Identifying the Hierarchical Structure of Nighttime Economic Agglomerations Based on the Fusion of Multisource Data

Abstract

Nighttime economic development is an important driving force in urban economic development, and identification of the levels and boundary ranges of nighttime economic agglomerations is an important part of the management of the nighttime economy. Previous studies have been limited by the use of a single data source to identify nighttime economic agglomerations. To address this limitation, multisource data fusion was used in this study to integrate nighttime lighting data, point of interest data, and check-in data and to assess the nighttime economy more comprehensively from the perspectives of both providers and receivers in the nighttime economy. To identify the hierarchical structure and boundaries of nighttime economic agglomerations accurately, a two-step method was used to identify local hotspots of the nighttime economy, divide the nighttime economic agglomerations into levels, and explore the spatial distribution and functional characteristics of different levels of nighttime economic zones. Comparative experiments showed the method used in this study to be rational and accurate. The methods and results of this study can provide a more comprehensive approach to the precise identification of nighttime economic agglomerations and guidance for the future planning, rational development, and management of nighttime economic agglomerations.