The increasing availability of data from technologies such as mobile phones, satellites and connected devices means that there are many new possible sources of economic data. This study analyzes the potential use of nighttime light images from satellites to provide a regional distribution of Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Authors
Hector G. Lopez-Ruiz
Former Research FellowHector is a former research fellow at KAPSARC. He is a transport economist with 12 years of experience in five…Hector is a former research fellow at KAPSARC. He is a transport economist with 12 years of experience in five countries and is fluent in four languages. The focus of his work is on transport economic modeling, offering science-based solutions to aid policy making. He is experienced in building long-term sustainable transport policy scenarios and carrying out model-based policy analysis. During his career, he has modeled mobility for freight, vehicles, and analyzed policy-based carbon tax effects. He has worked for the French Energy Management Agency (ADEME); the French National Research Centre (CNRS-LAET); the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (ECCET-JRC) and the European Institute for Energy Research (KIT & EDF).
Jorge Blazquez
Former Research FellowJorge is a former research fellow specializing in energy and economics, with research interests in energy and macroeconomics, energy policies…Jorge is a former research fellow specializing in energy and economics, with research interests in energy and macroeconomics, energy policies and transitions.
Senior Fellow IFakhri Hasanov is a senior fellow and leads the KAPSARC Global Energy Macroeconometric Model projects with 20+ years of experience…Fakhri Hasanov is a senior fellow and leads the KAPSARC Global Energy Macroeconometric Model projects with 20+ years of experience in econometric modeling and forecasting. Since 2015, he has been involved in multistakeholder projects, leading and executing macroeconomic analysis of various policy choices and initiatives (e.g., energy prices, energy demand, and fiscal reforms) for the Kingdom’s economy. He has extensive experience working with policymakers. Prior to KAPSARC, he was a post-doc at George Washington University.
His research mainly covers macro-econometric modeling for energy and environmental economics policy analyses. Dr. Hasanov has authored 50+ applied studies published in reputable journals such as Energy Policy, Energy Economics, Empirical Economics, and Energy Strategy Review. His research is recognized internationally (e.g., he is listed among the top 2% of scientists globally by Elsevier). Fakhri is an editorial board member of various peer-reviewed journals, such as Frontiers in Environmental Science. He holds a Ph.D. in econometrics.