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UPDATE 9/21/18:

Image of Black Marble nighttime data over Hurricane Florence.
Suomi-NPP VIIRS Black Marble nighttime data showing pre and post event imagery from Wilmington NC.
Image of Black Marble nighttime data over Hurricane Florence.
Suomi-NPP VIIRS Black Marble nighttime data showing pre and post event imagery from Jacksonville NC.

The NASA Black Marble product suite has been used to assess disruptions in energy infrastructure and utility services following major disasters. The night-time imageries are useful for pre-event and post-event mapping and monitoring of power outages in cloud-free conditions.

UPDATE 9/15/18:

Image of the Black Marble level three and HD data before the arrival of Hurricane Florence.
The pre-event image in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina is based on the composite Black Marble images between August 10 - Sep 11 2018. The image shows areas in high-light condition in color red, while areas in low-light condition are in black before the arrival of Hurricane Florence. The Black Marble Level 3 and HD data are continuously being produced and delivered for the latest day available.

The Day/Night Band (DNB) sensor of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), on board the Suomi-National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) and Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellite platforms, provide global daily measurements of nocturnal visible and near-infrared (NIR) light that are suitable for Earth system science and applications studies. The VIIRS Black Marble product suite detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared, including city lights and lights from other activity.

On September 14, 2018 North Carolina officials said the number of power outages was more than half a million, and the number had climbed steadily due to Florence. The NASA Black Marble product suite has been used to assess disruptions in energy infrastructure and utility services following major disasters. The night-time imageries are useful for pre-event and post-event mapping and monitoring of power outages in cloud-free conditions.  

Learn more about VIIRS Black Marble Product Suite: https://viirsland.gsfc.nasa.gov/Products/NASA/BlackMarble.html

References:

Román, M.O., Wang, Z., Sun, Q., Kalb, V., Miller, S.D., Molthan, A., Schultz, L., Bell, J., Stokes, E.C., Pandey, B. and Seto, K.C., et al. (2018). NASA's Black Marble nighttime lights product suite. Remote Sensing of Environment, 210, 113-143. doi:10.1016/j.rse.2018.03.017.

Román, M.O. and Stokes, E.C. (2015). Holidays in lights: Tracking cultural patterns in demand for energy services. Earth’s Future, 3, 182–205.

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