Illuminating the Global South
针对夜间灯光卫星数据在低收入地区存在的精度和可比性问题，研究通过调整顶码、光晕和卫星系统差异，生成了1992-2023年全球可比年度序列，并在全球南方验证其作为地方发展代理变量的有效性。
Abstract Satellite images of nighttime lights are commonly used to proxy local economic conditions. Despite their popularity, there are concerns about how accurately they capture local development in different settings and scales. We compile an annual series of comparable nighttime lights globally from 1992 to 2023 by applying adjustments that consider key factors affecting accuracy and comparability over time: top coding, blooming, and variations in satellite systems (DMSP and VIIRS). Applied to various low-income settings, the adjusted luminosity series outperforms the unadjusted series as a predictor of local development, particularly over time and at higher spatial resolutions.