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Multi-Scale Measurement of Regional Inequality in Mainland China during 2005–2010 Using DMSP/OLS Night Light Imagery and Population Density Grid Data

Author

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  • Huimin Xu

    (School of Economics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

  • Hutao Yang

    (School of Economics, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China)

  • Xi Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
    Collaborative Innovation Centre of Geospatial Technology, Wuhan 430079, China
    Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, 20742 MD, USA)

  • Huiran Jin

    (Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, 20742 MD, USA)

  • Deren Li

    (State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
    Collaborative Innovation Centre of Geospatial Technology, Wuhan 430079, China)

Abstract

This study used the Night Light Development Index (NLDI) to measure the regional inequality of public services in Mainland China at multiple scales. The NLDI was extracted based on a Gini Coefficient approach to measure the spatial differences of population distribution and night light distribution. Population data were derived from the dataset of China’s population density grid, and night light data were acquired from satellite imagery. In the multi-scale analysis, we calculated the NLDI for China as a whole, eight economic regions, 31 provincial regions, and 354 prefectural cities for the two years of 2005 and 2010. The results indicate that Southwest China and Northwest China are the regions with the most unequal public services, with NLDI values of 0.7116 and 0.7251 for 2005, respectively, and 0.6678 and 0.6304 for 2010, respectively. In contrast, Northern Coastal China had the lowest NLDI values of 0.4775 and 0.4312 for 2005 and 2010, respectively, indicating that this region had the most equal public services. Also, the regional inequality of Mainland China in terms of NLDI has been reduced from 0.6161 to 0.5743 during 2005–2010. The same pattern was observed from the provincial and prefectural analysis, suggesting that public services in Mainland China became more equal within the five-year period. A regression analysis indicated that provincial and prefectural regions with more public services per capita and higher population density had more equal public services.

Suggested Citation

  • Huimin Xu & Hutao Yang & Xi Li & Huiran Jin & Deren Li, 2015. "Multi-Scale Measurement of Regional Inequality in Mainland China during 2005–2010 Using DMSP/OLS Night Light Imagery and Population Density Grid Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-31, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:7:y:2015:i:10:p:13469-13499:d:56624
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Feng Lan & Huili Da & Haizhen Wen & Ying Wang, 2019. "Spatial Structure Evolution of Urban Agglomerations and Its Driving Factors in Mainland China: From the Monocentric to the Polycentric Dimension," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Tingting Xu & Yunting Zong & Heng Su & Aohua Tian & Jay Gao & Yurui Wang & Ruiqi Su, 2023. "Prediction of Multi-Scale Socioeconomic Parameters from Long-Term Nighttime Lights Satellite Data Using Decision Tree Regression: A Case Study of Chongqing, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-22, January.
    3. Huimin Xu & Shougeng Hu & Xi Li, 2023. "Urban Distribution and Evolution of the Yangtze River Economic Belt from the Perspectives of Urban Area and Night-Time Light," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-21, January.

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