 The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's operational line scan system, DMSPOLS, was previously used to measure nighttime light levels as a proxy for economic activity. However, since its launch in October 2011, the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite, VIRS, sensor on the Suomi National Polar Orbiting Partnership, NPP, Satellite has become a new satellite used to monitor nighttime light. This study compared the two datasets to determine if the NPP VIRS data is more accurate at predicting regional economic output than the DMSPOLS data. The results showed that the NPP VIRS data had a higher correlation coefficient with regional gross domestic product, GDP, than the DMSPOLS data, indicating that the NPP VIRS data is better suited for predicting regional GDP. This article is authored by Chang Li, Xiaoling Chen, Xili, and others.