Getting insight into the development of the PRD over the past 20 years

Looking at satellite images of nighttime lights can tell us the patterns of urbanization and human activity on the ground. This page uses DMSP-OLS Nighttime images together with Landsat images to visualize the economic development in the Pearl River Delta Region over the past 20 years. The brightest areas in the image are generally the most urbanized but not necessarily the most populated.