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R. BOUWMEESTER & ASSOCIATES
Sun & Shadow Position Specialists
with Modeling Applications in
Collision and Crime Scene Reconstruction,
Urban Development, Site Planning and Building Design



About Us Services What We Do Projects Clients
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How Important To You Is Sunshine? 

How much sunshine, when and where?


Search this Site - use this link to search this site

Home - a brief description of who we are, what we do, the types of clients we serve, and links to our most popular pages

The Firm & its Principal - an overview of our civil engineering practice and a summary of Mr. Bouwmeester's credentials

Interviews and Media Articles Featuring or Referencing Our Firm:

AM640 - Interview with Kelly Cutrara on AM640, by Kelly Cutrara
Barrie Advance -
Helping opportunity knock, by Donna Douglas
BlogTO - Here's when you can see the most spectacular sunset of the year in Toronto, by Phoebe Knight

CBC News Toronto - Interview for 'Torontohenge' sunset to be in line with city grid Saturday, by Talia Ricci
CBC News Toronto - 
Special 'Torontohenge' sunset wows commuters
CBC News Toronto 
- City's new downtown plan aims to prevent high-rise shadows on parks, by Lauren Pelley
CityNews Toronto - Shedding Light on the Core - TV interview re: Toronto's Downtown Plan and preserving sunlight on downtown parks.
Curiocity - Here’s when Toronto will have its most breathtaking sunset of the year, by Karen Doradea
Dallas Fort Worth Star Telegram - Shedding light on sun glare, by Gordon Dickson
Des Moines Register - Drivers, beware of sun's glare, by Tom Alex
Des Moines Register - Sun blamed in 1 death, 2 collisions, by Tom Alex
Des Moines Register - Equinox driving, by Jeff Bash
Des Moines Register - Seasonal Danger - sun glare graphic
DurhamRegion.com - 'Dangerous for drivers': Daylight time ends, impacting driving conditions, by Mike Pearson
East Valley Tribune - Equinox means more problems for commuters, by Mike Branom

GlobalTV National News - Top Story - What Happened at that Rural Intersection in SK? 
- TV interview re: Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
Times Herald-Record - A sure sign of autumn: sun glare when driving, by Judy Rife
National Post -
Lurking in the shadows, by Guy Babineau
NorthBayNipissing.com - First Torontohenge of 2024 set for Feb. 15. Does your southern Ontario community have its own henge?
, by Norm Nelson, Metroland
Omaha World-Herald - Sun is a glaring change, by Nancy Gaarder

Spacing Magazine (Spring 2015 issue) - Sunny Side of the Street, by Glyn Bowerman
Spacing Magazine (Spring 2015 issue) - Torontohenge, by Glyn Bowerman

The Record - Cresskill Crossing Guard Struck by Weehawken Principal's Car, Sun Glare a Possible Factor, Police Say, by Yellin and O'Brien 
The Record -
Road Warrior: Seasonal blind spots easily turn deadly, by John Cichowski
Toronto Star - Working in sun and shadow, by Robert Burg
Toronto Star - Our Places in the Sun - The Shadow Factor, by Stephen Weir
Toronto Star - Toronto Grappling With Shadows From Tall Condos, by
Donovan Vincent 
Toronto Sun - Skygazers take in 'Torontohenge', by Maryam Shah
Weather Network - Torontohenge to deliver Toronto's most amazing sunset views this week, by Scott Sutherland
Weather Network - Cloudy skies obscuring Torontohenge? Here's when you can see it, by Scott Sutherland
WTMJ Radio -
Sun Glare Poses Challenge to Drivers, Our radio interview Debbie Lazaga

Scope of Services - an overview of the types of projects we are involved with, the types of tables, drawings and reports we prepare, and the types of presentations (including expert witness testimony) we provide

Presentations:

Virtual Modeling of Tall Buildings - Sun & Shadows - presented by Ralph Bouwmeester at the Higher Learning Symposium held in Toronto, Ontario, on October 19, 2006.  The event was co-sponsored by the City of Toronto, the Canadian Urban Institute and the Toronto Society of Architects.

The presentation slides are provided in PDF format below:
Part 1,  Part 2,  Part 3,  Part 4

Sun and Shadow Modeling in Accident Reconstruction, presented by Ralph Bouwmeester to the Canadian Association of Technical Accident Investigators and Reconstructionists (CATAIR), Ontario Region, on February 18, 1997.

Free Data Available:

Historical Sun Position Data for accident investigation and legal professionals

Free Sunrise/Sunset Tables for the current month

Canada

USA

For those of you interested in this month's sunrise/sunset data for the Middle East:

Pan Am and Parapan Am Games

Toronto2015
Free sunrise/sunset table for the Toronto2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games,Toronto, Canada, July/Aug 2015.

Olympics 

Vancouver 2010

Free sunrise/sunset tables are available for those of you who visited Vancouver and Whistler BC
during the Olympics and Paralympics in February and March 2010.
   
London 2012
Free sunrise/sunset tables are available for those of you who visited the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.  

Cities include London, Manchester, Glascow and Cardiff.
Sochi 2014
Free sunrise/sunset tables are available for those of you who visited the Sochi 2014 Olympics and Paralympics.  

Rio 2016

Free sunrise/sunset tables for the
Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics.


PyeongChang 2018

Free sunrise/sunset tables for the
PyeongChang 2018 Olympics and Paralympics.

Halloween

2023 Halloween sunset times added for select Canadian and US cities.

Torontohenge

Link to Weather Network article about Torontohenge that mentions our firm.

Torontohenge info for 2024

Torontohenge info for 2023

Torontohenge info for 2022

Torontohenge info for 2021

Torontohenge info for October 2017

Torontohenge info for October 2014.

World Disaster Areas

Sunrise/Sunset Tables for Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Sendai, Japan were added in support of those involved in rescue and relief work.  The tables provided rise and set times and the total number of hours of available daylight for each day of the month.

To assist wildfire victims and firefighters in Slave Lake, Alberta, a table of daily sunrise/sunset times and hours of daylight was posted shortly after the fires.

Similarly, a Kathmandu, Nepal sunrise/sunset table was added to assist in the 2015 earthquake rescue efforts.

To assist wildfire victims and firefighters in Fort McMurray, Alberta, a table of daily sunrise/sunset times and hours of daylight for May 2016 was posted.

To assist the August 2016 earthquake victims and rescuers in Amatrice, Italy, a table of daily sunrise/sunset times and hours of daylight was posted.

Sunrise/Sunset Tables:

Sunrise/Sunset Tables are available for any dates and locations.  The current month for your location is free upon request.

They are available in two free formats as follows:

1. Rise/Set Times, Time of Solar Noon, Number of Daylight Hours  (our standard format), or

2. Rise/Set Times, Azimuths of Rise/Set (great tool for photographers).

See samples of each by clicking on the links above.

Modeling Applications - an overview of our three main types of projects:

Shadow Impact Assessments - related to proposed development and building projects - we have represented proponents as well as objectors.  Project types range from proposed house additions to 75-storey condo developments.

Solar Access Studies - related to passive solar energy, architectural daylighting, and pedestrian comfort.

Collision & Crime Scene Reconstruction - related to the investigation and reconstruction of collisions of all kinds (e.g. involving pedestrians, cars, trucks, buses, trains, aircraft and watercraft) where sun glare or blinding is suspected to have been a contributing factor, and crime scene reconstruction where there are issues related to visibility / ambient lighting / suspect identification.  We also provide forensic shadow analyses of photos and videos to determine and/or confirm the date and time they were taken.  Our analyses assist in establishing timelines and proving/disproving witness statements in criminal, civil and collision investigations. 

