Nighttime Satellite Imagery

Purposes and Objectives of Nighttime Satellite Imaging

The purpose of nighttime satellite imaging: to create a picture of the Earth's nighttime environment, specific regions, territories, and objects. This involves creating "night maps," photos, and video images that reflect the constant light emissions on the Earth's surface. Nighttime remote sensing data, statistics, cartographic information, and text provide access to territorial and object-based information anywhere on Earth, complementing and enhancing daytime satellite imaging.

Detailed objectives based on the purpose include real work in:

• Creating topographic maps and plans, as well as other cartographic products based on nighttime imaging data;
• Compiling thematic maps related to issues such as economic growth, poverty, and inequality, especially where data is lacking;
• Developing a geospatial index of household prosperity calculated within the framework of demographic and medical surveys, which places individual households on a continuous scale of relative prosperity from poorer to wealthier;
• Creating engineering-topographic maps for engineering-geodetic surveys using nighttime imaging;
• Evaluating the situation on the ground during specific nighttime periods, including changes over time (military tactical level, traffic on roads and railways, fishing, power supply);
• Monitoring changes on the ground using nighttime imaging over the years;
• Creating a remote sensing basis for thematic geological and infrastructure exploration maps using infrared (IR) spectrum nighttime imaging;
• Monitoring emergency situations and their consequences during nighttime, controlling and conducting emergency recovery work;
• Monitoring light pollution of the environment;
• Creating fire photomaps;
• Improving existing approaches to mapping urban areas by integrating nighttime light (NTL) data with satellite images from other satellites (Landsat, Sentinel, WorldView, JL1-3B, Aster, Modis, etc.).

Advantages of Using Nighttime Remote Sensing Satellite Data

Mid-resolution nighttime imaging data can be obtained from open sources and combined with high-resolution images (if required by the Client), acquired rapidly from Geo Innoter (resolution of 0.5 – 3 meters), specifically designed for nighttime imaging.

For nighttime monitoring, the images may already be available in the archives of the satellite operator, and new imaging does not require any approvals from governmental bodies. The coverage area of nighttime satellite images significantly exceeds the area covered by images obtained from aircraft or UAVs.

Materials acquired from aircraft or UAVs have high visual informativeness and excellent measurement properties but require a longer time for nighttime imaging, as it involves time for approval of the flight, transportation of aircraft (UAV with operators) to the imaging area, and higher (multiplicative) cost of data per 1 km².

The resolution of nighttime satellite imagery eliminates the need to engage aircraft and UAVs in nighttime conditions, which, according to existing flight regulations, presents special and often impractical conditions.

Another undeniable advantage of satellite imaging is its objectivity (minimizing human factors).