Exploring the relationship between total in-use stock and satellite nighttime light data: A case study from Lao PDR

摘要

Estimating the total in-use material stock is difficult and it is very true for developing countries’ perspectives. In this study, we explore the potential of the satellite nighttime light data to estimate the total in-use stock. The input data comes from DMSP satellite and dynamic material flow analysis. Laos is chosen as the case study. The results suggest that nighttime light information is correlated with the total in-use stock. The regression analysis shows that using the area lit information could explain nearly 90% of the overall variation. Though there remain some limitations, the nighttime data could be used at a greater scale for other countries as well.