VIIRS Nighttime Lights (NASA/NOAA)
VIIRS Nighttime Lights provides global 500m nightlight radiance from 2012-present for urbanization and economic mapping.
Format GeoTIFF
Coverage Global
Resolution 500m
License Free open access (NASA/NOAA)
Update Monthly and annual composites
Format
GeoTIFF
Geometry
Raster (nightlight radiance)
Coverage
Global
Resolution
500m
About this dataset
Global nighttime lights at 500m resolution from VIIRS satellite, used for urbanization and economic activity mapping.
VIIRS Day/Night Band nighttime lights provide global artificial light measurements at ~500m resolution. Monthly and annual composites available from 2012-present, widely used as a proxy for GDP, urbanization, and energy access.
Urbanization mapping Economic activity Energy access assessment
How to download
- 1 Open the VIIRS download page.
- 2 Select year and product type.
- 3 Download the GeoTIFF tile for your region.
- 4 Analyze for urban or economic patterns.
FAQ
Better than DMSP-OLS?
VIIRS offers 500m resolution (vs 2.7km), no saturation, and better sensitivity to dim lights.
What can nightlights tell us?
Proxy for GDP, electrification, urbanization, and disaster impact.