Earthdata Forum

Is the subject dataset really as valuable as once potentially used to be for economic and industrial trending considering most cities deploy lower wattage lights or have changed their lighting philosophies?
I downloaded a few western countries datasets and see drop off in light after 2018 yet we would expect that mean lighting should increase?
Are there any other datasets that could help me try and trend economic activity?

Decrease in nighttime light was observed in several Western counties after 2018 which could be due do several factors such as the COVID-19 pandamic, the transition to LED, the energy crisis caused by Ukriane war etc. Lots of papers analyzed the COVID-19 impact on nighttime light reduction (e.g. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-025-04398-x; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-12211-7). As of 2023 several bans on different types of lamps (e.g. halogen, fluorescent lamps) were enacted. The peak LED adoption is ~2014-2017. LEDs became the default choice for new and replacement installations during 2018-2020. By ~2020 most Western countries had transitioned the majority of their outdoor lighting to LED. Users can check the local policy and/or other related dataset to exclude the effect of LED. Note that the transition to LED is usually a short time change for each pixel. Users can track the gradual and abrupt changes to isolate different factors. We are working on operational Black Marble change products.

I appreciate your response @LAADS_UserServices_M.
Can you elaborate on your last comment: "We are working on operational Black Marble change products."?
What are you intending on adding as a product? Timeframe?
Finally, are there any other current products that are unaffected by the transition to more efficient lighting (primarily) which could be used to approximate general activity, economic or similar?
Thanks in advance.

The change product is expected to be available early next year. No other products have removed the transition effect.

This dataset seems very valuable. Can VIIRS Black Marble nighttime light data be used to assess electricity demand patterns or identify potential areas for solar energy planning in developing regions?

You can review project page at:
https://blackmarble.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Or see publication like:
https://energyforgrowth.org/article/lighting-the-way-nighttime-lights-for-electrification-planning/