Dear Colleagues,

The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) as a research tool has result in a completely new approach for several disciplines in geology and environmental sciences. Traditionally, the use of aerial data using airborne sensors were reserved for highly funded research projects. With the miniaturization of sensors and the democratization of the use of UAS, these technologies are becoming widespread in most research institutions. Low level photogrammetry with images or LiDAR data obtained with UAS result in highly detailed 3D point clouds and orthomosaics which can be produced at the request of the researcher, so time series in dynamic scenarios being easily produce.

Research fields such as geomorphology, glaciology, coastal dynamics, structural geology, etc., greatly benefit of the use of this low altitude photogrammetry, and research papers using UAS-produced results are becoming widespread. Nevertheless, at present, other sensors, such as multispectral, hyperspectral and thermal cameras, can be mounted in UAS. This results in adapting the satellite or airborne remote sensing techniques to low altitude scenarios, which present two major advantages in Earth and environmental sciences research:

• The revisiting time of a study site is now at the researcher request;
• The resolution of the image or the obtained product can be lowered to centimetre scale.

Fields like geological mapping, mineral exploration, water and coastal management, environmental modelling, etc., may benefit from these new techniques. Furthermore, risky situations such as the observation of volcanic eruptions, gas sampling, cliffs, etc., are becoming much more secure by using UAS.

The goal of this Special Issue is to provide the state-of-the-art in the use of low-altitude remote sensing using UAS in the broad field of geology and environmental sciences, emphasizing the use of thermal, multispectral and hyperspectral cameras for materials identification in different geological scenarios. None-traditional applications of the use of UAS in geology and environmental sciences are also highlighted.

Prof. Dr. Luis Barbero
Guest Editor

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• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• low-altitude remote sensing
• photogrammetry applied to geosciences
• multispectral, hyperspectral sensors and thermography applied to geosciences and environmental sciences
• new geological mapping techniques