Norzailawati Mohd Noor

The capability of nighttime light (NTL) data to intuitively detect human activities has made it a crucial tool for urban remote-sensing studies over the past 15 years. There is an urgent need for a thorough assessment of this topic because new data and technology are continually being developed, resulting in an accumulation of research. This study examines the evolution of nighttime light research using a bibliometric analysis. Data were retrieved from Scopus, covering publications from 2015 to 2025. A topic-based search approach was employed to ensure comprehensive coverage of the literature. A total of 962 publications were identified, primarily comprising journal articles and conference papers. The number of publications has shown a steady increase since 2015, with a sharp rise from 2022 onwards, reaching a peak of 165 publications in 2024. The growth trend exhibits a strong positive correlation (R² = 0.9283), indicating an accelerating trend in research activity. This bibliometric study reveals a steady rise in nighttime light research for urban studies, with a significant surge in 2022. China leads in publication output and international collaborations. This study utilizes VOSviewer to analyze nighttime light research trends, identifying key terms and their evolution over time. Early studies focused on remote sensing fundamentals, while recent research emphasizes urban sustainability and climate impact. Advances in satellite technology, including VIIRS, Luojia 1, UAVs, and SDGSAT-1, have enhanced data quality and expanded the application scope. The shift toward high-resolution, multispectral nighttime light sensors enhances urban and environmental research. By providing a structured overview of research developments, this study serves as a valuable reference for future investigations and the effective management of urban nighttime environments.

Sink cities and land subsidences: How it affects the development of coastal city in Malaysia?

 The study was first initiated to tackle an issue currently faced by the state religious council in Perlis, Malaysia, towards the oversupply of waqf land specifically for cemetery purposes which would be unsustainable for the current development trend. This study was conducted quantitatively by obtaining data from the urban planning department, PLANMalaysia, and the state religious agencies, MAIPs, Perlis. Two types of GIS software used are QGIS and MapInfo, while the result from the database will be updated into MAIPs’ database, so-called MYGOS, with the most recent data. Therefore, the study finds out that most of the waqf land is not in line with the land use zoning of the local plan, which indicates a lack of two-way communication between the state planning authority and the state religious council. This caused the cemetery land supply in Perlis to exceed the current and future needs until 2035. Consequently, the study will elevate the management system of waqf land in Perlis by adapting the current technology of GIS. Updating the database with the most recent data will ease other related agencies to access and integrate the information related to waqf land and improve data transparency in promoting cooperation between the two agencies. This study demonstrates the uses of GIS in waqf land management, from conventional data storing methods to modern and convenient technologies, and can also show the data inconsistency between the religious institution and urban planning agencies in Malaysia.

Several metropolitan areas in tropical Southeast Asia, mainly in Malaysia and Indonesia have lately been witnessing unprecedentedly severe flash floods owing to unexpected climate change. The fast water flooding has caused extraordinarily serious harm to urban populations and social facilities. In addition, urban Southeast Asia generally has insufficient capacity in drainage systems, complex land use patterns, and a largely susceptible population in confined urban regions. To lower the urban flood risk and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable urban populations, it has been of fundamental relevance to create real-time urban flood forecasting systems for flood disaster prevention agencies and the urban public. This review examined the state-of-the-art models of real-time forecasting systems for urban flash floods in Malaysia and Indonesia. The real-time system primarily comprises the following subsystems, i.e., rainfall forecasting, drainage system modeling, and inundation area mapping. This review described the current urban flood forecasting modeling for rainfall forecasting, physical-process-based hydraulic models for flood inundation prediction, and data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) models for the real-time forecasting system. The analysis found that urban flood forecasting modeling based on data-driven AI models is the most applied in many metropolitan locations in Malaysia and Indonesia. The analysis also evaluated the existing potential of data-driven AI models for real-time forecasting systems as well as the challenges towards it

Urban encroachment into the peri-urban areas has blurred the borders between urban and rural areas. Thus, the urban growth boundary (UGB) has been used to encourage the sustainable development of cities and improve long-term planning efficiency. Studying the understanding of the UGB concept in ensuring sustainable development in Malaysia would be beneficial. This study aimed to investigate the perception and understanding of the UGB concept and function to achieve sustainable urban development. An online survey was conducted involving 82 experts, which comprised planners from PLANMalaysia and academicians in the field of urban planning. Results indicated that the perception of the UGB score was significantly greater by 1.16 than the normal score of 3, which indicated that the experts agreed that UGB could improve the urban development. The findings also indicated that the existing planning policy and inclusion of UGB had protected agricultural and natural land; however, stricter and tighter borderless development should be conducted.