remotesensing-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Advances in Calibration, Validation, and Quality Assurance for Optical Remote Sensors

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Satellite Missions for Earth and Planetary Exploration".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 288

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
Interests: polarization detection techniques; satellite remote sensing; Cal/Val; uncertainty analysis; data preprocessing; data quality assurance

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Physics, International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Interests: atmospheric aerosols; polarimetric remote sensing; climate change; cross-calibration; ozone depletion; atmosphere physics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Optical remote sensing has become crucial in monitoring the earth’s environment, supporting applications that range from climate change assessment to disaster management. However, the accuracy and reliability of these observations hinge on robust calibration, validation (Cal/Val), and quality assurance (QA) processes. For optical remote sensors deployed on ground-based, airborne, and spaceborne platforms, challenges regarding the radiometric, spectral, geometric and polarimetric accuracy and quality of the data persist. In particular, the development of emerging technologies in optical remote sensing, along with multi-source data fusion and the growing demand for quantitative remote sensing, have further amplified the need for innovation in Cal/Val and QA methodologies to enhance the accuracy and quality of cross-sensor and long-term time-series remote sensing data. This Special Issue aims to consolidate the latest advancements in these areas, promoting technical developments that enhance the trustworthiness of optical remote sensing data and supporting precision measurement and quantitative remote sensing applications.

This Special Issue aligns with Remote Sensing’s mission to publish high-impact research on sensor technologies, data processing, and Earth observation applications. We welcome contributions that advance calibration, validation, and QA frameworks for optical sensors, with a focus on enhancing the accuracy, interoperability, and traceability data to fulfil international standards.

Themes:

  • Ground-, airborne-, and spaceborne optical sensor calibration challenges and solutions.
  • Radiometric, polarimetric, spectral and geometric calibration innovations.
  • ​On-orbit validation methods for satellite optical remote sensors​.
  • ​Calibration uncertainty assessment and sensitivity analysis​.
  • ​Remote sensing data quality assurance and quality check (QA/QC) methods and workflows.

​We welcome the submission of original research articles, reviews, technical notes, and methodological papers, in addition to short communications on novel tools or datasets.

Dr. Zhenhai Liu
Prof. Dr. Gennadi Milinevsky
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. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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

  • optical remote sensing
  • radiometric calibration
  • polarimetric calibration
  • spectral calibration
  • geometric calibration
  • vicarious calibration
  • cross-calibration
  • uncertainty analysis
  • validation
  • data quality assurance

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Other

16 pages, 3321 KB  
Technical Note
In-Flight Radiometric Calibration of Gas Absorption Bands for the Gaofen-5 (02) DPC Using Sunglint
by Sifeng Zhu, Liguo Zhang, Yanqing Xie, Lili Qie, Zhengqiang Li, Miaomiao Zhang and Xiaochu Wang
Remote Sens. 2025, 17(21), 3558; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17213558 - 28 Oct 2025
Abstract
The Directional Polarimetric Camera (DPC) onboard the Gaofen-5 (02) satellite includes gas absorption bands that are crucial for the quantitative retrieval of clouds, atmospheric aerosols, and surface parameters. However, in-flight radiometric calibration of these bands remains challenging due to strong absorption features and [...] Read more.
The Directional Polarimetric Camera (DPC) onboard the Gaofen-5 (02) satellite includes gas absorption bands that are crucial for the quantitative retrieval of clouds, atmospheric aerosols, and surface parameters. However, in-flight radiometric calibration of these bands remains challenging due to strong absorption features and the lack of onboard calibration devices. In this study, a calibration method that exploits functional relationships between the reflectance ratios of gas absorption and adjacent reference bands and key surface–atmosphere parameters over sunglint were presented. Radiative transfer simulations were combined with polynomial fitting to establish these relationships, and prior knowledge of surface pressure and water vapor column concentration was incorporated to achieve high-precision calibration. Results show that the calibration uncertainty of the oxygen absorption band is mainly driven by surface pressure, with a total uncertainty of 3.01%. For the water vapor absorption band, uncertainties are primarily associated with water vapor column concentration and surface reflectance, yielding total uncertainties of 3.45%. Validation demonstrates the robustness of the proposed method: (1) cross-calibration using desert samples confirms the stability of the results, and (2) the retrieved surface pressure agrees with the DEM-derived estimates, and the retrieved total column water vapor agrees with the MODIS products, confirming the calibration. Overall, the method provides reliable in-flight calibration of DPC gas absorption bands on Gaofen-5 (02) and can be adapted to similar sensors with comparable spectral configurations. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop