Implementation of Sensors and Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Hazards Assessment in Urban, Agriculture and Forestry Systems

Dear Colleagues,

Forecasted climate change scenarios are projecting an increase in climatic anomalies’ occurrence, severity, and intensity. Evidence of such anomalies has been reported worldwide, such as extreme heat waves, bushfires, severe frosts, dust storms, hailstorms, and catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, and heavy rains as part of monsoons or El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). These events have a direct impact on agricultural systems, urban green infrastructures, and forestry, which may be difficult to monitor due to large extensions, and complexity of the physiological and morphological architecture of subjects (i.e., plants, trees, animals). Therefore, implementation of new and emerging technologies could be an important tool to assess the effects of these environmental risks on important aspects of health and productivity that are relevant for the different areas mentioned. This Special Issue call is mainly focused on the integration of different sensors, remote sensing, and sensor network technologies with powerful data analysis techniques, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. Priority will be given to those papers that integrate more than one new and emerging technology with AI analysis, interpretation, and decision-making systems to produce practical tools for growers, practitioners, urban planners, and the public in general. The latter is in the form of robust AI models, computer algorithms, applications, and software coupled with integrated hardware systems and connectivity (IoT).

The environmental hazards to be considered in this Special Issue call include but are not limited to:

• Heat waves;
• Hailstorms;
• Frost events;
• Bushfire events (fire and smoke);
• Extreme rains;
• Environmental pollution;
• Dust pollution;
• Contaminants (air, water, chemical).

The systems to be considered are:

• Agricultural crops (broadacre, horticultural, glasshouse);
• Animal production (effects on productivity, welfare and physiology);
• Urban green infrastructure;
• Forestry systems (natural and productive).

The sensors to be considered, but not limited to:

• Electrical and optical sensors;
• Infrared sensors;
• Image sensors;
• Gas sensors;
• Radar;
• Lidar;
• Multispectral sensors;
• General sensors (temperature, flow, moisture, humidity, pressure);
• Ultrasonic sensors.

Assoc. Prof. Sigfredo Fuentes
Dr. Ranjith R Unnithan
Dr. Eden Tongson
Dr. Nir Lipovetzky
Guest Editors

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