{"id":14216,"date":"2017-04-16T12:11:43","date_gmt":"2017-04-16T16:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14216"},"modified":"2017-04-16T12:11:43","modified_gmt":"2017-04-16T16:11:43","slug":"new-night-lights-maps-of-the-earth-released-by-nasa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14216","title":{"rendered":"New night lights maps of the earth released by NASA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>NASA has recently released new improved images and video of night-time views of the earth&#8217;s surface lighting.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2017\/new-night-lights-maps-open-up-possible-real-time-applications\" target=\"_d\">New Night Lights Maps Open Up Possible Real-Time Applications<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8dc58ZrOuck?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>NASA scientists have just released the first new global map of Earth at night since 2012. By studying Earth at night, researchers can investigate how cities expand, monitor light intensity to estimate energy use and economic activity, and aid in disaster response.<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"credits\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Credits: NASA&#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center\/Kathryn Mersmann<\/em><\/div>\n<div class=\"link\" style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/svs.gsfc.nasa.gov\/12573\">Download this video in HD formats from NASA Goddard&#8217;s Scientific Visualization Studio<\/a><\/em><\/div>\n<p>NASA scientists are releasing new global maps of Earth at night, providing the clearest yet composite view of the patterns of human settlement across our planet.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/blackmarble\/2016\/globalmaps\/BlackMarble_2016_3km.jpg\">Download 2016 &#8220;Earth at Night&#8221; map: 8 MB jpg<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/blackmarble\/media\/BlackMarble20161km.jpg\">266 MB jpg<\/a><br \/>\nCredit:\u00a0<\/strong><em>NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using\u00a0Suomi\u00a0NPP\u00a0VIIRS\u00a0data from Miguel\u00a0Rom\u00e1n, NASA&#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Satellite images of Earth at night \u2014 often referred to as &#8220;night lights&#8221; \u2014 have been a gee-whiz curiosity for the public and a tool for fundamental research for nearly 25 years. They have provided a broad, beautiful picture, showing how humans have shaped the planet and lit up the darkness. Produced every decade or so, such maps have spawned hundreds of pop-culture uses and dozens of economic, social science and environmental research projects.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14217\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14217\" style=\"width: 520px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/thumbnails\/image\/blackmarble2016-continents.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14217\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=14217\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/blackmarble2016-continents1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"985,265\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"blackmarble2016-continents[1]\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/blackmarble2016-continents1.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-14217\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/blackmarble2016-continents1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"140\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/blackmarble2016-continents1.jpg 985w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/blackmarble2016-continents1-300x81.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/blackmarble2016-continents1-768x207.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14217\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>These three composite images provide full-hemisphere views of Earth at night. The clouds and sun glint \u2014 added here for aesthetic effect \u2014 are derived from MODIS instrument land surface and cloud cover products. Credits: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Rom\u00e1n, NASA&#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/blackmarble\/media\/BlackMarble_2016_Americas_composite.png\" target=\"_blank\">Download Americas image<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/blackmarble\/media\/BlackMarble_2016_EuroAfrica_composite.png\" target=\"_blank\">Download Europe and Africa image<\/a> &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/blackmarble\/media\/BlackMarble_2016_Asia_composite.png\" target=\"_blank\">Download Asia and Australia image<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But what would happen if night lights imagery could be updated yearly, monthly or even daily? A research team led by Earth scientist Miguel Rom\u00e1n of NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, plans to find out this year.<\/p>\n<p>In the years since the 2011 launch of the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership\u00a0(NPP) satellite, Rom\u00e1n and colleagues have been analyzing night lights data and developing new software and algorithms to make night lights imagery clearer, more accurate and readily available. They are now on the verge of providing daily, high-definition views of Earth at night, and are targeting the release of such data to the science community later this year.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14218\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14218\" style=\"width: 520px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/thumbnails\/image\/2016-north-america-usa.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14218\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=14218\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-north-america-usa1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"985,630\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"North America &amp;#8211; USA &amp;#8211; 2016\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Composite image of continental U.S. at night, 2016.&lt;br \/&gt;\nCredits: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Rom\u00e1n, NASA&amp;#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-north-america-usa1.