nickbearman/navigatingnight

Navigating the Night: A Hands-on workshop with Night Lights in R

Abstract

In this workshop, participants will immerse themselves in the realm of raster data, with a specific focus on utilising nightlights data as a proxy for economic activity. This aligns with the objectives of GISRUK2024, which emphasises leveraging GIS data for the greater good.

At the heart of the workshop lies the investigation of night lights data within Global South contexts, employing R programming and time-series analysis techniques to dissect the dynamics of economic development within a given nation.

The workshop will harness VIIRS data at a resolution of 500m x 500m, integrating it with open street map data to assess the correlation between night lights and Points of Interest (POIs) as indicators of economic vitality. Additionally, it will delve into the aggregation of night lights data at regional scales and deliberate on the merits of NASA's Black Marble dataset.

By delving into these methodologies and datasets, participants will gain valuable insights into the socioeconomic landscape of regions often underrepresented in conventional economic analyses.