Spatial Big Data for Rangeland Ecology and Management

Dear Colleagues,

Rangelands cover about 50% of the world's landmass and provide critical ecosystem services in the form of food, fiber, water security, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitats, and aesthetics, to name a few. Rangeland management is an applied science that studies the use of rangelands to produce, manage, and conserve natural resources.

Improper management of rangeland resources results in decreased long-term rangeland sustainability. To realize a sound scientific approach to rangeland management, managers should take into consideration all aspects of ecological and economic resources, as well as social wellbeing to maintain a balance between healthy rangelands and societal needs. However, to support an effective and sustainable system, decision-making processes must be based on sound knowledge derived from reliable data.

Spatial big data can be obtained from many different sources, such as satellites, drones, UAV-mounted sensors, GPS, and wearable devices. Big data, especially in spatially explicit formats, are becoming increasingly prevalent in providing managers with a comprehensive view of time and space variations. Through monitoring and modelling vegetation performance corresponding to land-use and land-cover changes, geospatial big data could assist in optimizing rangeland management towards sustainable use.

This Special Issue focuses on research and development regarding multi-source geospatial big data for rangeland monitoring, and modelling to support sustainable rangeland management.

Topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Land-use change modelling and land-cover mapping with geospatial big data;
• Landscape level questions for rangelands;
• Implementation of big data analysis to understand spatial and temporal variations;
• Land management, including the conservation of ecosystem services;
• Multi-source remotely sensed data and analysis;
• Decision support systems for sustainable rangeland management.

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

Dr. Matt Reeves
Dr. Humberto L. Perotto-Baldivieso
Dr. Edward C. Rhodes
Guest Editors

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