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Geosciences
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Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques
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Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques

A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 14049

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Aggeliki Kyriou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Applied Geology and Geophysics, University of Patras, Rio 265 04, Greece
Interests: Earth observation; remote sensing; GIS; natural hazards; mapping; monitoring; InSAR
Dr. Lia Bárbara Cunha Barata Duarte

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
2. Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Porto, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
Interests: GIS; GIS open-source applications; spatial management; land use planning; spatial analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Christos Pikridas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Director Laboratory of Geodetic methods and Satellite observations, School of Rural and Surveying Engineering, AUTh, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: GNSS networks; satellite data; positioning algorithms and applications; GNSS crust deformation and atmospheric studies; RTCM data dissemination via internet protocols
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We live on a dynamic and active planet, and are currently faced with the massive global challenge of climate change. In this context, the monitoring of the processes and activities taking place on Earth’s surface is now more than ever a key issue. Over the past few decades, remote sensing has been established as an effective and accurate solution for the provision of timely and high-quality information, concerning human activities and natural processes occurring on Earth. The increasing availability of remote sensing data, acquired by a wide variety of sensors (satellites, global navigation satellite systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, light detection and ranging, etc.), as well as the development of novel soft computing methods (machine learning, deep learning, etc.) have created new research opportunities.

In this framework, this Special Issue of Geosciences aims to gather high-quality original research articles, reviews, and technical notes on the use of GNSS and GIS methods for Earth observation purposes. In particular, we are interested in innovative methodologies or even case studies dealing with: the mapping and monitoring of the Earth’s surface using GNSS and/or GIS methods, the synergistic use of multi-sensor data for Earth observation, the development of low-cost GNSS solutions or processing methodologies, the development of open-source GIS algorithms, and any other novel approaches related to the aims of the Special Issue.

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

  • Hazards;
  • Disaster management;
  • Land applications;
  • Crust deformation and monitoring applications;
  • Marine and coastal applications;
  • Atmospheric applications;
  • Infrastructure monitoring;
  • GNSS networks and processing;
  • GIS open-source applications;
  • Soft computing algorithms.

Moreover, we encourage you to send us a short abstract highlighting the purpose of the research and the main outcomes, in order to verify at an early stage whether the contribution fits with the objectives of the Special Issue.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Aggeliki Kyriou
Dr. Lia Bárbara Cunha Barata Duarte
Prof. Dr. Christos Pikridas
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. Geosciences 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 1800 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

  • earth observation
  • GIS
  • GNSS
  • remote sensing
  • soft computing methods

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 24217 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Impact of DEM Spatial Resolution on 3D Rockfall Simulation in GIS Environment
by Maria P. Kakavas, Paolo Frattini, Alberto Previati and Konstantinos G. Nikolakopoulos
Geosciences 2024, 14(8), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14080200 - 29 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 942
Abstract
Rockfalls are natural geological phenomena characterized by the abrupt detachment and freefall descent of rock fragments from steep slopes. These events exhibit considerable variability in scale, velocity, and trajectory, influenced by the geological composition of the slope, the topography, and other environmental conditions. [...] Read more.
Rockfalls are natural geological phenomena characterized by the abrupt detachment and freefall descent of rock fragments from steep slopes. These events exhibit considerable variability in scale, velocity, and trajectory, influenced by the geological composition of the slope, the topography, and other environmental conditions. By employing advanced modeling techniques and terrain analysis, researchers aim to predict and control rockfall hazards to prevent casualties and protect properties in areas at risk. In this study, two rockfall events in the villages of Myloi and Platiana of Ilia prefecture were examined. The research was conducted by means of HY-STONE software, which performs 3D numerical modeling of the motion of non-interacting blocks. To perform this modeling, input files require the processing of base maps and datasets in a GIS environment. Stochastic modeling and 3D descriptions of slope topography, based on Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) without spatial resolution limitations, ensure multiscale analysis capabilities. Considering this capability, seven freely available DEMs, derived from various sources, were applied in HY-STONE with the scope of performing a large number of multiparametric analyses and selecting the most appropriate and efficient DEM for the software requirements. All the necessary data for the multiparametric analyses were generated within a GIS environment, utilizing either the same restitution coefficients and rolling friction coefficient or varying ones. The results indicate that finer-resolution DEMs capture detailed terrain features, enabling the precise identification of rockfall source areas and an accurate depiction of the kinetic energy distribution. Further, the results show that a correct application of the model to different DEMs requires a specific parametrization to account for the different roughness of the models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques)
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32 pages, 14303 KiB  
Article
Annual Coastal Boulder Mobility Detected in 2017–2021 Remote Sensing Imagery and Its Relation to Marine Storms (Gulf of Taranto, Mediterranean Sea)
by Marco Delle Rose
Geosciences 2024, 14(5), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14050136 - 15 May 2024
Viewed by 1271
Abstract
Landward displacements of coastal boulders are geomorphological signatures of sea flooding and erosion processes. In this study, using open-access resources that do not require the integration of specialist software, the 2017 to 2021 annual mobility of medium, coarse, and very coarse boulders spread [...] Read more.
Landward displacements of coastal boulders are geomorphological signatures of sea flooding and erosion processes. In this study, using open-access resources that do not require the integration of specialist software, the 2017 to 2021 annual mobility of medium, coarse, and very coarse boulders spread over about 100 km of the eastern coast of the Gulf of Taranto (Italy, Mediterranean Sea) was explored. The boulder displacement data obtained from remote sensing imagery were verified and refined by means of geomorphological field investigation. The main results are the following: (1) A large interannual variability in the boulder mobility was found; (2) storm Detlef, which crossed over the Mediterranean during 11–13 November 2019, was recognized as the cause of a massive displacement phenomenon; and (3) the marine weather conditions driving the investigated morphodynamic process were inferred. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques)
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30 pages, 13651 KiB  
Article
Assessments of Gravity Data Gridding Using Various Interpolation Approaches for High-Resolution Geoid Computations
by Onur Karaca, Bihter Erol and Serdar Erol
Geosciences 2024, 14(3), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14030085 - 19 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1894
Abstract
This article investigates the role of different approaches and interpolation methods in gridding terrestrial gravity anomalies. In this regard, first of all, simple and complete Bouguer anomalies are considered in gravity data gridding. In the comparison results of gridding these two Bouguer anomaly [...] Read more.
This article investigates the role of different approaches and interpolation methods in gridding terrestrial gravity anomalies. In this regard, first of all, simple and complete Bouguer anomalies are considered in gravity data gridding. In the comparison results of gridding these two Bouguer anomaly datasets, the effect of the high-frequency contribution of topographic gravitation (by means of the terrain correction) is clarified. After that, the role of the used interpolation algorithm on the resulting grid of mean gravity anomalies and hence on the geoid modeling accuracy is inspected. For this purpose, four different interpolation methods including geostatistical Kriging, nearest neighbor, inverse distance to a power (IDP), and artificial neural networks (ANNs) are applied. Here, the IDP and nearest neighbor methods represent simple-structured algorithms among the interpolation methods tested in this study. The ANN method, on the other hand, is preferred as a complex, optimization-based soft computing method that has been applied in recent years. In addition, the geostatistical Kriging method is one of the conventional methods that is mostly applied for gridding gravity data in geodesy and geophysics. The calculated gravity anomalies in grids are employed in high-resolution geoid model computations using the least squares modifications of Stokes formula with additive corrections (LSMSA) technique. The investigations are carried out using the test datasets of Auvergne, France that are provided by the International Service for the Geoid for scientific research. It is concluded that the interpolation algorithms affect the gravity gridding results and hence the geoid model determination. The ANN method does not provide superior results compared to the conventional algorithms in gravity gridding. The geoid model with 4.1 cm accuracy is computed in the test area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques)
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17 pages, 3961 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Unmanned Aerial System Flight Plans for Data Acquisition from Erosional Terrain
by Valentina Nikolova, Veselina Gospodinova and Asparuh Kamburov
Geosciences 2024, 14(3), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14030075 - 12 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1406
Abstract
Accurate data mapping and visualization are of crucial importance for the detection and monitoring of slope morphodynamics, including erosion processes and studying small erosional landforms (rills and gullies). The purpose of the current research is to examine how the flight geometry of unmanned [...] Read more.
