Identifying and Evaluating the Nighttime Economy in China Using Multisource Data

The nighttime economy has always been regarded as an important part of the economy. Monitoring and evaluating the nighttime economic level is of great significance for promoting consumption and economic growth and optimizing industrial structure. However, it is difficult to evaluate the nighttime economy in China due to the data being unavailable. Hence, the objective of this study is to identify and evaluate the nighttime economy in China from different perspectives. First, a comprehensive nighttime economic index (CNEI) was constructed by integrating the nighttime light intensity and the points of interest data to represent the nighttime economic level. The CNEI was then verified using the business report data and socioeconomic statistical data. The results show that the CNEI is highly correlated with the verified data. We also found that Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have the highest CNEI values, and the CNEI values of southern cities are generally higher than those of northern cities. This is mainly because the differences in the lifestyles, climatic factors, and cultural customs in the north and south determine the nighttime economic activities. Counties with very high CNEI values are mostly located in the capital cities of each province. The spatial agglomeration at the county level performed more strongly than that at the prefecture level. The study will not only help better understand the nighttime economic level on different scales but also contribute to city-level policymaking on urban planning and economic development.