Towards IoT in Space–Air–Ground–Sea Integrated Networks: Recent Advances and Challenges

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT) has ushered in an era of unprecedented connectivity across various domains. Emerging technologies—from mega-constellations and high-altitude pseudo-satellites to terrestrial 5G/6G meshes and underwater acoustic/optical grids—are maturing in parallel, yet they remain largely siloed. The next frontier for IoT lies in the seamless integration of these disparate networks from space (e.g., LEO satellites), air (e.g., HAPS/UAVs), ground (e.g., 5G/6G), and sea (e.g., Surface and underwater networks) to create a truly global and intelligent ecosystem. This vision, known as the Space–Air–Ground–Sea Integrated Network (SAGSIN), holds significant promise for overcoming the critical challenges around coverage, latency, and data management for applications ranging from global climate monitoring to smart logistics and rapid disaster response.

However, the integration of such heterogeneous networks presents significant research challenges, including cross-domain resource management, unified protocol design, and end-to-end service provisioning. This Special Issue aims to gather the latest research advancements, theoretical innovations, and practical implementations that address these challenges and propel the field of SAGSIN-IoT forward. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Cross-domain network architecture, protocol, and security design.
• Joint channel modeling and waveform design for space–sea/air–sea links.
• AI/ML-driven resource management (traffic steering, beam hopping, and energy scheduling).
• Edge–cloud continuum for split computation across satellites, UAVs, ships, and AUVs.
• Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) in heterogeneous environments.
• Resilient security and privacy mechanisms for intermittent, multi-hop, and multi-tenant paths.
• SAGSIN applications, such as smart ports and smart maritime transport.
• Open datasets, testbeds, and experimental results from at-sea, airborne, or orbital campaigns.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in IoT.

Dr. Lei Yan
Dr. Jie Li
Dr. Jiajie Xu
Dr. Mohammad Shehab
Guest Editors

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• space–air–ground–sea integrated network (SAGSIN)
• satellite-IoT
• UAV communication
• underwater acoustic communication
• AI-driven resource management
• edge–cloud continuum
• cross-domain security
• maritime IoT
• integrated sensing and communication (ISAC)