Journal profile · Remote Sensing
International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
ISSN 0303-2434 · eISSN 1872-826X · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1999
International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation: CAS Zone 1 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8.18; fully open access; APC about USD 3,550; review about 143 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 675 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Remote Sensing in Agriculture, Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications and Land Use and Ecosystem Services, together about 40.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation publishes original papers that apply earth observation data to the inventory and management of natural resources and the environment. In this context, earth observation data are normally those acquired from remote sensing platforms such as satellites and aircraft, complemented and supplemented by surface and subsurface measurements and mapping. Natural resources include forests, agricultural land, soils, water resources, mineral deposits, and land itself as a foundation for infrastructure and housing. Environmental issues include biodiversity, land degradation, industrial pollution and natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods and landslides. The focus, which can be either conceptual or data driven, includes all major themes in geoinformation, like capturing, databasing, visualization and interpretation of data, but also issues of data quality and spatial uncertainty.Since the scope is large, contributions should be of the highest quality, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Some will convey important recommendations for environmental management and governance. Contributions that expand existing methodology in image and point cloud processing, geospatial mapping, and big spatiotemporal data analytics using GeoAI are welcome. The journal encourages 'Discussion' articles that stimulate dialogue between earth observation studies and managers in a statistically sound way, 'Review' articles that provide an overview of scientific developments in a particular scientific domain in recent years, and 'Letter' articles that provide rapid communications on the state-of-the-art methods and novel applications of geospatial data.The journal International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation invites proposals for Special Issues. For more details on the SI proposal process and how to submit a SI, please refer to the relevant section - Journal Specific Information - of the Guide for Authors.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Remote Sensing
Editor-in-chief Jonathan LiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 18 in mainland China (about 30%); most named Mainland China 18, Italy 7, Canada 7, United States 4, Australia 4 (61 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Remote Sensing in AgricultureEnvironmental Science19.1%
- Remote Sensing and LiDAR ApplicationsEnvironmental Science12.6%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science8.5%
- Remote-Sensing Image ClassificationEngineering8.3%
- Remote Sensing and Land UseEarth and Planetary Sciences4.2%
- Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Applications and TechniquesEngineering3.8%
- Urban Heat Island MitigationEnvironmental Science3.3%
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon DynamicsEnvironmental Science3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Remote Sensing | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Remote Sensing | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Earth Sciences Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Remote Sensing | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 8.18LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 8.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 14.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 14.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.18LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.04LetPub ·
- h-index
- 76LetPub ·
- h-index
- 170OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,517OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.43OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 653LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 5Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,731 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 575 | 575 | 220 |
| 2025 | 675 | 675 | 2,467 |
| 2024 | 695 | 695 | 7,874 |
| 2023 | 444 | 444 | 10,460 |
| 2022 | 485 | 485 | 17,017 |
| 2021 | 383 | 383 | 16,513 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
Too few articlesOnly 3 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 55 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 143 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Anonymous peer reviewLetPub
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 accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,550 / EUR 3,320 / GBP 2,840 / JPY 440,310 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,400 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,670 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteArticle types accepted15, with length limits
- book reviewOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- book reviewsA book review consists of maximum 250 words.Length not stated
- commentaryOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- discussion paperArticles that stimulate dialogue between earth observation studies and managers in a statistically sound way. The manuscript will be sent to at least 10 experts…Length not stated
- opinionOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- original paperOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- research paperOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…main text ≤ 8,000 words
- research papersResearch papers can have 8000 words in length, although longer articles will be accepted on an occasional basis if the topic demands this length of treatment.Length not stated
- reviewOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- review articleOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- short communicationOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…main text ≤ 2,500 words
- short communication papersShort communication papers can have 2500 words as a maximum and contain at most 1 table and 3 figures.Length not stated
- short reviewOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- special issuesSpecial Issues: 20 pages per paper and less than 5,000 words.Length not stated
- technical noteOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 8000 words in length, al…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Keywords: 1 to 7 required. Model summary
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Peer review type: single anonymized review process. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing is allowed. Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1999
- ISSN
- 0303-2434
- Print ISSN
- 1569-8432
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-826X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
What CAS zone is International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Remote Sensing; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.18; CiteScore 14.6, h-index 170.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation?
The publisher reports about 143 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. 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 International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation based?
Of the 61 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 18 (about 30%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (18), Italy (7) and Canada (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .