Systems and methods are provided for adjusting the brightness level of a lighting system based on an ambient light measurement from a lighting based sensor. Systems and methods are provided for adjusting the brightness level of a lighting system based on an ambient light measurement from a lighting based sensor. In one example, an ambient light level in a space is measured with an embedded ambient light sensor in a luminaire. The ambient light level measurement is adjusted based on a correlation of the measurement with previously stored illumination data. A brightness level is selected based on the adjusted ambient light level measurement. The space is illuminated using the chosen brightness level.