Advanced Sensor Strategies and Developments against Disasters and Random Phenomena (ASSAD DARPA)

Dear Colleagues,

In the modern world, the need for speeding procedures with better performance in every electronic aspect of our lives has become one of the most imperative subjects of discussion and implementation. If we imagine the vast accomplished progress in simulation and production procedures that have decreased the needed time, the new type of sensor technologies offers an exquisite ability to find viable solutions using any available scheme or method. These include advanced statistical approaches, machine learning, neural networks, and artificial intelligence. Likewise, they can benefit mankind against severe disasters, either due to manmade causes or physical phenomena. These include but are not limited to:

1. Floods;
2. Earthquakes;
3. Landslides and debris flow;
4. Wildfires;
5. Drought;
6. Damaging winds;
7. Tornadoes;
8. Hurricanes;
9. Severe and tropical storms;
10. Extreme heat;
11. Sinkholes;
12. Human-caused disasters. 

Specifically, floods, storms, and earthquakes are the most common phenomena and/or disasters that could be reported. Also, this type is predicted using various methods and hence requires the proper planning from each country toward protecting their population. The safety measures could range from prediction to emergency notifications and appropriate evacuation planning. Nevertheless, the same could apply to other types of disasters except human-caused disasters. The latter needs special measures (for example, man-caused wildfires) such as advanced surveillance detectors, UAVs, and any other type of sensing electronic means or/and platform.

For this Special Issue of Sensors, the main goal is to approach the solutions procedures with a different point of view by emphasizing the essential idea while expressing it in simple words to enhance the endeavors of various scientific teams. The new proposed techniques must be easily implementable because they refer to a pluralism of phenomena and conditions that put in danger apart from human lives every aspect of the living chain relevant to Earth's operational physical cycles and procedures. Hence, we invite the scientists to contribute their ideas, methods, implementations, and strategies and thus review presentations to further contribute to treating effects linked to manmade and/or physical phenomena disasters. The papers should include the following:  

1. Abstract: Declaring the scientific proposal in simple words (at least 2–3 lines).
2. A section before conclusions is named a Simple Reproducibility Plan (SRP). In this section, the main idea should be included again, focusing on reporting the findings simply and briefly.
3. A diagram of SRP (or similar) should be included, as is shown in the following sample picture:

Dr. Spyridon K. Chronopoulos
Dr. Vasilis P. Tritakis
Dr. Vasilis Christofilakis
Dr. Konstantinos Peppas
Prof. Dr. Nikos C. Sagias
Guest Editors

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