Assessment and documentation of NASA Black Marble Data for Disaster Applications in the Americas

NASA's Black Marble product suite consists of products derived from a retrieval algorithm from the Day-Night Band (DNB) sensor of the Visual Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard Suomi-NPP to estimate daily nighttime lights. Analysis of the presence or absence of nighttime lights can provide critical anthropogenic light information for several applications, including throughout the natural disaster lifecycle. We explore two case studies in the Caribbean (Barbados) and Central America (Honduras), where through engagements with end users we have determined that there are limited computational resources available and understanding of the Black Marble product suite, leading to underutilization of the suite. Therefore, providing a resource for training new users of the Black Marble suite on how to visualize and interpret the data for their applications is vital. In this study, we create a collection of easily accessible Esri StoryMaps to train users on the theory as well as potential applications of Black Marble data, thus fulfilling a known gap in current science. Additionally, historical Black Marble data for Barbados and Honduras has been compiled and assessed for quality and usability to provide scientists and researchers in the region and beyond a quality controlled dataset for future research in the region, enabling future science. Through scripting and GIS methods, this study accomplishes the goals of filling gaps in current science and enabling future science related to the Black Marble product suite, and the results of the research have been delivered directly to end users in the region for their use.