Dear Colleagues,

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are digital systems for assessing spatial variation, which have evolved alongside new technologies for spatial data collection — UAV drones, digital cameras, satellite data, sensors, and more — and their transmission through IoT (Internet of Things) technologies and the internet. These innovations, combined with GIS analysis, provide enhanced capabilities and significant impetus for solving contemporary challenges faced by agriculture and environmental sustainability.

New and innovative sensors carried on earth observation instruments, tractors, and field-measuring devices are constantly collecting high-resolution, multitemporal, and multispectral data, supplementing and integrating data obtained through more traditional approaches. GIS and other geospatial technologies transform these data into accessible and interpretable information that enables farmers and land managers to make efficient and informed decisions.

At the same time, geospatial analyses of human impact on the environment are crucial for a better understanding of underlying relationships and processes. Advanced Earth Observation technologies and Geoinformatics pave the way towards deeper insights into ecological and environmental interactions, identifying early indicators of environmental degradation and improving our capacity for risk assessment, timely forecasting, and response. Every year brings remarkable progress in Remote Sensing, GIS, and spatial analysis methodologies and technologies applied to agriculture and the environment.

This Special Issue will summarize contemporary progress and achievements in Remote Sensing, GIS, and Geoinformatics, highlight recent advancements, and present applications across a wide spectrum of topics related to geospatial technologies in agriculture and the environment. It is coordinated with the 6ᵗʰ Congress of Geographical Information Systems and Spatial Analysis in Agriculture and Environment, and includes selected papers from the conference, as well as other contributions aligned with its themes.

Specifically, the Topic focuses on — but is not limited to — Earth Observation, GIS, and Spatial Analysis applications such as: Satellite Data, Geoinformatics & Geospatial Technologies, Web-GIS, GNSS and GPS, IoT, Land Information Systems, Spatial Exploratory Data Analysis, Spatial Statistical Models, Spatial Interpolation, Geostatistics, Neural Networks and AI, and the use of Cloud Services for managing large volumes of spatial data.

Applications include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• Land Suitability Classification

• Soil Resources Protection, Land Assessment, and Land Use Planning

• Water Resources Analysis, Planning, and Management

• Ecosystem Protection, Restoration, and Management

• Forest Evaluation and Management

• Natural Hazards and Geohazards

• Natural Disasters (Floods, Droughts, Fires, Landslides, etc.)

• Spatial Digital Management of Farms & Agricultural Holdings

• Precision Agriculture, Smart Farming, and Data Collection via Spatial Digital Technologies

• Monitoring of Agricultural Production and Agroecosystems

• Crop Protection, Pest and Disease Management

• Weeds and Invasive Species

• Soil Nutrients and Fertility Management

• Sustainable Fishery through Contemporary Geospatial Technologies

• Livestock and Pasture Management