Advances in Optical Sensors Research: Pre-Flight and In-Orbit Characterization, Calibration, Product Validation and Data Applications

Dear Colleagues,

The next few decades foresee a continuous increase in the volume and exploitation of Earth Observation (EO) remote-sensing data. These data will be provided by a combination of traditional civil space agency missions and commercial/institutional low-cost micro/nanosatellites, spanning the electromagnetic spectrum and employing both active and passive sensors. Pre-flight calibration and characterization of satellite instruments is a pre-requisite for any satellite instrument.

In recent years, the development of optical sensors has advanced rapidly. Numerous optical missions have been launched, providing rich data support for related applications in many fields. Rigorous in-orbit calibration and validation processes and protocols are required to ensure that the sensors’ measurements and retrieved geophysical quantities are of a high quality.

This Special Issue invites authors to submit manuscripts demonstrating the latest research on pre-flight characterization and calibration, in-orbit calibration, innovative methods for uncertainty quantification and product validation and data applications of multispectral and hyperspectral optical sensors. Topics can include, but are not limited to, descriptions of sensors’ pre-flight characterization and calibration, in-orbit calibration, product validation, cross-mission synergies, multi-sensor harmonization and new applications and benefits for Earth Observation communities.

Suggested themes for this Special Issue include the following:

• Optical sensor pre-flight characterization and in-orbit calibration techniques.
• Radiometric, spectral and geometric calibration performance.
• Data processing and product validation methods​.
• Sensor’s performance and calibration uncertainty assessment​.
• ​Remote sensing data applications in Earth Observation (EO).

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

Dr. Bahjat Alhammoud
Ms. Julia A. Barsi
Dr. Camille Desjardins
Dr. Steffen Dransfeld
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-anonymized 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.