Accurate data mapping and visualization are of crucial importance for the detection and monitoring of slope morphodynamics, including erosion processes and studying small erosional landforms (rills and gullies). The purpose of the current research is to examine how the flight geometry of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) could affect the accuracy of photogrammetric processing products, concerning small erosion landforms that are a result of slope wash and temporary small streams formed by rain. In October 2021, three UAS flights with a different geometry were carried out in a hilly to a low-mountain area with an average altitude of about 650 m where erosion processes are observed. UAS imagery processing was carried out using structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry. High-resolution products such as photogrammetric-based point clouds, digital surface models (DSMs) and orthophotos were generated. The obtained data were compared and evaluated by the root mean square error (RMSE), length measurement, cloud-to-cloud comparison, and 3D spatial GIS analysis of DSMs. The results show small differences between the considered photogrammetric products generated by nadir-viewing and oblique-viewing (45°—single strip and 60°—cross strips) geometry. The complex analysis of the obtained photogrammetric products gives an advantage to the 60°—cross strips imagery, in studying erosional terrains with slow slope morphodynamics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques)
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23 pages, 44867 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Remote Sensing Products for Wetland Mapping in the Irtysh River Basin
by Kaiyue Luo, Alim Samat, Jilili Abuduwaili and Wenbo Li
Geosciences 2024, 14(1), 14; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14010014 - 31 Dec 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2348
Abstract
As a transboundary river with rich and unique wetland types, the Irtysh River faces various challenges and threats from human activities and climate change, which affect area, type, and function of wetland. To accurately obtain information on the spatial and temporal distribution of [...] Read more.
As a transboundary river with rich and unique wetland types, the Irtysh River faces various challenges and threats from human activities and climate change, which affect area, type, and function of wetland. To accurately obtain information on the spatial and temporal distribution of wetlands in this basin, this study compares and evaluates the consistency and accuracy of a total of eleven remote sensing (RS) based land use/land cover (LULC), and wetland products. The information extraction effect of each RS product was examined through methods such as wetland area and type description, thematic map comparison, and similarity coefficient and Kappa coefficient calculations, which can reflect the wetland distribution characteristics and differences among the RS products in the Irtysh River Basin. The results show that although there is a consensus among the products in the major wetland distribution areas, there are still obvious deviations in detail depiction due to differences in factors such as data sources and methods. The products of Global 30 m Wetland Fine Classification Data (GWL_FCS30) and Global 30 m Land Cover Data (GLC_FCS30-2020) released by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Information Innovation (ISAI) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have a clear advantage in extracting spatial morphology features of wetlands due to the use of multi-source data, while the Esri Global 10 m Land Cover Data (ESRI_Global-LULC_10m) and products such as the global 10 m land cover data (FROM_GLC10_2017) from Tsinghua University have higher classification consistency. Moreover, data resolution, classification scheme design, and validation methods are key factors affecting the quality of wetland information extraction in the Irtysh River Basin. In practical terms, the findings of this study hold significant implications for informed decision-making in wetland conservation and management within the Irtysh River Basin. By advancing wetland monitoring technologies and addressing critical considerations in information extraction, this research effectively bridges the gap between remote sensing technology and practical applications, offering valuable insights for regional wetland protection efforts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques)
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16 pages, 5891 KiB  
Article
Verification of C-Band Geophysical Model Function for Wind Speed Retrieval in the Open Ocean and Inland Water Conditions
by Daniil Sergeev, Olga Ermakova, Nikita Rusakov, Evgeny Poplavsky and Daria Gladskikh
Geosciences 2023, 13(12), 361; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13120361 - 24 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1630
Abstract
Verification of the C-band geophysical model functions (GMF) for the open ocean and the Gorky reservoir was carried out using Sentinel-1 IW-mode Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. CMOD5.N, CMOD7, GMF for the Caspian Sea, and CSARMOD2 were considered. The motivation for this study [...] Read more.
Verification of the C-band geophysical model functions (GMF) for the open ocean and the Gorky reservoir was carried out using Sentinel-1 IW-mode Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. CMOD5.N, CMOD7, GMF for the Caspian Sea, and CSARMOD2 were considered. The motivation for this study is concerned with the clarification of applying C-band GMFs for SAR images including for the conditions of inland water bodies, as well as with the study of the influence of various wind speed direction sources on the results of wind speed magnitude retrieval for ocean conditions. Comparison of wind speed from the CMOD5.N algorithm using wind direction data from NOAA NDBC oceanographic buoys together with the data provided by NCEP reanalysis data showed that regardless of the geographic location, the result does not depend significantly on the choice of the wind direction source. Novel results of CMOD5.N, CMOD7, GMF for the Caspian Sea, and CSARMOD2 applications to the conditions of the Gorky reservoir are presented. The comparison of these results with the meteorological station measurements showed the best agreement for CMOD5.N. The preliminary results on the construction of new C-band GMF adjusted to the Gorky Reservoir have shown statistical parameters better than for Caspian Sea GMF and CSARMOD2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques)
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15 pages, 23051 KiB  
Article
InSAR-Based Detection of Subsidence Affecting Infrastructures and Urban Areas in Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy)
by Lisa Beccaro, Giuseppe Cianflone and Cristiano Tolomei
Geosciences 2023, 13(5), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences13050138 - 9 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2642
Abstract
The study of deformation signals associated with seismicity in alluvial plain areas is a challenging topic that, however, is increasingly studied thanks to the great aid given by remote sensing techniques that exploit Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. This study focuses on the [...] Read more.
The study of deformation signals associated with seismicity in alluvial plain areas is a challenging topic that, however, is increasingly studied thanks to the great aid given by remote sensing techniques that exploit Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. This study focuses on the determination of the deformation field within the Emilia-Romagna Region (northern Italy), in the area comprising Modena, Reggio Emilia, and Parma cities. SAR data acquired along both orbits during the Sentinel-1 and Cosmo-SkyMed satellite missions were processed with the Small Baseline Subset interferometric technique from June 2012, after the serious seismic swarm of May 2012, to January 2022, just before the two earthquakes occurred in February 2022. The results, validated with Global Navigation Satellite System measurements, do not highlight displacements correlated with the seismicity but, thanks to their high spatial resolution, it was possible to discriminate areas affected by noticeable subsidence phenomena: (i) the highly industrialized areas located north of the municipalities of Reggio Emilia and Modena cities and (ii) a sector of the high-speed railway sited north of the Reggio Emilia city centre, close to the Reggio Emilia AV Mediopadana station. Here we show that, at least since 2012, the latter area is affected by subsidence which can be related to the secondary consolidation process of the fine soils loaded by the railway embankment. The piezometric level analysis also suggests that the lowering of the groundwater table could accelerate the subsidence rate, affecting the stability of infrastructures in highly populated and industrialized areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Earth Observation by GNSS and GIS Techniques)
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