How the University of Montana Uses Intelligent Streetlights to Improve Campus Operations

The University of Montana operates an expansive network of more than 500 outdoor lighting fixtures across campus. Historically, these streetlights were managed through a combination of internal facilities teams, energy providers, and maintenance contractors, creating a complex chain of communication whenever outages or maintenance issues occurred.

For Jason Skelton, Associate Director of Maintenance and Facilities Services, identifying outages often meant driving across campus to manually locate failed fixtures, compile repair lists, and coordinate maintenance requests. This reactive approach resulted in slower restoration times and increased lifecycle maintenance costs.

As the university planned a lighting modernization initiative, stakeholders sought a solution that would improve efficiency today while providing a scalable foundation for future campus technology needs.

The challenge: managing a large and complex campus lighting network

Managing hundreds of outdoor lighting assets across a university campus introduced several operational challenges.

To better define project goals, the university conducted a structured stakeholder evaluation led by Andy Moore of Blacksheep Engineering. The assessment revealed three key priorities:

• Campus leadership wanted energy efficiency and operational cost savings.
• Maintenance teams needed a more streamlined workflow.
• Student leadership prioritized a high-quality campus experience through optimized lighting levels and color temperature.

One requirement united every stakeholder group: a future-ready solution from a single manufacturer that could expand capabilities without requiring new infrastructure investments.

The solution: turning campus lighting Into intelligent infrastructure

Only one solution met all stakeholder requirements: Ubicquia's Intelligent Streetlight Solution. The university upgraded its LED luminaires with UbiCell®, a smart edge device that transforms lighting assets into connected infrastructure in seconds and enables real-time monitoring, data collection, and control.

Through UbiVu®, Ubicquia's AI-powered asset management dashboard, facilities teams gained access to actionable insights, remote diagnostics, scheduling capabilities, and dimming controls from a centralized platform.

By modernizing existing lighting infrastructure, the university gained greater operational control while establishing a scalable platform for future innovation.