Comments on: From space, signs of a brighter economy

By: aaron

aaron — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:24:36 +0000

The approach seems more interesting than the results. It makes sense that satellite data could provide alternative ways of observing economic development or structures. This is potentially interesting in countries, such as Burma (Myanmar) or North Korea, where estimating economic indicators is mostly guesswork. However, is this a good way of getting “better estimates” for economic growth? It seems plausible, but conflicts between GDP estimates and light data may be results of flukes such as, say, cultural shifts that occur in certain regions of a specific country that encourage night-life. But a very interesting study nevertheless.

By: Adair

Adair — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:34:51 +0000

This is another misleading title–the only economy mentioned as being “brighter” is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Neither the world economy or the US economy is assessed.

By: Bill Dockery

Bill Dockery — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:01:45 +0000

So this is a methodology for the low end of the economic ladder? How will economic downturns, conservation efforts, and dark-sky movements affect the more industrialized and developed end of the economic spectrum? Is it merely visually suggestive or can there be a quantitative analysis? Benchmarks?