Advancing Space-Air-Ground-Sea Integrated Networks in Drones: Techniques, Applications, and Future Directions
A special issue of Drones (ISSN 2504-446X). This special issue belongs to the section "Drone Communications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 12
Special Issue Editors
Interests: physical-layer security; cognitive radio networks; marine communications; machine learning; resource allocation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: cooperative positioning; non-terrestrial communication networks; vehicular networks; mobile-edge computing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: integrated sensing and communication (ISAC); physical layer security; reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS); Cramér-Rao bound (CRB); data transmission subsystem; advanced satellite communication technology; spaceborne remote sensing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
As we usher in the era of 6G research and witness the accelerated deployment of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, there is a growing demand for seamless maritime communications. This shift in focus has driven integrated networks to coordinate space (satellites), air (drones/airships), ground (terrestrial cellular), and sea (surface/underwater) communications, making them a global research priority. The space-air-ground-sea integrated network (SAGSIN) is a core component of the 6G vision, aiming to build a new information infrastructure characterized by ubiquitous coverage and intelligent collaboration.
To achieve these goals, SAGSIN integrates various platforms such as aerial systems, satellites, terrestrial base stations, and marine sensors. This integration breaks traditional communication boundaries, enabling seamless and ubiquitous connectivity for diverse users accessing services through a single terminal device. However, due to significant differences in latency, reliability, throughput, and security among these heterogeneous networks, SAGSIN still faces numerous challenges.
This Special Issue seeks to present the latest advancements and ongoing research efforts in the development of SAGSINs, with a particular focus on drone technology. Authors are encouraged to submit original research papers and review articles exploring innovative concepts, transformative design ideas, and key technologies, as well as discussing experimental platforms, technical standards, and future directions within the context of drones.
Potential topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Application scenarios and technical requirements of SAGSINs in drone operations
- Architectures for integrating drones in SAGSINs
- Channel modeling and measurement techniques for drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Cooperative transmission involving drones in SAGSINs
- Interference management and anti-interference techniques for drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Spectrum sensing and efficient spectrum sharing in drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Cross-domain resource scheduling for drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Access and handover mechanisms in drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Mobility management for drone operations within SAGSINs
- Collaborative networking and routing algorithms for drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Edge computing and onboard processing technologies for drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Integrated sensing and communication in drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Security and privacy protection in drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Standardization progress and future directions of drone-enabled SAGSINs
- Applications of drone-enabled SAGSINs in maritime communications, emergency response, and aerospace
Through this Special Issue, we hope to stimulate academic exchange, foster industrial collaboration, and contribute to the advancement of SAGSINs within the drone technology domain.
Dr. Dawei Wang
Prof. Dr. Hongbo Zhao
Prof. Dr. Li Li
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. Drones 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.
Keywords
- drone-enabled SAGSINs
- 6G networks
- integrated space-air-ground-sea communications
- cooperative transmission
- cross-domain resource scheduling
- mobility management
- edge computing in drone networks
- security and privacy in drone-enabled networks
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