Announcements

As a leading open access publisher, MDPI provides scholars with a high-quality and rich academic exchange platform by continuously expanding into new and exciting research areas.

In December 2022, MDPI launched five new journals, covering multiple subjects such as life sciences, biology, medicine and pharmacology, social sciences and humanities. These new journals are being edited by established scholars across the world.

If you are interested in creating more open access journals with us to publish cutting-edge research, please send your journal proposal application to newjournal-committee@mdpi.com.

MDPI is pleased to announce that we now display the co-authors’ email addresses in addition to the corresponding author’s email address on the webpage of published papers, protected by Captcha. For more information about this change, please visit the journal’s instructions for authors page. 

We believe this change will facilitate academic discussions and advance our cause of open science and research. The corresponding authors are responsible for communicating with their co-authors and indicating in our system (https://susy.mdpi.com/) if co-authors would prefer for their email addresses not to be displayed.

The articles below have been selected as 2022 Issue Cover Articles by the Editorial Office of Drones (ISSN: 2504-446X). These articles came from multiple fields within the scope of Drones. We hope they can provide insights and references for scholars in related fields.

	1. Detection and Characterization of Stressed Sweet Cherry Tissues Using Machine Learning” by Christos Chaschatzis, Chrysoula Karaiskou, Efstathios G. Mouratidis, Evangelos Karagiannis and Panagiotis G. Sarigiannidis Drones 2022, 6(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6010003 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/1/3
	2. Propeller Position Effects over the Pressure and Friction Coefficients over the Wing of an UAV with Distributed Electric Propulsion: A Proper Orthogonal Decomposition Analysis” by José Ramón Serrano, Luis Miguel García-Cuevas, Pau Bares and Pau Varela Drones 2022, 6(2), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6020038 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/2/38
	3. “Examples and Results of Aerial Photogrammetry in Archeology with UAV: Geometric Documentation, High Resolution Multispectral Analysis, Models and 3D Printing” by José Ignacio Fiz, Pere Manel Martín, Rosa Cuesta, Eva Subías, Dolors Codina and Antoni Cartes Drones 2022, 6(3), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6030059 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/3/59
	4. “Drone Surveys Are More Accurate Than Boat-Based Surveys of Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)” by Ticiana Fettermann, Lorenzo Fiori, Len Gillman, Karen A. Stockin and Barbara Bollard Drones 2022, 6(4), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6040082 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/4/82
	5. “Wake Propagation and Characteristics of a Multi-Rotor Unmanned Vehicle in Forward Flight” by Glen Throneberry, Adam Takeshita, Christopher Michael Hocut, Fangjun Shu and Abdessattar Abdelkefi Drones 2022, 6(5), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6050130 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/5/130
	6. “A ROS Multi-Tier UAV Localization Module Based on GNSS, Inertial and Visual-Depth Data” by Angelos Antonopoulos, Michail G. Lagoudakis and Panagiotis Partsinevelos Drones 2022, 6(6), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6060135 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/6/135
	7. “Systemic Performance Analysis on Zoning for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Service Delivery” by Casper Bak Pedersen, Kasper Rosenkrands, Inkyung Sung and Peter Nielsen Drones 2022, 6(7), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6070157 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/7/157
	8. “LiDAR Based Detect and Avoid System for UAV Navigation in UAM Corridors” by Enrique Aldao, Luis M. González-de Santos and Higinio González-Jorge Drones 2022, 6(8), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6080185 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/8/185
	9. “Capacity Optimization of Next-Generation UAV Communication Involving Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access” by Mubashar Sarfraz, Muhammad Farhan Sohail, Sheraz Alam, Muhammad Javvad ur Rehman, Sajjad Ahmed Ghauri, Khaled Rabie, Hasan Abbas and Shuja Ansari Drones 2022, 6(9), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6090234 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/9/234
	10. “Aerial Branch Sampling to Detect Forest Pathogens” by Ryan L. Perroy, Philip Meier, Eszter Collier, Marc A. Hughes, Eva Brill, Timo Sullivan, Thomas Baur, Nina Buchmann and Lisa M. Keith Drones 2022, 6(10), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6100275 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/10/275
	11. “Terrestrial Megafauna Response to Drone Noise Levels in Ex Situ Areas” by Geison Pires Mesquita, Margarita Mulero-Pázmány, Serge A. Wich and José Domingo Rodríguez-Teijeiro Drones 2022, 6(11), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6110333 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/11/333
	12. “UAV4PE: An Open-Source Framework to Plan UAV Autonomous Missions for Planetary Exploration” by Julian Galvez-Serna, Fernando Vanegas, Shahzad Brar, Juan Sandino, David Flannery and Felipe Gonzalez Drones 2022, 6(12), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6120391 Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/12/391

