Study on the Temporal and Spatial Pattern Differences of Chinese Light Curl Based on DMSP/OLS

Abstract

Nighttime light data can detect surface gleams that can intuitively reflect human socioeconomic activity. This paper uses the DMSP/OLS nighttime lighting data from 2001 to 2007 to analyze the coupling relationship between regional economic development and nighttime light intensity in China using regression model. The results show that the brightest areas of nighttime light are mainly concentrated in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta region, and the Pearl River Delta region. With the change of the year, the brightness of the three regions is brighter year by year, indicating that the economy is more and more developed. The linear regression model of total brightness and GDP of regional light: Y=792.218+0.024X, linear slope is 0.024, indicating a positive correlation trend. The provinces and cities with the highest total brightness of the provinces and cities are Guangdong Province, Shandong Province, and Jiangsu Province, and the lowest provinces and cities are Qinghai Province and Tibet Autonomous Region. The total brightness of regional lights in China’s provinces and cities is well coupled with GDP. The total brightness of regional lights in all provinces and cities is weakened from east to west. The brightness of the 11 provinces in the eastern region is the strongest, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, and Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, Hainan Province. The second most powerful lighting is the eight provinces in the central region including Shanxi, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan. The weakest lighting is in the western regions of Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia and other provinces (cities). In the east of the Hu Huanyong line, the nighttime lighting is higher than the west of the Hu Huanyong line. The eastern part of China’s seven geographical divisions (Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Fujian, and Taiwan) has the brightest night lights. The northwestern region (Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region) has a weak night light. The brightness information of nighttime remote sensing data selected in this study can reflect the level of regional economic development.