Land Use Change and Technological Innovations: Remote Sensing and Artificial Intelligence Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

Land systems across the globe are undergoing rapid and multi-dimensional transformations driven by climate variability, population growth, technological development, and evolving patterns of land use. At the same time, a new generation of analytical tools—including high-resolution remote sensing, cloud-based geocomputation, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, deep learning, and GeoAI—has significantly expanded the capacity to observe, model, and understand land change processes. These advances enable researchers to integrate multi-sensor satellite data, conduct large-scale temporal analyses, automate land change detection, and generate predictive insights into human–environment interactions. As land challenges intensify, from urban expansion to ecosystem degradation, there is an increasing need for interdisciplinary research that connects innovative computational methods with land system science.

Consequently, this Special Issue aims to create an inclusive platform for contributions that explore land use and land cover change, ecosystem condition, and land management using both traditional and cutting-edge approaches. Studies may focus on conceptual frameworks, empirical applications, methodological innovations, or multi-scalar analyses, and the thematic scope fully aligns with the mission of Land, which seeks to advance understanding of land systems, earth sciences, land sustainability, socio-environmental dynamics, and policy-relevant land research. Submissions that integrate AI/ML techniques with remote sensing, address emerging land challenges, or link technological advances to sustainability outcomes are particularly welcome.

Areas of interest will include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Land use/land cover change mapping and monitoring;
• Remote sensing and geospatial analytics for land systems;
• AI, machine learning, deep learning, and GeoAI applications in land change science;
• Multi-sensor and multi-temporal analysis using Sentinel, Landsat, SAR, thermal, or UAV data;
• Land degradation, desertification, soil erosion, ecosystem monitoring, and restoration;
• Climate–land interactions and biophysical land surface processes;
• Agricultural, urban, pastoral, rangeland, and forest land dynamics.

We welcome conceptual/theoretical contributions, methodological innovations, empirical studies, and review papers to this Special Issue.

Dr. Ali R. Alruzuq
Dr. Amobichukwu Chukwudi Amanambu
Dr. Di Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.