remotesensing-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Progress in Remote Sensing and Scalable Computing for Natural Hazard Detection and Emergency Response

A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Earth Observation for Emergency Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 388

Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: unmanned aerial vehicle; photogrammetry; high performance computing; geomorphological mapping

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: earth observation; cloud-based computing; geomorphological mapping

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, University of Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
Interests: remote sensing; landscape evolution; geospatial analysis; numerical modelling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on advances that are reshaping how scientists observe, model, and respond to a wide range of natural hazards. As climate change, environmental degradation, and urban expansion continue to intensify the frequency, severity, and cascading nature of events such as floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, extreme storms, heatwaves, droughts, and coastal hazards, the demand for timely, accurate, and operationally reliable monitoring frameworks has never been greater. Modern research on natural hazards must therefore integrate high-resolution and multi-sensor Earth Observation data with computational platforms capable of managing unprecedented data volumes and delivering rapid, decision-ready insights.

In this context, Remote Sensing technologies, from next-generation satellite missions and constellations to airborne and UAV-based mapping, and dense ground-based sensor networks, play a central role in detecting precursors, tracking event evolution, characterizing affected environments, and quantifying impacts at local to global scales.  However, the volume and heterogeneity of the data produced by these sensing systems necessitate equally advanced computation.

Scalable frameworks such as cloud-native geoprocessing, high-performance and distributed computing, on-board and edge computing, and containerized workflows now enable near-real-time analysis, continental-scale modelling, and automated processing pipelines that can dynamically adapt to input data streams.

This Special Issue aims to gather innovative research that brings together these sensing and computing advances to address scientific and operational challenges. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, enhanced detection and early-warning algorithms; cross-platform interoperability and data fusion; physically based and data-driven hazard modelling; machine learning and deep learning approaches; rapid damage assessment and exposure mapping; and the integration of predictive analytics into emergency management systems.

We particularly welcome contributions that demonstrate the transition of research into practice, including the development of advanced tools, reproducible and scalable workflows, operational dashboards, and frameworks that support resilience planning, disaster risk reduction, and coordinated response activities.

Dr. Marco La Salandra
Dr. Rosa Colacicco
Dr. Domenico Capolongo
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.

Keywords

  • remote sensing
  • scalable computing
  • data integration
  • natural hazard
  • early warning
  • emergency response

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:

Research

26 pages, 20359 KB  
Article
Enhancing Flood Susceptibility Mapping Through High-Resolution Earth Observation: A Data-Driven Comparative Analysis
by Iulia Ajtai, Cristian Malos, Razvan Petho-Alban, Alexandru Mereuta, Nicolae Ajtai and Calin Baciu
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(14), 2418; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18142418 - 21 Jul 2026
Viewed by 62
Abstract
Flood susceptibility maps are essential tools for identifying high-risk areas. However, traditional approaches often face limitations in spatial resolution and adaptability under changing climatic conditions, particularly in data-scarce regions. This study addresses these limitations through a data-driven geospatial approach that integrates high-resolution Earth [...] Read more.
Flood susceptibility maps are essential tools for identifying high-risk areas. However, traditional approaches often face limitations in spatial resolution and adaptability under changing climatic conditions, particularly in data-scarce regions. This study addresses these limitations through a data-driven geospatial approach that integrates high-resolution Earth Observation and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to improve flood susceptibility assessment in a small river basin in Romania. Ten flood conditioning factors were analyzed, including Elevation, Slope, Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Topographic Position Index (TPI), Profile Curvature, Aspect, Soil Texture, Distance to the River, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Soil Moisture. Historical flood extent data extracted from PlanetScope imagery were used for model training and validation. Two statistical methods, Frequency Ratio (FR) and Weight of Evidence (WoE), were applied to map flood susceptibility at a 12.5 m resolution. Results indicate that both models captured the spatial variability of flood-prone areas, but WoE achieved higher predictive performance (AUC = 0.945) than FR (AUC = 0.876), while FR tended to underestimate flood-prone zones. Half of the basin falls within low to very low susceptibility classes, whereas high and very high susceptibility together occupy about 25–29% of the basin and concentrate along river corridors in the central and southern sectors, overlapping with built-up areas. Consequently, about 38% (WoE) and 30% (FR) of the total built-up area fall within high and very high susceptibility classes. The results demonstrate that integrating high-resolution open-source Earth Observation data with statistical modeling provides a reliable, transferable framework for flood susceptibility assessment and land-use planning in data-scarce environments. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop