{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,2]],"date-time":"2026-04-02T20:08:33Z","timestamp":1775160513830,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,20]],"date-time":"2019-06-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1560988800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["41671161\/71733001\/41401178"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["41671161\/71733001\/41401178"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Youth Talent Support Program in University of Beijing","award":["CIT&TCD 201804097"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CIT&TCD 201804097"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Remote Sensing"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The brightness of pixels in nighttime light images (NTL) has been regarded as the proxy of the urban dynamics. However, the great difference between the pixel values of NTL from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program\u2019s Operational Linescan System (DMSP\/OLS) and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite\u2019s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (Suomi NPP\/VIIRS) poses obstacles to analyze economic and social development with NTL in a continuous temporal sequence. This research proposes a methodology to align the pixel values of both NTL by calibrating annual DMSP images between the years 1992\u20132013 with a robust regression algorithm with a quadratic polynomial regression model and simulating annual DMSP images with VIIRS images between years 2012 and 2018 with a model consisting of a power function and a Gaussian low pass filter. As a result, DMSP annual images between years 1992\u20132018 can be produced. Case study of Beijing and Yiwu are conducted and evaluated with local gross domestic product (GDP). Compared with the values of DMSP and VIIRS annual composites, the Pearson correlation coefficients of DMSP and simulated DMSP annual composites in 2012 and in 2013 increase significantly, while the root mean square error (RMSE) decrease evidently. In addition, the correlation of the sum of light of NTL and local GDP is enhanced with a simulation process. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method in narrowing the gap between DMSP and VIIRS NTL in pixel values.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/rs11121463","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,20]],"date-time":"2019-06-20T10:49:59Z","timestamp":1561027799000},"page":"1463","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":61,"title":["Aligning Pixel Values of DMSP and VIIRS Nighttime Light Images to Evaluate Urban Dynamics"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3251-6231","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kang","family":"Wu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Beijing Key Laboratory of Megaregions Sustainable Development Modelling and School of Urban Economics and Public Administration, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China"}]},{"given":"Xiaonan","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Beijing Key Laboratory of Megaregions Sustainable Development Modelling and Institute of Megalopolis Social-economic Development, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,6,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"426","DOI":"10.1111\/tgis.12225","article-title":"Modeling spatiotemporal pattern of agriculture-feasible land in china","volume":"20","author":"Guan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Trans. 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