Multi-scale analysis of the relationship between economic statistics and DMSP-OLS night light images

Numerous studies have examined the correlation between socioeconomic statistics and night light (NL) imagery. Previous studies have shown that the NL data correlates well with gross domestic product (GDP) statistics. This study calls for a focus on process over correlation between the variables so as to better inform scaled models of the relationship. A focus on process is addressed in this study by examining the relationship between the variables at two scales and two time periods. The two scales examined are: States and Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA). The MSA scale exhibits a stronger relationship with the NLs over the State scale, and the results at either scale are consistent through time. However, the models examined here are miss-specified at all scales. Examination of outliers and residuals informs for future well-described models of the relationship.