Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS Integration in Natural Resources and Environmental Science

Dear Colleagues,

Remote sensing (RS) and geographic information systems (GIS) often work hand in hand to map, analyze, and disseminate 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 RS-derived geospatial attributes can be integrated into a GIS framework to (1) map spatial patterns of the characteristics of interest, (2) identify the relationships of RS-derived Earth surface attributes to GIS-derived landscape features, (3) determine how the Earth’s surface characteristics 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 (often in vector format) 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 hazard 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 closely related to natural resources and environmental sciences. 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;
• Original methods or tools developed to seamlessly integrate remote sensing and GIS in the applications of natural resources and environmental science;
• Comprehensive use of multifaceted geoprocessing tools and GIS data to enhance remote sensing image processing operations;
• Novel GIS analysis of recently developed remote sensing data to assess natural resources and environmental conditions.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Remote Sensing.

Dr. Jian Yang
Prof. Dr. Le Yu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Land 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.

• integration of remote sensing and GIS
• geoprocessing of remote sensing data
• natural resource mapping
• remote sensing of environment
• land surface processes
• landscape approach
• ecosystem modeling
• spatial analysis
• system integration

• Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS Integration in Natural Resources and Environmental Science in Remote Sensing (8 articles)