Trends, Innovative Developments and Disruptive Applications in UAV Remote Sensing

Dear Colleagues,

UAVs represent one of the most relevant emerging technologies in the remote sensing domain of the last two decades, becoming a valid alternative to traditional acquisition techniques in a wide range of applications. This has been possible thanks to the massive development of cross-disciplinary solutions and methods fusing elements from different domains such as remote sensing, computer science, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Despite this, additional efforts need to be done to develop more reliable, accurate and automated solutions to make UAVs a valid instrument to tackle the societal challenges of tomorrow. Autonomous exploration methods, AI-based algorithms, new sensor and data integration as well as the setting of disruptive integrated solutions of UAVs with other instruments are just few examples of research fields currently opened.

This Special Issue aims at collecting new algorithms, methods, and solutions leveraging on UAV data collection and exploitation to tackle a wide range of applications and societal challenges. We welcome submissions that provide the community with advanced scientific solutions and innovative applications dealing with UAVs, including, but not limited to:

• Photogrammetric data processing for innovative mapping applications;
• Artificial intelligence algorithms using UAV data as input;
• Autonomous navigation, exploration and mapping in outdoor and indoor environments;
• Efficient sensor fusion to improve UAV navigation;
• Data fusion: integration of UAV data with other heterogenous typologies of data;
• Integration of heterogeneous data captured by UAVs;
• Real-time onboard or cloud/remote data processing;
• Collaborative or swarm of UAVs applied to remote sensing applications;
• UAVs as part of IoT solutions;
• Cutting edge solutions in precision farming, search and rescue, disaster monitoring, infrastructure and urban monitoring and mapping, and other relevant applications;
• Other innovative UAV solutions to address the Sustainable Development Goals and societal challenges.

Dr. Francesco Nex
Dr. Davide Antonio Cucci
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Drones is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• UAV
• photogrammetry
• deep learning
• SLAM
• real-time
• onboard
• autonomous exploration
• 3D modeling
• semantic analysis
• sensor integration
• multispectral
• hyperspectral
• change detection
• precision farming
• search and rescue
• disaster monitoring
• cadastral mapping
• environmental monitoring
• sustainable development goals