Geospatial Technologies Applied to Territorial Studies

Dear Colleagues,

The application of geospatial technologies to territorial studies constitutes a rapidly evolving scientific field that integrates geographic information systems (GISs), remote sensing, spatial sensors, and advanced spatial models to understand how territories are distributed, transformed, and managed. These tools allow researchers to observe spatial dynamics at multiple scales, reveal hidden patterns, and generate precise and up-to-date data, making them fundamental for disciplines such as territorial planning, environmental management, precision agriculture, and climate-change monitoring. The importance of this research area lies in its ability to provide scientific evidence that supports informed decision-making, optimize the sustainable use of resources, and anticipate environmental and socioeconomic impacts derived from urban expansion, deforestation, or landscape modification, thus serving as an essential pillar for responsible land management in today’s global context.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect original research articles and review papers that provide insights into the advances, applications, and methodological innovations of geospatial technologies for understanding and managing land use dynamics, fostering a deeper understanding of how these tools can enhance the analysis, monitoring, and sustainable management of territorial systems. This thematic focus aligns closely with Land’s scope by emphasizing methodological advancements, interdisciplinary approaches, and practical applications that contribute to the sustainable management of environmental and land resources. By gathering cutting-edge studies, this Special Issue seeks to strengthen the scientific dialogue surrounding land use dynamics and support the development of innovative strategies for addressing contemporary environmental challenges.

This Special Issue will welcome manuscripts that link the following themes:

• Innovative applications of GISs and remote sensing for land use and land cover (LULC) mapping and monitoring.
• Methodological advances in geospatial data processing, spatial modelling, and geostatistics applied to land use analysis.
• Integration of multi-source geospatial data for improved territorial assessment.
• Detection and assessment of land use change and its environmental, ecological, or socioeconomic impacts.
• Use of machine learning and AI techniques for land use classification, prediction, and scenario modelling.
• Applications in sustainability and environmental management, including biodiversity conservation, soil degradation, water resources, and climate-change adaptation.
• Urban and peri-urban land use studies, focusing on urban expansion, planning, infrastructure development, and smart-city strategies.
• Landscape modelling and simulation to support decision-making processes for territorial planning.

We look forward to receiving your original research articles and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Sergio Reyes
Prof. Dr. Federico B. Galacho-Jiménez
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Land 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.

• spatial analysis
• geospatial technologies
• land use analysis
• remote sensing
• GIS
• land use change
• spatial modelling
• environmental management
• landscape dynamics