From Application-Driven Growth to Paradigm Shift: Scientific Evolution and Core Bottleneck Analysis in the Field of UAV Remote Sensing
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Remote Sensing (UAV-RS) has emerged as a transformative technology in high-resolution Earth observation, with widespread applications in precision agriculture, ecological monitoring, and disaster response. However, a systematic understanding of its scientific evolution and st...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8304 |
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| author | Denghong Huang Zhongfa Zhou Zhenzhen Zhang Xiandan Du Ruiqi Fan Qianxia Li Youyan Huang |
| author_facet | Denghong Huang Zhongfa Zhou Zhenzhen Zhang Xiandan Du Ruiqi Fan Qianxia Li Youyan Huang |
| author_sort | Denghong Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Remote Sensing (UAV-RS) has emerged as a transformative technology in high-resolution Earth observation, with widespread applications in precision agriculture, ecological monitoring, and disaster response. However, a systematic understanding of its scientific evolution and structural bottlenecks remains lacking. This study collected 4985 peer-reviewed articles from the Web of Science Core Collection and conducted a comprehensive scientometric analysis using CiteSpace v.6.2.R4, Origin 2022, and Excel. We examined publication trends, country/institutional collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence clusters, and emerging research fronts. Results reveal an exponential growth in UAV-RS research since 2015, dominated by application-driven studies. Hotspots include vegetation indices, structure from motion modeling, and deep learning integration. However, foundational challenges—such as platform endurance, sensor coordination, and data standardization—remain underexplored. The global collaboration network exhibits a “strong hubs, weak bridges” pattern, limiting transnational knowledge integration. This review highlights the imbalance between surface-level innovation and deep technological maturity and calls for a paradigm shift from fragmented application responses to integrated systems development. Our findings provide strategic insights for researchers, policymakers, and funding agencies to guide the next stage of UAV-RS evolution. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-78c871d18ce74bebbf46b3340cc1fe58 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-78c871d18ce74bebbf46b3340cc1fe582025-08-20T04:00:49ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-07-011515830410.3390/app15158304From Application-Driven Growth to Paradigm Shift: Scientific Evolution and Core Bottleneck Analysis in the Field of UAV Remote SensingDenghong Huang0Zhongfa Zhou1Zhenzhen Zhang2Xiandan Du3Ruiqi Fan4Qianxia Li5Youyan Huang6School of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Geography & Environmental Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Geography & Environmental Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Geography & Environmental Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaSchool of Karst Science, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550001, ChinaUnmanned Aerial Vehicle Remote Sensing (UAV-RS) has emerged as a transformative technology in high-resolution Earth observation, with widespread applications in precision agriculture, ecological monitoring, and disaster response. However, a systematic understanding of its scientific evolution and structural bottlenecks remains lacking. This study collected 4985 peer-reviewed articles from the Web of Science Core Collection and conducted a comprehensive scientometric analysis using CiteSpace v.6.2.R4, Origin 2022, and Excel. We examined publication trends, country/institutional collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence clusters, and emerging research fronts. Results reveal an exponential growth in UAV-RS research since 2015, dominated by application-driven studies. Hotspots include vegetation indices, structure from motion modeling, and deep learning integration. However, foundational challenges—such as platform endurance, sensor coordination, and data standardization—remain underexplored. The global collaboration network exhibits a “strong hubs, weak bridges” pattern, limiting transnational knowledge integration. This review highlights the imbalance between surface-level innovation and deep technological maturity and calls for a paradigm shift from fragmented application responses to integrated systems development. Our findings provide strategic insights for researchers, policymakers, and funding agencies to guide the next stage of UAV-RS evolution.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8304UAV remote sensingscientific quantitative analysisresearch evolutiondata integration potential risksglobal collaboration |
| spellingShingle | Denghong Huang Zhongfa Zhou Zhenzhen Zhang Xiandan Du Ruiqi Fan Qianxia Li Youyan Huang From Application-Driven Growth to Paradigm Shift: Scientific Evolution and Core Bottleneck Analysis in the Field of UAV Remote Sensing Applied Sciences UAV remote sensing scientific quantitative analysis research evolution data integration potential risks global collaboration |
| title | From Application-Driven Growth to Paradigm Shift: Scientific Evolution and Core Bottleneck Analysis in the Field of UAV Remote Sensing |
| title_full | From Application-Driven Growth to Paradigm Shift: Scientific Evolution and Core Bottleneck Analysis in the Field of UAV Remote Sensing |
| title_fullStr | From Application-Driven Growth to Paradigm Shift: Scientific Evolution and Core Bottleneck Analysis in the Field of UAV Remote Sensing |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Application-Driven Growth to Paradigm Shift: Scientific Evolution and Core Bottleneck Analysis in the Field of UAV Remote Sensing |
| title_short | From Application-Driven Growth to Paradigm Shift: Scientific Evolution and Core Bottleneck Analysis in the Field of UAV Remote Sensing |
| title_sort | from application driven growth to paradigm shift scientific evolution and core bottleneck analysis in the field of uav remote sensing |
| topic | UAV remote sensing scientific quantitative analysis research evolution data integration potential risks global collaboration |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8304 |
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