How The Hindu used nighttime light data to measure urbanisation in Haryana

The Hindu Data Team s analysis of Haryana s upcoming Assembly elections on September 17, 2024, focuses on the voting patterns of rural and urban populations. The team categorized the state s 90 constituencies into rural, semi-rural, semi-urban, and urban areas using night-time light data (NTL) as a proxy for economic activity. The study revealed a significant increase in electors in urban constituencies around Delhi and highlighted the potential impact of the BJP s decision to lift export curbs on basmati rice in rural areas. The classification was based on the annual mean luminosity of each assembly constituency in Haryana, as of 2021. The data was sourced from the Socioeconomic High-resolution Rural-Urban Geographic Platform for India (SHRUG), which offers both administrative and political boundary data. Key findings include: 1. Urban constituencies, particularly those surrounding Delhi, have seen a dramatic increase in electors. 2. The BJP and INC secured varying vote shares in rural and urban seats over the past three general and Assembly elections. 3. Rural areas where the BJP s recent policy change may affect election outcomes were identified. The study emphasizes the importance of using NTL data to measure urbanity, as it captures the extent of economic activity in an area. The SHRUG platform provides a reliable source of this data, making it suitable for political boundary analysis. Other notable news from the article includes: 1. The battleground States in the U.S. Presidential elections and the closeness of contests in swing States. 2. The number of women-led MSMEs set to benefit from the Credit Guarantee Scheme (CGTMSE). 3. A rise in suicides among students in Odisha, with a higher percentage of girls affected. 4. The Amazon rainforest s vital role in climate change mitigation and the lack of special government protection for the most critical areas. The article encourages readers to explore other important stories published by The Hindu s Data team.

Source: thehindu.com
Published on 2024-09-20