A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting
<p>We present the first comprehensive multiyear global mapping of offshore lighting structures derived from low-light imaging satellite observations collected at night. The sensor is the day–night band (DNB) flown as part of the NASA/NOAA Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The...
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Copernicus Publications
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Earth System Science Data |
| Online Access: | https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/17/579/2025/essd-17-579-2025.pdf |
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| author | C. D. Elvidge T. Ghosh N. Chatterjee N. Chatterjee M. Zhizhin M. Zhizhin P. C. Sutton M. Bazilian |
| author_facet | C. D. Elvidge T. Ghosh N. Chatterjee N. Chatterjee M. Zhizhin M. Zhizhin P. C. Sutton M. Bazilian |
| author_sort | C. D. Elvidge |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>We present the first comprehensive multiyear global mapping of offshore lighting structures derived from low-light imaging satellite observations collected at night. The sensor is the day–night band (DNB) flown as part of the NASA/NOAA Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The product merges two operational nighttime light products: VIIRS boat detection (VBD) data and VIIRS cloud-free nighttime light (VNL) data. The two products are spatially complementary, making it possible to fill gaps through a merger. Both product sets have an average DNB radiance layer, and the merger involves preserving the higher of the two average radiances. A wide range of lighting structures is present, i.e., fishing grounds, platforms, anchorages, gas flares, transit routes, and the glow surrounding bright lighting onshore. The richness of the numbers and types of offshore lighting structures can be traced back to the DNB spike detector at the core of the VBD algorithm. The VNL algorithm uses outlier removal to filter out biomass burning, an essential process for mapping electric lighting onshore. The outlier removal drops about 80 % of the offshore lighting detections. We expect that the new product will lead to an improved understanding of fishing grounds, offshore light pollution, and supply chain disruptions at anchorages, thereby aiding in the development of more sustainable and efficient practices. The global datasets are available at <span class="uri">https://doi.org/10.25676/11124/179157</span> (Elvidge et al., 2024).</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-31f4f95153ce461ab9cfdf105062ce73 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1866-3508 1866-3516 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth System Science Data |
| spelling | doaj-art-31f4f95153ce461ab9cfdf105062ce732025-02-08T18:06:08ZengCopernicus PublicationsEarth System Science Data1866-35081866-35162025-02-011757959410.5194/essd-17-579-2025A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lightingC. D. Elvidge0T. Ghosh1N. Chatterjee2N. Chatterjee3M. Zhizhin4M. Zhizhin5P. C. Sutton6M. Bazilian7Earth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USAEarth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USAEarth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USADepartment of Geography and the Environment, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208, USAEarth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USASpace Research Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, RussiaDepartment of Geography and the Environment, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado 80208, USAPayne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, USA<p>We present the first comprehensive multiyear global mapping of offshore lighting structures derived from low-light imaging satellite observations collected at night. The sensor is the day–night band (DNB) flown as part of the NASA/NOAA Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The product merges two operational nighttime light products: VIIRS boat detection (VBD) data and VIIRS cloud-free nighttime light (VNL) data. The two products are spatially complementary, making it possible to fill gaps through a merger. Both product sets have an average DNB radiance layer, and the merger involves preserving the higher of the two average radiances. A wide range of lighting structures is present, i.e., fishing grounds, platforms, anchorages, gas flares, transit routes, and the glow surrounding bright lighting onshore. The richness of the numbers and types of offshore lighting structures can be traced back to the DNB spike detector at the core of the VBD algorithm. The VNL algorithm uses outlier removal to filter out biomass burning, an essential process for mapping electric lighting onshore. The outlier removal drops about 80 % of the offshore lighting detections. We expect that the new product will lead to an improved understanding of fishing grounds, offshore light pollution, and supply chain disruptions at anchorages, thereby aiding in the development of more sustainable and efficient practices. The global datasets are available at <span class="uri">https://doi.org/10.25676/11124/179157</span> (Elvidge et al., 2024).</p>https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/17/579/2025/essd-17-579-2025.pdf |
| spellingShingle | C. D. Elvidge T. Ghosh N. Chatterjee N. Chatterjee M. Zhizhin M. Zhizhin P. C. Sutton M. Bazilian A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting Earth System Science Data |
| title | A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting |
| title_full | A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting |
| title_fullStr | A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting |
| title_full_unstemmed | A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting |
| title_short | A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting |
| title_sort | comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting |
| url | https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/17/579/2025/essd-17-579-2025.pdf |
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