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Potential for global mapping of development via a nightsat mission

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Abstract

Nightsat is a concept for a satellite system capable of global observation of the location, form and density of lighted infrastructure and development within human settlements. Nightsat’s repeat cycle should be sufficient to produce an annual cloud-free composite of surface lighting to enable detection of growth rates. Airborne and satellite imagery have been used to define the range of spatial, spectral, and detection limit options for a future Nightsat mission. Our conclusion is that Nightsat should collect data from a near-synchronous orbit in the early evening with 50–100 m spatial resolution and have detection limits of 2.5E−8 W cm−2 sr−1 μm−1 or better. Multispectral low-light imaging data would be better than panchromatic data by providing valuable information on the type or character of lighting, a potentially stronger predictor of variables such as ambient population density and economic activity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Observation Group, NOAA-NESDIS National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder, CO, USA

    Christopher D. Elvidge

  2. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Broomfield, CO, USA

    Jeffrey Safran

  3. Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

    Benjamin Tuttle

  4. Department of Geography, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Benjamin Tuttle & Paul Sutton

  5. Dipartimento di Astronomia, Università di Padova, Padova, Italy

    Pierantonio Cinzano

  6. Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologia dell’Inquinamento Luminoso (ISTIL), Thiene, Italy

    Pierantonio Cinzano

  7. NASA Johnson Spaceflight Center, Houston, TX, USA

    Donald Pettit

  8. Cirrus Digital Systems, Tiburon, CA, USA

    John Arvesen

  9. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, The Earth Institute at Colombia University, Palisades, NY, USA

    Christopher Small

Authors
  1. Christopher D. Elvidge
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  2. Jeffrey Safran
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  3. Benjamin Tuttle
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  4. Paul Sutton
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  5. Pierantonio Cinzano
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  6. Donald Pettit
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  7. John Arvesen
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  8. Christopher Small
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher D. Elvidge.

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Elvidge, C.D., Safran, J., Tuttle, B. et al. Potential for global mapping of development via a nightsat mission. GeoJournal 69, 45–53 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-007-9104-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-007-9104-x

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