1. “Development of a Solar-Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Extended Flight Endurance”
by Yauhei Chu, Chunleung Ho, Yoonjo Lee and Boyang Li
Drones 2021, 5(2), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5020044
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/2/44

2. “Flying Free: A Research Overview of Deep Learning in Drone Navigation Autonomy”
by Thomas Lee, Susan Mckeever and Jane Courtney
Drones 2021, 5(2), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5020052
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/2/52

3. “Numerical Fluid Dynamics Simulation for Drones’ Chemical Detection”
by Fabio Marturano, Luca Martellucci, Andrea Chierici, Andrea Malizia, Daniele Di Giovanni, Francesco d’Errico, Pasquale Gaudio and Jean-Franҫois Ciparisse
Drones 2021, 5(3), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5030069
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/3/69

4. “Operational Study of Drone Spraying Application for the Disinfection of Surfaces against the COVID-19 Pandemic”
by Higinio González Jorge, Luis Miguel González de Santos, Noelia Fariñas Álvarez, Joaquin Martínez Sánchez and Fermin Navarro Medina
Drones 2021, 5(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5010018
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/1/18

5. “Drone-Based Non-Destructive Inspection of Industrial Sites: A Review and Case Studies”
by Parham Nooralishahi, Clemente Ibarra-Castanedo, Shakeb Deane, Fernando López, Shashank Pant, Marc Genest, Nicolas P. Avdelidis and Xavier P. V. Maldague
Drones 2021, 5(4), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5040106
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/4/106

6. “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Magnetic Surveys: A Review on Platform Selection and Interference Suppression”
by Yaoxin Zheng, Shiyan Li, Kang Xing and Xiaojuan Zhang
Drones 2021, 5(3), 93; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5030093
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/3/93

7. “Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) and Data Fusion in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Recent Advances and Challenges”
by Abhishek Gupta and Xavier Fernando
Drones 2022, 6(4), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6040085
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/4/85

8. “Urban Air Mobility: Systematic Review of Scientific Publications and Regulations for Vertiport Design and Operations”
by Karolin Schweiger and Lukas Preis
Drones 2022, 6(7), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6070179
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/7/179

9. “Comprehensive Review of UAV Detection, Security, and Communication Advancements to Prevent Threats”
by Ghulam E. Mustafa Abro, Saiful Azrin B. M. Zulkifli, Rana Javed Masood, Vijanth Sagayan Asirvadam and Anis Laouti
Drones 2022, 6(10), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6100284
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/10/284

10. “Drones in B5G/6G Networks as Flying Base Stations”
by Georgios Amponis, Thomas Lagkas, Maria Zevgara, Georgios Katsikas, Thanos Xirofotos, Ioannis Moscholios and Panagiotis Sarigiannidis
Drones 2022, 6(2), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6020039
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/2/39

1. “Monitoring Onion Crop “Cipolla Rossa di Tropea Calabria IGP” Growth and Yield Response to Varying Nitrogen Fertilizer Application Rates Using UAV Imagery”
by Gaetano Messina, Salvatore Praticò, Giuseppe Badagliacca, Salvatore Di Fazio, Michele Monti and Giuseppe Modica
Drones 2021, 5(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5030061
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/3/61

2. “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Wildland Fires: Sensing, Perception, Cooperation and Assistance”
by Moulay A. Akhloufi, Andy Couturier and Nicolás A. Castro
Drones 2021, 5(1), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5010015
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/1/15

3. “Towards the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): A Comprehensive Review”
by Syed Agha Hassnain Mohsan, Muhammad Asghar Khan, Fazal Noor, Insaf Ullah and Mohammed H. Alsharif
Drones 2022, 6(6), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6060147
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/6/147