Representative Client List - a sampling of our Clients

Representative Projects - a summary listing of our projects

Samples of Our Work:

Shadow Impact Assessments

House addition
Monster home addition

Second storey addition
Proposed downtown highrise
Proposed highrise condo

Virtual  Modeling of Tall Buildings - Sun & Shadows - presentation made on October 19, 2006, at the Higher Learning Symposium, Toronto, Ontario.  The event was co-sponsored by the City of Toronto, the Canadian Urban Institute and the Toronto Society of Architects.  (For a PDF version of the presentation slides, click the following:  Part 1,  Part 2,  Part 3,  Part 4)

Solar Access Studies

Proposed Skylights - shadow animation  (AVI file)
Proposed pool and residence
Daily sun position graph and table 
Sun exposure charts for various building faces 

Collision & Crime Scene Reconstruction

Sample photos of sun glare while driving
Collision scene photos with superimposed sun position

Sun and Shadow Modeling in Accident Reconstruction, presented by R. Bouwmeester to the Canadian Association of Technical Accident Investigators and Reconstructionists (CATAIR), Ontario Region, on February 18, 1997

Miscellaneous Projects

Frito-Lay SunChips Solar Billboard - See this YouTube page for a time-lapse video of the SunChips 'solar' billboard installed in Oakland California on Earth Day 2008 to celebrate the opening of Frito-Lay's solar-powered SunChips plant in nearby Modesto.  The shadow casting components of the billboard were designed by R. Bouwmeester & Associates.  Ad agency Juniper Park of Toronto took home the 2009 Cassies Grand Prix on January 28, 2010, for the ad campaign that included our billboard.  See story.

Air India Flight 182 Memorial Sundial - R. Bouwmeester & Associates was commissioned by the City of Toronto to design the sundial feature which is central to the Air India Flight 182 Memorial unveiled on the Toronto Ontario waterfront by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on June 23, 2007.

NASCAR Track Sun Angle Diagram - NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and six-time champion, Jimmie Johnson, told me via Twitter on October 25, 2014, that "The late stages at PIR are tough with the sun in your eyes."  In response, I prepared a sun angle diagram for the next Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 9, 2014.

Canada 150 Solar Event - visible across Canada on July 1, 2017.  Page added June 27, 2017.

Human Sundial Project for Kids - During these challenging times in 2020, here's a fun and simple outdoor project to do with your kids as the weather improves.  Not only is it fun, it is very educational. Hope this brightens your day a bit!  Page added April 2, 2020.

Interesting Articles about the Dangers of Driving & Sun Glare:

Glaring Danger - Bright Sun, Deadly Collisions, San Francisco Examiner, October 12, 1998

Sight Unseen, Transcript of ABC News 20/20 program, aired March 22, 1999 

Driving and Sun Glare Can Be a Deadly Mixture, PRNewswire, December 30, 2002

Shedding light on sun glare, Dallas Fort Worth Star Telegram, September 15, 2003 

Drivers, beware of sun's glare, Des Moines Register, September 16, 2004

Sun blamed in 1 death, 2 collisions, Des Moines Register, September 18, 2004

Equinox driving, Des Moines Register, March 21, 2005

Equinox means more problems for commuters, East Valley Tribune, September 29, 2005

Sun is a glaring change, Omaha World-Herald, April 1, 2010

Sun glare dangers during spring and fall commutes

Judy Rife: A sure sign of autumn: sun glare when driving
,
Times Herald-Record, October 11, 2011

Cresskill Crossing Guard Struck by Weehawken Principal's Car, Sun Glare a Possible Factor, Police SayThe Record (northjersey.com), February 10, 2012

Road Warrior: Seasonal blind spots easily turn deadlyThe Record (northjersey.com), September 20, 2015

Sun Glare Poses Challenge to Drivers, March 2019 interview with Debbie Lazaga on Milwaukee's WTMJ Radio about the challenge that sun glare poses to drivers.

Interesting Articles about Sun Glare Reflection from Tall Buildings

Overview of our Solar Model 

Links



Contact Info:

Ralph Bouwmeester, P. Eng.
R. Bouwmeester & Associates
Barrie, Ontario Canada
Phone: 1-705-726-3392

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rba@sunposition.com

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