High-resolution satellite data can precisely assess the status of poverty at household level in rural areas of developing countries, according to a study. If countries are to achieve the U.N. sustainable development goals, it is particularly important to track the living conditions in poor nations around the world where the future population growth is highest, according to a study published in the journal PNAS . “Based on high-resolution satellite images, we can very precisely assess the status of poverty at household level in rural areas in developing countries,” said Jens-Christian Svenning, a professor at the Aarhus University in Denmark. The images also reveal how people use the landscape around their homes.
