Advancements in Remote, Areal, and Proximal Soil Sensing: Innovations in Measurement and Spatial Modelling

Dear Colleagues,

Remote and proximal sensing have emerged as the most promising and widely used techniques for the acquisition of information about an object or any phenomenon without physical contact with the object. Remote sensing is widely tied to the utilization of satellite, airborne, or UAV platforms using multi- or hyperspectral imagery. With regard to proximal sensing, the sensor is closer to the object (usually within 2 m) and is installed on platforms ranging from handheld, fixed installations to robotics or tractor-embedded sensors. The types of sensors range from simple RGB or grey-level cameras to multispectral and hyperspectral high-resolution imaging systems or even thermographic cameras.

Traditionally, collecting soil information is labor-intensive, takes a long time, and has a high economic cost, which hinders the acquisition of soil information on a large spatial scale or in hard-to-access locations. With input from remote sensing and proximal sensing technology, we can obtain soil information on a higher scale in a more efficient and intact way, which is critical in mapping soil properties.

For this Special Issue, we welcome the submission of papers on both fundamental and applied research relating to remote, areal and proximal sensing for the measurement and spatial modelling of soil. We also invite papers dedicated to new sensors that can be used in soil measurement and mapping.

We invite researchers to contribute original research articles, reviews, and case studies focusing on proximal soil sensing for the measurement and spatial modelling of soil. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The monitoring or measurement of soil properties using remote sensing and proximal soil sensing techniques (such as Vis-NIR, MIR, PXRF, or LIBS);
• The development of novel remote-sensing- or proximal-soil-sensing-based soil monitoring frameworks or technologies;
• Mapping soil properties using data collected through remote sensing and proximal soil sensing techniques;
• New methods or models used for monitoring soil properties utilizing remote sensing and proximal soil sensing techniques.

Dr. Bifeng Hu
Prof. Dr. Asim Biswas
Dr. Wenjun Ji
Dr. Yongsheng Hong
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. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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.

• remote sensing
• proximal soil sensing
• UAV
• soil spectroscopy
• digital soil mapping
• geostatistics
• soil properties
• machine learning

Remote and proximal sensing have emerged as the most promising and widely used techniques for the acquisition of information about an object or any phenomenon without physical contact with the object. With input from remote sensing and proximal sensing technology, we can obtain soil information on a higher scale in a more efficient and intact way, which is critical in mapping soil properties.

We welcome the submission of papers on both fundamental and applied research relating to remote, areal and proximal sensing for the measurement and spatial modelling of soil. We also invite papers dedicated to new sensors that can be used in soil measurement and mapping but are not limited to, the following:

- The monitoring or measurement of soil properties using remote sensing and proximal soil sensing techniques (such as Vis-NIR, MIR, PXRF, or LIBS);

- The development of novel remote-sensing- or proximal-soil-sensing-based soil monitoring frameworks or technologies;

- Mapping soil properties using data collected through remote sensing and proximal soil sensing techniques;

- New methods or models used for monitoring soil properties utilizing remote sensing and proximal soil sensing techniques.