Applications of RS and GIS Integration in Natural Resources and Environmental Science

Dear Colleagues,

Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) often work hand-in-hand in mapping, analyzing, and disseminating spatial information. As a science of obtaining information from a distance, RS extracts spatially-explicit attributes about the Earth’s land and water surfaces using images acquired from aircraft or satellites. Such attributes can then be stored, managed, analyzed, and displayed in a GIS, in conjunction with auxiliary GIS data representing landscape features (e.g., topography, soil, roads, census, and political boundary) to (1) map spatial patterns of the attributes of interest, (2) identify their relationships to other features, (3) determine how the attributes change over time, and (4) estimate new characteristics or emergent properties from the existing remote sensing products. In essence, RS provides invaluable spatial data, often in raster format, to the GIS for further geoprocessing. Vice versa, many critical analyses of remotely sensed data such as geometric registration, radiometric correction, image classification, and change detection can benefit from the use of ancillary GIS data and geoprocessing procedures (e.g., masking, overlay, and proximity analysis). The integration of RS/GIS has been successfully applied in many fields related to natural resources and environmental science, including agriculture, forestry, land use, biological conversation, ecological restoration, and natural hazards management. With the recent advances in computing innovation, artificial intelligence, and big data science, the integration of remote sensing and GIS is approaching a new phase that will further enhance the analysis of spatial data from various sources.

In this Special issue, we would like to invite you to submit original research showcasing the innovative use of integrating remote sensing and GIS to solve complex research questions that are closely related to natural resources and environmental sciences. Contributions should have a section explicitly describing how RS and GIS are integrated into the research. Comprehensive reviews of this subject are also welcome. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• State-of-the-art geospatial techniques integrating remote sensing and GIS;
• Inventive methods or tools developed to seamlessly integrate remote sensing and GIS in the applications of natural resources and environmental science;
• In-depth use of multifaceted geoprocessing tools and GIS data to enhance remote sensing image processing operations;
• Original GIS analysis of recently developed remote sensing data to assess natural resources and environment conditions.

Contributors are required to check the website below and follow the specific instructions for authors https://www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing/instructions.

Dr. Jian Yang
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.