Journal profile · Multiple
Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment
ISSN 2352-9385 · ELSEVIER · NETHERLANDS · Quarterly · Founded 2015
Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment: CAS Zone 3 · Earth Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.9 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,640; review about 143 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 415 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment is published by ELSEVIER and is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Remote Sensing in Agriculture, Land Use and Ecosystem Services and Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications, together about 38.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Global and Planetary Change. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment (RSASE) is part of the Remote Sensing of Environment family of journals. It focuses on remote sensing studies that address specific topics with an emphasis on environmental and societal issues - regional / local studies with global significance. Subjects are encouraged to have an interdisciplinary approach and include, but are not limited by:Global and climate change studies addressing the impact of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, CO2 emission, carbon balance and carbon mitigation, energy system on social and environmental systemsEcological and environmental issues including biodiversity, ecosystem dynamics, land degradation, atmospheric and water pollution, urban footprint, ecosystem management and natural hazards (e.g. earthquakes, typhoons, floods, landslides)Natural resource studies including land-use in general, biomass estimation, forests, agricultural land, plantation, soils, coral reefs, wetland and water resourcesAgriculture, food production systems and food security outcomesSocio-economic issues including urban systems, urban growth, public health, epidemics, land-use transition and land use conflictsOceanography and coastal zone studies, including sea level rise projections, coastlines changes and the ocean-land interfaceRegional challenges for remote sensing application techniques, monitoring and analysis, such as cloud screening and atmospheric correction for tropical regionsInterdisciplinary studies combining remote sensing, household survey data, field measurements and models to address environmental, societal and sustainability issuesQuantitative and qualitative analysis that documents the impact of using remote sensing studies in social, political, environmental or economic systems
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Xiao-Li DingPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 8 in mainland China (about 19%); most named Mainland China 8, United States 8, Italy 6, Hong Kong, China 3, India 2 (43 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Remote Sensing in AgricultureEnvironmental Science18.7%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science11.2%
- Remote Sensing and LiDAR ApplicationsEnvironmental Science8.5%
- Remote-Sensing Image ClassificationEngineering6.7%
- Flood Risk Assessment and ManagementEnvironmental Science5.2%
- Urban Heat Island MitigationEnvironmental Science4.8%
- Remote Sensing and Land UseEarth and Planetary Sciences3.8%
- Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Applications and TechniquesEngineering2.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Earth Sciences Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Remote Sensing | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Earth Sciences Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Earth Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Environmental Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Remote Sensing | Zone 3 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
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)
- 4.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.07LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 76OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 854OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.88OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.84%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 397LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,269 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 432 | 196 | 81 |
| 2025 | 415 | 181 | 884 |
| 2024 | 315 | 133 | 2,377 |
| 2023 | 216 | 73 | 3,070 |
| 2022 | 223 | 88 | 4,293 |
| 2021 | 221 | 64 | 4,979 |
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 1 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
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 57 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 143 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 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 accessLetPub
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,640 / EUR 2,470 / GBP 2,110 / JPY 327,440 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,540 | 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 prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- book reviewOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 6000 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 6000 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 6000 words in length, al…main text ≤ 6,000 words
- research papersResearch papers can have 6000 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 6000 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 6000 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 6000 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 6000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- technical noteOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 6000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- tutorialOriginal papers, review papers, technical notes; discussions and book reviews are encouraged. Research papers: Research papers can have 6000 words in length, al…Length not stated
- tutorial papersTutorial Papers (on new topics, sufficiently broad themes, at an introductory to intermediate level and easy to understand, with main aim education and training…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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
Authorship criteria 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 ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
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
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 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
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2015
- ISSN
- 2352-9385
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- 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 Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment
What CAS zone is Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment is in Zone 3 of Earth Sciences, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Environmental Sciences / Remote Sensing. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Earth Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 4.9; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 8.1, h-index 76.
How long does peer review take at Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment?
The publisher reports about 143 days (submission to acceptance). 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,000 words; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment based?
Of the 43 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 8 (about 19%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (8), United States (8) and Italy (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment open access, and what is the APC?
Remote Sensing Applications-Society and Environment is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,640.
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: .