4. “Automated Drone Detection Using YOLOv4”
by Subroto Singha and Burchan Aydin
Drones 2021, 5(3), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5030095
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/3/95

5. “UAV Computing-Assisted Search and Rescue Mission Framework for Disaster and Harsh Environment Mitigation”
by Saeed Hamood Alsamhi, Alexey V. Shvetsov, Santosh Kumar, Svetlana V. Shvetsova, Mohammed A. Alhartomi, Ammar Hawbani, Navin Singh Rajput, Sumit Srivastava, Abdu Saif and Vincent Omollo Nyangaresi
Drones 2022, 6(7), 154; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6070154
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/7/154

6. “Visual SLAM for Indoor Livestock and Farming Using a Small Drone with a Monocular Camera: A Feasibility Study”
by Sander Krul, Christos Pantos, Mihai Frangulea and João Valente
Drones 2021, 5(2), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5020041
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/2/41

7. “Of Course We Fly Unmanned—We’re Women! ”
by Karen E. Joyce, Karen Anderson and Renee E. Bartolo
Drones 2021, 5(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5010021
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/1/21

8. “Wildfire Monitoring Based on Energy Efficient Clustering Approach for FANETS ”
by Salil Bharany, Sandeep Sharma, Jaroslav Frnda, Mohammed Shuaib, Muhammad Irfan Khalid, Saddam Hussain, Jawaid Iqbal and Syed Sajid Ullah
Drones 2022, 6(8), 193; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6080193
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/6/8/193

9. “UAV-Enabled Mobile Edge-Computing for IoT Based on AI: A Comprehensive Review ”
by Yassine Yazid, Imad Ez-Zazi, Antonio Guerrero-González, Ahmed El Oualkadi and Mounir Arioua
Drones 2021, 5(4), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5040148
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/4/148

10. “Drone Swarms in Fire Suppression Activities: A Conceptual Framework”
by Elena Ausonio, Patrizia Bagnerini and Marco Ghio
Drones 2021, 5(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5010017
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/1/17

On 9 February 2023, Clarivate, a global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics, added the Preprint Citation Index to the Web of Science platform, streamlining the research process by allowing researchers to locate and link to preprints alongside other trusted content in the database.

The Preprint Citation Index will act as a bridge to connect cutting-edge preprints with peer-reviewed journal articles published within the Web of Science Core Collection. Alerts can be easily set to monitor new research across several repositories and authors will also be able to include preprints on their Web of Science Research Profile to more accurately display their various research outputs.

As of its launch, the Preprint Citation Index will provide nearly two million preprints from various repositories, including MDPI’s own Preprints.org.

MDPI's Preprints Platform – Preprints.org

To advance Open Science and the fast dissemination of research, MDPI offers researchers a free multidisciplinary preprint platform. Preprints.org accepts submissions from all research areas and offers authors high visibility, permanent archiving, article-level Metrics and immediately citable content by assigning a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to all preprints.

During submission to any MDPI journal, authors have the option to share their research as a preprint. After an initial screening, the manuscript is available online in 48 hours or less. Once online, preprints can be downloaded, shared, commented on, and cited, providing authors maximum visibility.

We invite you to join the ranks of the over 100k researchers using Preprints.org and share your research.

For more information, please visit Preprints.org.

Conference: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2023)

Date: 29 May–2 June 2023
Place: London, UK

Machines (ISSN: 2075-1702) will be attending ICRA 2023 as an exhibitor. This meeting will take place from 29 May to 2 June 2023 in London, UK.

The largest and most prestigious event of the year in the robotics and automation calendar, the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) will bring together the world's top academics, researchers, and industry representatives. With the conference taking place in the UK for the first time, London will provide the perfect backdrop to this world-class event.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Machines;
• Sensors;
• Actuators;
• Applied Sciences;
• Electronics;
• Robotics;
• Systems;
• JSAN;
• Technologies;
• Inventions;
• Designs;
• Drones;
• JMMP;
• Telecom;
• AI;
• Automation.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please do not hesitate to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://www.icra2023.org/.

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative—the MDPI Special Issue Mentor Program.

