Journal profile · REMOTE SENSING
Drone Systems and Applications
ISSN 2564-4939 · Canadian Science Publishing · Canada
Drone Systems and Applications: CAS Zone 4 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.7 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,600; review about 31 weeks (community reports); 26 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Drone Systems and Applications is published by Canadian Science Publishing and is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are UAV Applications and Optimization, Air Traffic Management and Optimization and Robotics and Sensor-Based Localization, together about 31.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Aerospace Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Drone Systems and Applications (formerly the Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems) is an electronic-only, open-access, peer-reviewed journal that features research related to the rapidly emerging international field of unoccupied or uncrewed vehicle systems: i.e., remotely controlled or autonomous mobile robots that operate in the air, on the ground, on or below the water surface, or in outer space. The journal is broadly themed into three main areas of practical and academic interest: engineering (e.g., physical design, mechanics, navigation and control, and instrumentation), applications (including research, commercial, industrial and military), and societal aspects (e.g., safety, regulations, public perceptions, and economics). Articles may also focus on drone-borne sensors and other payloads, as well as on the analysis and applications of remotely sensed data collected by drones. Submissions are welcomed from researchers and practitioners in academia, government, and industry from all over the world.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): REMOTE SENSING
Editor-in-chief Dominique ChabotPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Canada 25, United States 3, United Kingdom 3, Australia 3, South Korea 1 (41 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- UAV Applications and OptimizationEngineering14.1%
- Air Traffic Management and OptimizationEngineering10.4%
- Robotics and Sensor-Based LocalizationEngineering7.3%
- Robotic Path Planning AlgorithmsComputer Science6.3%
- 3D Surveying and Cultural HeritageEarth and Planetary Sciences6.3%
- Aerospace and Aviation TechnologyEngineering5.7%
- Distributed Control Multi-Agent SystemsComputer Science5.2%
- Avian ecology and behaviorEnvironmental Science4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Remote Sensing | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Remote Sensing | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- h-index
- 15OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 27OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.31OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 94.19%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 27LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 125 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 26 | 26 | 70 |
| 2024 | 36 | 36 | 378 |
| 2023 | 27 | 27 | 226 |
| 2022 | 24 | 24 | 182 |
| 2021 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 31 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 31 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | CAD 1,600 / USD 1,600 | Yes | CC BY | |
| LetPub | USD 1,000 / CAD 1,000 | Yes | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted10
- editorialAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
- letterAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
- letter to the editorAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
- literature reviewAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
- meta-analysisAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
- mini reviewAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
- original researchAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
- perspectiveAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
- research articleAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
- reviewAll word limits given below refer to the total length of the manuscript, including abstract, main sections, author statements, list of references, tables and fi…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Authorship Author contribution statement
Supply an author contribution statement, identifying authors by their initials and specifying contributions using the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) roles as selected for each author in the peer-review system during submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Competing interests statement
Authors are responsible for disclosing all financial and non-financial relationships that might bias or be seen to bias their work. Supply a statement of competing interests during submission. Authors who are unsure what to list may wish to consult the ICMJE form for disclosure of competing interests. If there is nothing to declare, the statement should read: “The authors declare there are no comp…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statement
Data sharing partnership with Dryad; free data/code deposit through end of 2026 Model summary
Supply a data availability statement that says whether any, all, or portions of the data underpinning the work are available to others. Please refer to journal-specific guidelines for additional requirements on data availability. If data are available, specify how data can be accessed and under what conditions data can be reused. Supply repository name, persistent unique identifier (PID: DOI/compa…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
Drone Systems and Applications is an open access journal. Reuse is permitted under the terms of the Creative Commons 4.0 International Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). This license lets others distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit the authors and the source of the original creation. This is the most accommodating of licenses offered, and it i…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-Anonymous Peer Review
Double-anonymous peer review model for manuscripts submitted after June 24th, 2025 Model summary
Drone Systems and Applications (DSA) uses a double-anonymous peer review model for manuscripts submitted after June 24th, 2025. Learn more about how to prepare your manuscript for double-anonymous peer review.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Reporting guidelines
Authors are encouraged to use reporting guidelines to enhance the transparency and reproducibility of their work. Up-to-date guidelines can be found at the EQUATOR Network, where authors may search or consult the GoodReports wizard to identify which guideline(s) to use. Page or line numbers should be used to identify each checklist item in the manuscript. A completed checklist may be requested by …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Canadian Science Publishing
- Country or region
- Canada
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2564-4939
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 1420 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Drone Systems and Applications
What CAS zone is Drone Systems and Applications in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Drone Systems and Applications is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Remote Sensing. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Drone Systems and Applications?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 4.7 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 15.
How long does peer review take at Drone Systems and Applications?
Authors report an average review time of about 31 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Drone Systems and Applications based?
Of the 41 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Canada (25), United States (3) and United Kingdom (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Drone Systems and Applications?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Drone Systems and Applications is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Drone Systems and Applications open access, and what is the APC?
Drone Systems and Applications is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,600.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, DOAJ, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-24). Last updated: .