Light quantities based on the photopic luminous efficiency function do not predict brightness perceptions of lighted outdoor scenes such as streets, parking lots and plazas. This paper summarises a series of experiments conducted using scale-model outdoor scenes illuminated by different light sources to assess judgements of brightness. From the results and from previously published literature on the relative increase in short-wavelength spectral sensitivity for brightness, a tentative model for brightness perception of outdoor scenes is proposed. The model can serve as a starting point for efficiently testing future hypotheses regarding brightness perception in lighted outdoor scenes.
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