A comprehensive global mapping of offshore lighting

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Director Christopher D. Elvidge, Research Associates Tilottama Ghosh, Namrata Chatterjee, and Mikhail Zhizhin, Paul C. Sutton, and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian present the first comprehensive multiyear global mapping of offshore lighting structures derived from low-light imaging satellite observations collected at night. The sensor is the day–night band (DNB) flown as part of the NASA/NOAA Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The product merges two operational nighttime light products: VIIRS boat detection (VBD) data and VIIRS cloud-free nighttime light (VNL) data. The two products are spatially complementary, making it possible to fill gaps through a merger.  February 8, 2025.