined in many different directions. A typical photometric file that
we create at Photometric Testing will contain luminous intensity
values for 855 different angles. A photometric data file will also
contain the input electrical power that the light source consumes
(the Watts).
The File Formats
The photometric file itself is an ASCII (delimited text) file. There are
three formats: IES; EULUMDAT; and TM-14.

In 1986 the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America

(IESNA) created the standard LM-63-86, IES Recommended
Standard File Format for Electronic Transfer of Photometric Data.
This has been updated twice, in 1995 and 2002. The IES file is the
most common format in North America but is also widely used in
Europe. IES photometric data files have the .ies filename
extension.
EULUMDAT (also known as LDT, after its file extension) is the
de-facto industry standard photometric data file in Europe. Without
a recognised standards organization to define and maintain it,
EULUMDAT has remained largely unchanged since its
introduction in 1990. Unfortunately, it also means that there is no
publication available which officially documents the file format.
The only documentation currently available is the on-line

specification atwww.helios32.com. Despite these drawbacks, LDT

files are still widely used and most customers request their data in
both formats. LDT photometric data files have the .ldt filename
extension.
In 1988 CIBSE introduced a photometric file format called TM14,
but this need not detain us. The format has not caught on in the
lighting industry and in our many years of experience, we have
never known a customer ask for a TM14 file.
There are some differences but many similarities between the IES
and LDT formats. Firstly, the LDT format contains lines that
specify the correlated colour temperature (CCT) and colour
rendering index (CRI). The IES file does not contain this data.
However, both IES and LDT files can be formatted as either
absolute or relative files. When absolute photometric
measurements are performed, the luminous intensity values are
recorded and the total luminous flux value is calculated from these
values. When relative photometric measurements are taken, the
candela values of the luminaire are measured but the total luminous
flux of the lamp is measured separately from the luminaire itself.
In a relative measurement, the luminous intensity values are
reported in candelas per kilolumen. This allows for the
measurement of the efficiency of the luminaire by comparing the
bare lamp lumens to the lumens of the luminaire. The candela per
kilolumen value from the fitting should therefore be independent of
the luminous flux of the lamp, as it is entirely dependent on the
design of the luminaire itself.
However, in the age of LED lighting there is one big disadvantage
associated with the use of relative photometric data files. The
thermal performance of an LED will be different depending on
whether it is mounted in a luminaire or as a bare lamp, and the
lumen output will therefore be very different. Relative photometry
in this case can lead to misleading results as the calculated
efficiency value will be incorrect.
How to Generate a Photometric Data File
The luminous intensity data needed for photometric files is generated
by a goniophotometer. A goniophotometer is a mechanical device to
support and optionally position the light source (a luminaire or lamp)
and a photosensor which measures luminous intensity at each angle, at
a set distance. The goniophotometer set-up can be as simple as a
manual engineering turntable and a light meter. This has the
advantage of being cheap, but the disadvantage of being incredibly
time consuming (measuring the previously mentioned 855 angles
would take the best part of a day). Most photometric files are

generated by an automatic goniophotometer. In this case, the luminaire

is mounted to an automatic turning frame, which rotates the device
under test through two axes. A measurement of luminous intensity is
taken at each angle. The files can be generated by hand but most
goniophotometer post processing software generates the files
automatically.

How to Use the Photometric Data Files

The luminous intensity data presented in photometric files is useful
because it allows lighting designers to observe both the total light
output and the angular spread of the light output. The angular
information is typically presented as polar diagrams and cone
diagrams. Neither of these diagrams is included in the file format itself,
but can be generated from the files by using lighting analysis and
design programs such as Photometrics Pro, Photometric Toolbox, Relux
or Dialux.

Figure 1. Polar Intensity Diagram

The polar diagram above shows the angular spread of the luminous
intensity. The cone diagram shows the beam angle (typically
defined as 10% of peak intensity for architectural lighting and 50%
of maximum intensity for theatrical and broadcast lighting) and the
illuminance levels at beam centre for various distances.

Figure 2. Cone Illuminance Diagram

This data is useful to lighting designers because it allows
calculations to be made on how many luminaires are needed to
achieve the desired illumination in a specific installation.
Photometric Testing provides measurement services on both
traditional and LED-based solid state lighting products using stateof-the-art goniophotometric equipment. Please use our Enquiry
Form to request further information or a quotation.