Multiscale Estimation of Electrification Rate Using Night-Time Light Imagery

Abstract

Electrification rate is an internationally accepted index for electric power access. However, electrification rate data are only commonly available at the national level in underdeveloped countries. In this article, we proposed a power stability method to estimate the electrification rate using night-time light data. The essence of this method is constructing a power stability index viewed as a key parameter, which is derived from daily night-time light data, and the method considers both the reliability of electricity supply and the average power supply which is represented by the annual night-time light luminosity. We assumed that areas with unstable night-time light had no reliable power supply, and the Landscan population map was overlaid to estimate electrification rates in different regions. As a study case, we used the method to estimate the multispatial scale electrification rates in Zimbabwe. We validated the estimated province-level electrification rates using the statistical data. The overall accuracy was 85.42% with an R-Square of 0.98, indicating the method is accurate for estimating the electrification rate. Consequently, we generated an electrification rate map at the district-level, which provides rich spatiotemporal information of the electrification. This research highlights the potential of using multisource night-time light imagery to locate population without a stable electricity supply.

Keywords

• Electrification rate
• multispatial scale
• night-time light
• power stability
• visible infrared imaging radiometer (VIIRS)