Application of Remote Sensing in Soil Health Monitoring

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, entitled "Application of Remote Sensing in Soil Health Monitoring", aims to highlight the innovative applications of remote sensing and proximal sensing technologies for assessing and improving soil health across diverse ecosystems and land-use systems. Soil health is essential for food security, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability. However, conventional monitoring methods are often time-consuming and spatially limited. Remote and proximal sensing provide scalable, cost-effective, and non-invasive tools to monitor key soil attributes over time and space. We invite original research articles, reviews, and case studies that apply satellite imagery, UAV platforms, and in situ proximal sensors (e.g., spectroradiometers and soil probes) to assess indicators such as soil organic carbon, respiration, fertility, moisture, structure, salinity, and erosion. Interdisciplinary approaches combining geospatial analysis, machine learning, agronomy, and soil science are particularly welcome. This Special Issue seeks to contribute to global efforts for sustainable land management and aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). We encourage contributions that advance practical tools and the scientific understanding of soil health monitoring through remote and proximal sensing technologies.

Soil health is a fundamental component of sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and ecosystem functioning. Monitoring soil conditions is essential for detecting degradation, guiding land management, and supporting food production. However, traditional soil assessment methods are often labor-intensive and limited in spatial and temporal coverage.

Advances in remote sensing and proximal sensing technologies offer powerful, non-invasive tools to monitor key soil indicators—such as organic carbon, moisture, salinity, and structure—at various scales. This research area is rapidly growing, providing critical information for precision agriculture, regenerative agriculture, and environmental conservation. Expanding its applications is vital to achieving global sustainability goals.

We welcome a range of contributions, including original research articles, review papers, methodological studies, and case studies. Suggested themes include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Remote sensing of soil health indicators (e.g., organic carbon, moisture, salinity, erosion).
• Integration of remote and proximal sensing data for soil monitoring.
• UAV/drone-based assessments of soil conditions.
• Spectral indices and machine learning approaches for soil property estimation.
• Monitoring soil degradation and restoration using geospatial technologies.
• Soil health mapping for precision agriculture and land-use planning.
• Coupling remote sensing with GIS, field measurements, and modeling.
• Applications of GIS monitoring in natural ecosystems, agroecosystems, or degraded landscapes.
• Technological innovations in proximal sensors (e.g., soil probes and spectroradiometers).
• Contributions to SDGs through soil monitoring practices.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Remote and proximal sensing of soil health indicators.
• UAV and satellite imagery for soil health monitoring.
• Spectral modeling and machine learning applications.
• Soil organic carbon monitoring using remote sensing.
• Soil degradation and restoration monitoring.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Gustavo André de Araújo Santos
Prof. Dr. Aldair de Souza Medeiros
Prof. Dr. Salvador García-Ayllón Veintimilla
Guest Editors

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• soil health
• remote sensing
• soil organic carbon
• soil moisture
• soil GHG emission
• soil biodiversity
• UAV imagery
• spectral indices
• precision agriculture
• environmental monitoring