The territory and its identity
Located in the heart of the Vosges mountains, Gérardmer is a town of nearly 7,800 inhabitants, recognized as a major tourist destination and as the capital of the Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park. As a mountain town, Gérardmer welcomes a fluctuating population throughout the year, linked to tourism, sports, and events. This unique feature gives public lighting a central role in the quality of life, safety, and nighttime appeal of the town.
Initial challenges and findings
The municipality has historically had responsibility for roads and lighting, with technical services heavily involved in managing the network. This includes around 2,300 light points spread across the entire municipal area, controlled from 42 control cabinets, mainly equipped with Lumandar solutions.
The system operated on semi-permanent settings or nighttime shutdowns, with limited visibility into the actual status of the park, energy consumption, and fault detection.
A shared vision and clear objectives
In 2019, the city began a structured review of its public lighting through a comprehensive photometric assessment. This study became the basis for classifying roads and prioritizing needs.
Starting in 2020, the municipality has affirmed its desire to gradually integrate LED technology and explore the benefits of remote management, with clear objectives: reducing consumption, modernizing facilities, improving service quality, and maintaining complete control over usage.
The approach and support
The approach adopted is based on gradual implementation and ownership by the teams in the field. Nexiode is supporting the city in a phase of practical demonstration of the Wizard solution, combined with the Wixli supervision platform.
The technical prerequisites are established in advance (smart-ready lighting fixtures, gateway configuration), then the technical services are directly involved in the implementation: scanning and commissioning of lighting fixtures, creation of schedules, programming of alerts, and remote control.
The Nexiode solution deployed
The Wizard remote management solution is based on an open, scalable wireless architecture. It enables control at the light point and centralized supervision via the Wixli web application.
The architecture incorporates communication gateways (4G or Ethernet) and radio antennas installed on the luminaires, ensuring great flexibility of deployment and compatibility with existing systems.
Key features and practical uses
In Gérardmer, remote management enables the creation of lighting scenarios tailored to specific uses, individual or group control of lighting fixtures, management of seasonal schedules, and automatic reporting of faults.
Fault simulations were carried out (cut at the base of the mast, antenna or driver disconnection) to demonstrate the system's ability to accurately identify anomalies and reduce response times.
Results and benefits observed
The solution provides detailed visibility of the fleet and facilitates the daily work of technical services. It contributes to better energy management, a reduction in unnecessary travel, and improved service continuity.
In a tourism context marked by significant seasonal variations, remote management is becoming a strategic tool for adaptation and optimization.
A scalable solution serving the region
The Gérardmer project illustrates a pragmatic approach to smart lighting: technology designed to serve specific purposes, integrated gradually and designed to evolve. Remote management now provides a solid foundation to support the city in its future strategies for modernization and energy efficiency.
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