Down-scaling socioeconomic development patterns with satellite imagery: A preliminary analysis

The Human Development Index (HDI), based on life expectancy, education and per-capita income, is one of the most adopted indicators of human development. However, undeniable problems in data collection limit between-countries comparisons reducing the practical applicability of the HDI in official statistics. Elvidge et al., (2012) proposed an alternative index of human development (Night Light Development Index, NLDI) derived from nighttime satellite imagery and population density, with improved comparability over time and space. The NLDI assesses inequality in the spatial distribution of night light among inhabitants. It has proven to correlate significantly with the HDI at the country scale. However, the NLDI presents some drawbacks when applied to the smaller analysis' spatial domains, since similar NLDI values indicate very different levels of development. A modified NLDI overcoming this drawback is proposed in this study to assess human development at 3 spatial scales (the whole country, 5 geographical divisions and 20 administrative regions) in Italy, a country with relevant socioeconomic disparities. The original and modified NLDI were correlated with 5 independent indicators of economic growth, sustainable development and environmental quality. The spatial distribution of the original and modified NLDI is not coherent with the level of human development in Italy being instead associated with various indexes of environmental quality. Further investigation is required to identify in which socioeconomic context (and at which spatial scale) the NDLI approach correctly estimates the level of human development in affluent countries.