Today's pandemic, tomorrow's solution
Learn how our team visualizes space observation data in assessing indicators of sustainable urban life during CoVid 19
Our Story
4 high school students and SEES interns unite from across North America in a 2-day effort to help others understand the effect of CoVid 19 on UN Sustainable Development Goals
Our Vision
Our team brings to light relationships between geospatial data and urban development indicators in order to inspire future applications involving tracking Sustainable Development Goals
Technology
We use past and present Day Night Band imaging from the VIIRS satellite, as well as air quality reports from IASI and TROPOMI to provide a comprehensive picture of urban life before and after the pandemic
One challenge; two datasets
The challenge we faced:
How can we use NASA's geospatial data to evaluate targets for human settlements?
Nightlights
Various indicators of economic growth/loss, such as GDP, are purely conceptual and cannot be displayed by satellite imagery. However, concentration of nightlight provides a viable way to use space observation in indirectly observing economic growth. With Nighttime Light Images from NASA's LAADS DAAC Database and "Black Marble" project, we developed a relationship between urban night lights and economic production.
Air quality
The environmental impact, namely the air quality, of cities are of vital interest to those, like the UN, who wish to reach Sustainable Development Goals. Air quality depends on the amount of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in the air, but also the levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and other harmful gases present in the air.