This program will enable early career researchers (who must hold a Ph.D. in a related field) to experience editing a Special Issue in MDPI journals, under the mentorship of our experienced Editorial Board Members or other experienced scientists. The mentor program will provide an excellent opportunity for early career scientists to gain editorial experience, and to cultivate their ability to edit scientific research.

The mentee’s responsibilities include:

• Proposing a Special Issue title and assisting the mentor in preparing a summary (around 200–400 words) and 3–10 keywords describing the background, importance, and goal of the Issue;
• Writing a brief promotion plan for the Special Issue;
• Preparing a list of scholars who may be interested in the Issue and personally e-mailing invitations on behalf of Guest Editors;
• Writing an editorial for the online Special Issue together with the mentor.

The mentor’s responsibilities include:

• Conducting a final check before the Special Issue is published online;
• Performing editorial control of the Special Issue and quality control of the publications, both of which must be carried out in a timely manner;
• Providing suggestions to younger scholars if they have any doubts or concerns regarding submissions;
• Organizing video calls with young scholars and the Editorial Office regularly to discuss problems and improvement suggestions for the Special Issue;
• Making and submitting decisions regarding submissions with the assistance of mentees.

Certificates and awards:
After the Special Issue closes, the Editorial Office will provide official certificates for all the mentors and early career researchers.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your Special Issue proposal to the Editorial Office of a journal you choose, and we will discuss the process (i.e., mentor collaboration, Special Issue topic feasibility analysis, etc.) in further detail. The full list of MDPI journals is as follows: https://www.mdpi.com/about/journals.

In addition to the new Special Issue Mentor Program, we will continue to welcome all Special Issue proposals focusing on hot research topics.

Recently, Clarivate™ revealed its 2022 list of Highly Cited Researchers™—individuals at universities, research institutes and commercial organizations.

The scientists who were selected into this year’s list of Highly Cited Researchers have published highly cited papers in the 11-year period from January 2011 to December 2021, with citation frequency in the top 1% of academic subjects and the same year of publication in the Web of Science™ database. Based on Web of Science Citation data, 6,938 researchers from across the globe who have demonstrated a disproportionate level of significant and broad influence in their chosen field or fields over the last decade have been awarded Highly Cited Researcher 2022 designations. The list is truly global, spanning 69 countries or regions and spread across a diverse range of research sciences and social sciences.

According to statistics, 3 members of the Editorial Board of Drones (ISSN: 2504-446X) have been selected into the list of Highly Cited Researchers of Clarivate in 2022. They are being recognized for their high-quality scientific research achievements and outstanding contributions to professional fields. The Drones journal office sincerely congratulates all elected Editorial Board Members and hopes that they continue to have an academically productive relationship with the journal.

MDPI has just become the first open access (OA) publisher to reach the milestone of one million articles published. That is one million articles freely available to all, to circulate and build upon! We are proud to share this special moment with the global scientific community.

This landmark has been reached thanks to the immeasurable support of more than 600,000 expert reviewers, 66,000 editorial board members and 6700 hard-working colleagues across MDPI’s global offices.

Within more than 25 years of publishing, our journals received 2.1 million manuscripts and generated 4.6 million peer review reports to get to one million papers published.

Reaching the milestone of one million articles published reinforces our mission to remove any existing barriers and to make scientific research accessible to all. Since its inception, MDPI’s goal has been to create reliable processes to make science open. This is a path towards facilitating the dissemination of novel insights in scientific communities.

Regular feedback from authors and reviewers shows that our service is greatly appreciated and needed. At the same time, the feedback helps us identify areas for further improvement.

As it stands, a significant share of published research findings remain closed access. More than half of the content published with the most well-known legacy publishers stays behind a paywall, and that is not including articles published in hybrid OA journals, or made available months or years after publication.

A new policy announced by the US administration in August 2022 requires that, as of January 2026, all US federally funded research be made freely and immediately available after publication. While the new policy does not mandate articles be published under an open access license, it is aligned with the open access movement in removing all barriers to research. Similarly, some of the most advanced research institutions in the world intend to have all funded research articles published in open access by 2025.

MDPI is proud to be the leading agent of the transition to open access.

"Thanks a Million" to all the contributors!