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-14218\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-north-america-usa1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-north-america-usa1.jpg 985w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-north-america-usa1-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-north-america-usa1-768x491.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14218\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Composite image of continental U.S. at night, 2016.\u00a0Credits: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Rom\u00e1n, NASA&#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Since colleagues from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA released a new Earth at night map in 2012, Rom\u00e1n and teammates at NASA&#8217;s Earth Observing Satellite Data and Information System (EOSDIS) have been working to integrate nighttime data into NASA&#8217;s Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) and Worldview mapping tools. Freely available to the science community and the public via the Web, GIBS and Worldview allow users to see natural- and false-color images of Earth within hours of satellite acquisition.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14219\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14219\" style=\"width: 520px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-i95corridor1.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14219\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=14219\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-i95corridor1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1044,734\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"I-95 corridor &amp;#8211; 2016\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Composite image of Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. at night, 2016.&lt;br \/&gt;\nCredits: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Rom\u00e1n, NASA&amp;#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-i95corridor1-1024x720.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-14219 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-i95corridor1-1024x720.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-i95corridor1-1024x720.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-i95corridor1-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-i95corridor1-768x540.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-i95corridor1.jpg 1044w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Composite image of Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern U.S. at night, 2016.\u00a0Credits: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Rom\u00e1n, NASA&#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Today they are releasing a new global composite map of night lights as observed in 2016, as well as a revised version of the 2012 map (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/blackmarble\/2012\/globalmaps\/BlackMarble_2012_3km.jpg\">8 MB jpg<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/specials\/blackmarble\/media\/BlackMarble20121km.jpg\">265 MB jpg<\/a>). The NASA group has examined the different ways that light is radiated, scattered and reflected by land, atmospheric and ocean surfaces. The principal challenge in nighttime satellite imaging is accounting for the phases of the moon, which constantly varies the amount of light shining on Earth, though in predictable ways. Likewise, seasonal vegetation, clouds, aerosols, snow and ice cover, and even faint atmospheric emissions (such as airglow and auroras) change the way light is observed in different parts of the world. The new maps were produced with data from all months of each year. The team wrote code that picked the clearest night views each month, ultimately combining moonlight-free and moonlight-corrected data.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14220\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14220\" style=\"width: 520px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/thumbnails\/image\/2016-nile.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14220\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=14220\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-nile1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"985,447\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Nile &amp;#8211; 2016\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Composite image of Nile River and surrounding region at night, 2016.&lt;br \/&gt;\nCredits: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Rom\u00e1n, NASA&amp;#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-nile1.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-14220\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-nile1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-nile1.jpg 985w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-nile1-300x136.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-nile1-768x349.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14220\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Composite image of Nile River and surrounding region at night, 2016. Credits: NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using Suomi NPP VIIRS data from Miguel Rom\u00e1n, NASA&#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rom\u00e1n and colleagues have been building remote sensing techniques to filter out these sources of extraneous light, gathering a better and more consistent signal of how human-driven patterns and processes are changing. The improved processing moves Suomi NPP closer to its full potential of observing dim light down to the scale of an isolated highway lamp or a fishing boat. The satellite&#8217;s workhorse instrument is the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), which detects photons of light reflected from Earth&#8217;s surface and atmosphere in 22 different wavelengths. VIIRS is the first satellite instrument to make quantitative measurements of light emissions and reflections, which allows researchers to distinguish the intensity, types and the sources of night lights over several years.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14221\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14221\" style=\"width: 520px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/thumbnails\/image\/2016-europe.