Study proposes method of identifying global poverty from space

Almost one billion people are still living without access to reliable and affordable electricity, which in turn negatively affects health and welfare, and impedes sustainable development, despite the fact that poverty has been reduced in the last two decades. If aid and infrastructure are to reach these people, they need to know where they are. A new International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis study proposes a novel method to estimate global economic well-being using nighttime satellite images.

Satellite images of Earth at night have been used by researchers for almost 30 years to study human activity, and they can help map issues like economic growth, poverty, and inequality. In developing countries, areas that are unlit at night generally indicate limited development, while areas that are brightly lit at night indicate more developed areas. Researchers have been more interested in using the data gathered from the lit areas. IIASA researchers and colleagues from several other institutions focused on the data from the unlit areas to estimate global economic well-being in a study published in Nature Communications.

Previous work focused more on the relationship between lit areas and economic development, but we found that it actually works the other way around and that unlit areas are a good indicator of poverty. The author of the study says that we can target interventions for poverty and places to focus on improving energy access by identifying unlit areas.

The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program places individual households on a constant scale of relative wealth from poorer to richer, and the researchers used a harmonized wealth index for households in various countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. They found 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 888-353-1299 Africa and Asia have the majority of unlit settlement footprints. If rural unlit infrastructure is taken into account, the numbers go up to 50% for Africa and 40% for Asia. In almost all countries, the results show an association between increasing percentages of unlit communities and decreasing economic well-being levels.

We were able to map and predict the wealth class of around 2.4 million households for 49 countries spread across Africa, Asia, and the Americas based on the percentage of unlit settlements detected using nighttime light satellite images with an overall accuracy of 87%. In particular Europe, there were relatively large amounts of unlit settlements. There can be several reasons for this result, including the fact that the satellite overpass is after midnight, but it could also be due to conscientious energy and cost saving policies in Europe by homeowners, governments, and industry.

Government agencies tend to prioritize expanding electricity access in urban areas over rural areas. Rural electrification can have a positive impact on household income, expenditure, health, and education. Efforts are underway to achieve the goal of access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, and substantial progress has been made over the past two decades.

Over 300 million people will still be living in extreme poverty by the year 2030. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to push an additional 88 to 115 million people into extreme poverty by the year 2030. Studies like this one can help track developing countries as they reduce their light-energy consumption.

If applied over time, the method we used in our study could provide opportunities to track well-being. In terms of policy, it can help inform energy policy around the globe and can also be helpful in shaping aid policy by ensuring that we reach those remote rural areas that are likely energy-poor. It could be useful to detect signs of sustainable and environmental management of lighting in the developed world.

More information: Ian McCallum, Estimating global economic well-being with unlit settlements, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30099-9 , www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-30099-9 Journal information: Nature Communications Citation: Study proposes method of identifying global poverty from space (2022, May 5) retrieved 5 May 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-05-method-global-poverty-space.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.