A Potts Model for Night Light and Human Population

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how a generalized Potts model from statistical physics can be effectively applied to analyze complex spatial data, specifically night light patterns of human settlements from space imagery.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of the Potts model for analyzing spatial patterns in satellite night light data, bridging physics models and geospatial analysis.

Findings

Successful modeling of night light patterns using the Potts model

Insights into human settlement distribution from model analysis

Potential for applying physics-based models to geospatial data

Abstract

The Potts model was one of the most popular physics models of the twentieth century in an interdisciplinary context. It has been applied to a large variety of problems. Many generalizations exists and a whole range of models were inspired by this statistical physics tool. Here we present how a generic Potts model can be used to study complex data. As a demonstration, we engage our model in the analysis of night light patterns of human settlements observed on space photographs.