Taiwan is a pioneer in remote sensing research and applications in Asia. Remote Sensing (RS) is an effective and efficient way of collecting data and information, which utilizes assorted platforms and sensors to detect, explore and monitor various characteristics and phenomena. Combined with Geographic Information Sciences (GIS) and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), the “3S” technologies are the fundamentals of Geoinformatics and an indispensable element of information infrastructure in the modern society. The National Space Organization (NSPO) of the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs) will launch 10 RS satellites, including high resolution, very high resolution, and SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites in the next decade to further strengthen the RS capacity in Taiwan.

This month’s issue highlights a few examples of advanced remote sensing research and applications recently carried out by researchers in Taiwan. These cases demonstrate the integration and use of diversified remote sensing technologies and data to achieve sophisticated applications in different domains. The platforms involved include satellites, airborne planes and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and the data were collected using multi-spectral, LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) optical sensors, and SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) instruments. These data were processed and analyzed with state-of-the-art algorithms and methods, including spatial analysis and machine learning techniques developed by the researchers. The outcomes of this research support assorted advanced applications in different domains integrating application and international cooperation in multiple fields, such as hazard investigation and mitigation, land subsidence monitoring, bathymetry mapping, water quality assessment, riverbed grain size analysis, and precision farming support (agricultural disaster assessment). The examples presented above provide a solid demonstration of the achievements in remote sensing research and applications in Taiwan.

J.Y. Han, Y.T. Lin & J.Y. Hsu

Sub-footprint LiDAR technique for riverbed grain size analysis

Fuan Tsai

Versatile Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis for Hazard Investigation

Kuo-Hsin Tseng

Mapping Shallow Water Bathymetry by Multiple Satellite Data

Chein-Way Hwang

Measuring land subsidence in Taiwan by satellite-based radar interferometry

Ming-Der Yang

Semantic Segmentation on UAV Images for large-scale Agriculture Damage Assessmen

Chao-Hung Lin

WaterNet: A Convolutional Neural Network for Chlorophyll-a Concentration Retrieval