Rapid Disaster Assessment and Post-Disaster Recovery Using UAV Remote Sensing
A special issue of Drones (ISSN 2504-446X). This special issue belongs to the section "Drones in Ecology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 27
Special Issue Editors
Interests: target recognition; marine sensing
Interests: UWB; seamless navigation; GNSS; UAV; photogrammetry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: cartographic; geodetic and photogrammetric engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Natural and man-made disasters continue to pose critical threats to populations and infrastructure across the globe. Rapid, precise, and scalable methods for damage assessment and post-disaster monitoring are urgently needed. UAV-based remote sensing technologies have emerged as a transformative solution due to their ability to quickly reach affected areas, provide high-resolution imagery, and support diverse sensing modalities. These capabilities enable not only efficient initial assessments but also long-term monitoring of reconstruction and recovery efforts.
This Special Issue of Drones aims to collect original research articles and review papers focusing on the use of UAV-based remote sensing for disaster response and recovery. Contributions should explore both theoretical advancements and practical implementations, highlighting the role of UAVs in supporting resilient, informed, and sustainable disaster management strategies. The proposed theme aligns closely with the journal’s scope by showcasing innovative drone applications for remote sensing in high-impact real-world scenarios.
- Rapid mapping techniques using UAVs for post-disaster assessment;
- 3D reconstruction of damaged environments;
- Change detection and semantic segmentation in disaster zones;
- Integration of UAV data with GIS and satellite data;
- Machine learning and AI applications for UAV data analysis;
- Multi-sensor UAV platforms for rescue and recovery;
- Case studies on real-world disaster response using drones;
- Legal, ethical, and logistical considerations in UAV emergency deployments.
We welcome original research papers, comprehensive reviews, methodological contributions, and field studies.
Dr. Alessio Calantropio
Dr. Vincenzo Di Pietra
Dr. Miguel Angel Maté-González
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
- UAV photogrammetry
- rapid mapping
- disaster response
- post-disaster recovery
- change detection
- AI and remote sensing
- multi-sensor platforms
- emergency mapping
- UAV-GIS integration
- damage assessment
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