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14221\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=14221\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-europe1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"985,664\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Europe &amp;#8211; 2016\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Composite image of Europe at night, 2016.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-europe1.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-14221\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-europe1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"351\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-europe1.jpg 985w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-europe1-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/2016-europe1-768x518.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14221\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Composite image of Europe at night, 2016.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Suomi NPP observes nearly every location on Earth at roughly 1:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. (local time) each day, observing the planet in vertical 3000-kilometer strips from pole to pole. VIIRS includes a special \u201cday-night band,\u201d a low-light sensor that can distinguish night lights with six times better spatial resolution and 250 times better resolution of lighting levels (dynamic range) than previous night-observing satellites. And because Suomi NPP is a civilian science satellite, the data are freely available to scientists within minutes to hours of acquisition.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_14222\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14222\" style=\"width: 520px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/chicago-20161.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14222\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=14222\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/chicago-20161.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1041,561\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Chicago &amp;#8211; 2016\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/chicago-20161-1024x552.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-14222 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/chicago-20161-1024x552.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/chicago-20161-1024x552.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/chicago-20161-300x162.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/chicago-20161-768x414.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/chicago-20161.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14222\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>[Chicago and Lake Michigan area in 2016. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2017\/new-night-lights-maps-open-up-possible-real-time-applications\" target=\"_blank\">NASA posting<\/a> for comparison with 2012 image of same area.]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_14224\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-14224\" style=\"width: 520px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/thumbnails\/image\/india-2016.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"14224\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=14224\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/india-2016_520x300.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"520,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"India &amp;#8211; 2016\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/india-2016_520x300.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-14224 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/india-2016_520x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/india-2016_520x300.jpg 520w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/india-2016_520x300-300x173.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 520px) 100vw, 520px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-14224\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>[India in 2016. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2017\/new-night-lights-maps-open-up-possible-real-time-applications\" target=\"_blank\">NASA posting<\/a> for comparison with 2012 image of same area.]<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>Armed with more accurate nighttime environmental products, the NASA team is now automating the processing so that users will be able to view nighttime imagery within hours of acquisition. This has the potential to aid short-term weather forecasting and disaster response.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>&#8220;Thanks to VIIRS, we can now monitor short-term changes caused by disturbances in power delivery, such as conflict, storms, earthquakes and brownouts,&#8221; said Rom\u00e1n. &#8220;We can monitor cyclical changes driven by reoccurring human activities such as holiday lighting and seasonal migrations. We can also monitor gradual changes driven by urbanization, out-migration, economic changes, and electrification. The fact that we can track all these different aspects at the heart of what defines a city is simply mind-boggling.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>For instance, VIIRS detected power outages in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, a major storm that struck the northeastern Caribbean and the southeastern United States in late September 2016. NASA\u2019s Disasters Response team provided the data to colleagues at the Federal Emergency Management Agency; in the future, NASA, FEMA and the Department of Energy hope to develop power outage maps and integrate the information into recovery efforts by first responders.<\/p>\n<p>The NASA team envisions many other potential uses by research, meteorological and civic groups. For instance, daily nighttime imagery could be used to help monitor unregulated or unreported fishing. It could also contribute to efforts to track sea ice movements and concentrations. Researchers in Puerto Rico intend to use the dataset to reduce light pollution and help protect tropical forests and coastal areas that support fragile ecosystems. And a team at the United Nations has already used night lights data to monitor the effects of war on electric power and the movement of displaced populations in war-torn Syria.