Correlation Between Nighttime Light and Various Statistical Indicators in Japan

Abstract

This manuscript is an English translation and extended version of a paper originally published in Japanese(otomo 2021) Recent years have seen a rapid expansion in applying satellite remote sensing and big data to economic analysis. In particular, satellite-observed nighttime light intensity has proven to be closely correlated with key socio-economic indicators, including gross domestic product, employment rates, population density, and educational attainment across countries. In this paper, I first outline the methodology for calculating regional nightlight intensity across Japanese prefectures and municipalities. Next, to evaluate the versatility of nightlight data, I examine the relationship between city-level nightlight intensity and various public socio-economic metrics, using Japan as a case study. The findings suggest that nightlight intensity can serve as a effective proxy for these diverse indicators. Finally, I explore the potential of nightlight data for enabling rapid economic impact assessments during sudden social disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

12 pages, 11 figures. Published in Theory and Applications of GIS, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 23-28 (2021) (in Japanese)