Spatial and Temporal Changes of Urban Built-Up Area in the Yellow River Basin from Nighttime Light Data

Jingxu Wang, Shike Qiu, Jun Du, Shengwang Meng, Chao Wang, Fei Teng and Yangyang Liu
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Jingxu Wang: Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System of Henan Province, Institute of Geography, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, China
Shike Qiu: Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System of Henan Province, Institute of Geography, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, China
Jun Du: Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System of Henan Province, Institute of Geography, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, China
Shengwang Meng: Qianyanzhou Ecological Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Chao Wang: Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System of Henan Province, Institute of Geography, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, China
Fei Teng: Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System of Henan Province, Institute of Geography, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450052, China
Yangyang Liu: PIESAT International Information Technology Limited, Beijing 100195, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-14

Abstract: Nighttime light (NTL) images obtained by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer (VIIRS) mounted on the National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) could objectively represent human activities and instantly identify urban shapes on a temporal and spatial scale. From 2013 to 2020, the built-up areas of eight provincial capital cities were extracted using NPP/VIIRS NTL data to examine the dynamic changes in city expansion and socioeconomic development in the Yellow River Basin during the urbanization process. The spatial characteristics of urban built-up area expansion were generated using the eight-quadrant analysis method and combined with the statistical data of population and (gross domestic product) GDP to analyze the correlations between the light intensity of built-up areas, population and GDP; this enables an understanding of the changes in population and economy in the development of urban built-up area expansion. The findings show that: (1) unbalanced city development existed in the Yellow River Basin’s upper, middle, and lower reaches, and the expansion and light intensity of cities in the upper reaches were slower than those in the middle and lower reaches; (2) the spatial differentiation of urban expansion was significant between each of the reaches in the Yellow River Basin, and greatly influenced by natural geographical elements; and (3) positive correlation exists between light intensity, population, and GDP in the built-up areas of the middle and lower reaches, while the correlations in the upper reaches were not stable. In conclusion, light data indirectly reflects urban development and could be used as a substitute variable for socioeconomic development indicators under certain conditions.

Keywords: urban expansion; nighttime light; light intensity; socioeconomic development; Yellow River Basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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