Developing Improved Time-Series DMSP-OLS-Like Data (1992–2019) in China by Integrating DMSP-OLS and SNPP-VIIRS

Abstract

Defense Meteorological Satellite Program Operational Linescan System (DMSP-OLS) and Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (SNPP-VIIRS) data are valuable records of nighttime lights (NTLs) in analyzing socioeconomic development. However, inconsistencies between these data have severely restricted long time-series analyses. Published time-series NTL data sets are not widely available or accurate because the DMSP-OLS calibration is inadequate and some missing data in the SNPP-VIIRS data are seldom considered for patching. To address these issues, we calibrated DMSP-OLS data (1992&#x2013;2013) by using a quadratic model based on a &#x201C;pseudo-invariant pixel&#x201D; method. Thereafter, an exponential smoothing model was used to predict and patch missing data in the monthly SNPP-VIIRS data (2013&#x2013;2019). Outliers and noise were also removed from the annual data. In addition, a sigmoid model was employed to generate improved simulated DMSP-OLS (SDMSP-OLS) data (2013&#x2013;2019), which were appended with the calibrated DMSP-OLS data (1992&#x2013;2013) to develop improved DMSP-OLS-like data (1992&#x2013;2019) in China. Finally, we qualitatively and quantitatively compared these data with published NTL data to examine data availability. Results showed that choosing invariant pixels to calibrate DMSP-OLS data can minimize discontinuity. The correlation between the SNPP-VIIRS data synthesized by the patched monthly SNPP-VIIRS data and the official annual SNPP-VIIRS data in 2015 (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R^{2} =0.931$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) and 2016 (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R^{2} =0.930$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) was higher than those of the two existing correction methods with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> values below 0.90. Spatial patterns of pixels in the improved SDMSP-OLS data in 2013 were more similar with the DMSP-OLS data than those in the published data. Strong correlations likewise existed between the total (average) pixel values of the improved SDMSP-OLS data (2013&#x2013;2019) and the DMSP-OLS data in 2012. We also found that the improved DMSP-OLS-like data held strong linear correlations with different statistics, the average <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> values of which were 0.931 and 0.654 at the national and provincial levels, respectively. Meanwhile, the average regression <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> values between the two published data sets and statistics were 0.858/0.506 and 0.911/0.611, respectively. Our study has proven that the improved DMSP-OLS-like data (1992&#x2013;2019) have immense potential to effectively evaluate socioeconomic development and anthropic activities.