<\/p>\n<p>In a separate, long-term project, Rom\u00e1n is working with colleagues from around the world to improve global and regional estimates of carbon dioxide emissions. The team at NASA\u2019s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) is combining night lights, urban land use data, and statistical and model projections of anthropogenic emissions in ways that should make estimates of sources much more precise.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related Links<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/earthobservatory.nasa.gov\/Features\/NightLights\/\">NASA Earth Observatory&#8217;s &#8220;Night Lights&#8221; website<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov\/?p=geographic&amp;l=VIIRS_SNPP_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor(hidden),MODIS_Aqua_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor(hidden),MODIS_Terra_CorrectedReflectance_TrueColor(hidden),VIIRS_Black_Marble,Reference_Labels(hidden),Reference_Features(hidden),Coastlines(hidden),VIIRS_SNPP_DayNightBand_ENCC(hidden),VIIRS_Night_Lights(hidden)&amp;t=2016-12-08&amp;z=3&amp;v=-145.09126104686823,4.798978061867103,-51.92719854686821,57.5333530618671\">Navigate through the &#8220;Earth at Night&#8221; map online in NASA Worldview<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">====<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"\/\/rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/cm?o=1&amp;p=12&amp;l=ur1&amp;category=amzn_basics_elctnics&amp;banner=10PFV81ZPVCWKXE6S9G2&amp;f=ifr&amp;linkID=caaa70725fb7c5b929777e8413b07b34&amp;t=hobbyspace&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA has recently released new improved images and video of night-time views of the earth&#8217;s surface lighting. New Night Lights Maps Open Up Possible Real-Time Applications NASA scientists have just released the first new global map of Earth at night since 2012. By studying Earth at night, researchers can investigate how cities expand, monitor light &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14216\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">New night lights maps of the earth released by NASA<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,36,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-eyes-in-the-sky","category-multiple-media","category-space-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-3Hi","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23593,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=23593","url_meta":{"origin":14216,"position":0},"title":"Videos: Night sky highlights for March 2021","author":"TopSpacer","date":"March 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"[ Update: ** What's Up: March 2021 Skywatching Tips from NASA - NASA JPL What are some skywatching highlights in March 2021? Look for Mars close to the Pleiades in the first couple of weeks of March. Then wake up early to observe the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=hobbyspace&l=am2&o=1&a=B07WT67R9V","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7886,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7886","url_meta":{"origin":14216,"position":1},"title":"NASA green-lights citizen science group&#8217;s effort to contact &#038; redirect ISEE-3 spacecraft","author":"TopSpacer","date":"May 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I've written about the\u00a0ISEE-3 Reboot Project\u00a0effort by a private non-profit group to reconnect with NASA's\u00a035\u00a0year old International Sun-Earth Explorers (ISSE)\u00a0spacecraft and direct it back to its original solar science mission. The group recently carried out a successful crowd-funding\u00a0campaign\u00a0to pay for the initial phase of the project. NASA has now given\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Science&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Science","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=31"},"img":{"alt_text":"international_cometary_explorer_isee3_art[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/international_cometary_explorer_isee3_art1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11443,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=11443","url_meta":{"origin":14216,"position":2},"title":"New Horizons: Flyover videos + New images show &#8220;Snakeskin&#8221; terrain and other oddities","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"More images and videos of Pluto: * This is What a Flyover of Pluto's Heart-Shaped Region Would Look Like\u00a0-\u00a0\u00a0Roman Tkachenko\u00a0adds a new Pluto fly-over animation to his collection of\u00a0New Horizons videos\u00a0- https:\/\/youtu.be\/J3h7i8QQvXc * Art Meets Science in New Pluto Aerial Tour - Pluto New Horizons The latest images (as of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Pluto and beyond&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Pluto and beyond","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=97"},"img":{"alt_text":"snakeskin_detail[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/snakeskin_detail1-1024x631.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6378,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=6378","url_meta":{"origin":14216,"position":3},"title":"Curiosity spots earth in the Mars night sky","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA JPL released an image from the Curiosity rover showing how future Mars residents will see their home planet at night: NASA Mars Rover Curiosity Sees 'Evening Star' Earth The two bodies in this portion of an evening-sky view by NASA's Mars rover Curiosity are Earth and Earth's moon. Image\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"Curiosity Mars Rover's First Image of Earth and Earth's Moon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/images\/msl\/20140206\/pia17936-640.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8148,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8148","url_meta":{"origin":14216,"position":4},"title":"Video: NASA asteroid initiative status report","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA posted\u00a0two press releases yesterday about the developments in the \u00a0agency's\u00a0Asteroid Initiative. This includes a program to look\u00a0for and track near earth asteroids . 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