Rahimi Ehsan, Jung Chuleui
Agricultural Science and Technology Institute GyeongKuk National University Andong Republic of Korea.
Department of Plant Medicals GyeongKuk National University Andong Republic of Korea.
Ecol Evol. 2025 Aug 8;15(8):e71952. doi: 10.1002/ece3.71952. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Remote sensing research stands at a critical juncture, grappling with challenges in identifying shifting trends and emerging scientific priorities. These gaps limit the field's ability to effectively address pressing environmental issues and foster innovation in related applications, particularly in conservation. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive scientometric analysis of approximately 20,000 researchers identified via Google Scholar who explicitly list "remote sensing" in their profiles, examining their publication trends, citation patterns, collaboration networks, and disciplinary affiliations. The analysis utilized a dataset comprising over 837,658 publications and nearly 20 million citations spanning from 1700 to 2024. Our findings reveal that each researcher has accumulated an average of 1435 citations, with a mean H-index of 10.9 and an i10-index of 17.4. Collaboration plays a pivotal role in the field, as evidenced by 79% of citations originating from co-authored works. The peak of scientific output was observed in 2022, with 54,304 publications-the highest annual total recorded. However, a slight decline was noted in 2024, with 50,096 papers published. Citations per paper peaked in the mid-2010s, reaching their highest levels between 2015 and 2020. In contrast, recent years have witnessed a marked decline, with total citations dropping from over 1.1 million in 2020 to 317,585 in 2023 and just 84,389 in 2024. Keyword analysis identified "classification," "climate," "forest," "land," and "mapping" as dominant themes, reflecting the field's continued focus on addressing global environmental challenges. While the sustained growth in publication output underscores the dynamism of remote sensing research, the declining citation counts suggest a shift toward highly specialized studies that appeal to narrower audiences. This trend necessitates a strategic reassessment of research priorities and publishing practices to ensure that remote sensing studies maintain their relevance and impact in addressing urgent global challenges.
遥感研究正处于一个关键节点，面临着识别变化趋势和新兴科学重点方面的挑战。这些差距限制了该领域有效应对紧迫环境问题以及促进相关应用（特别是在保护领域）创新的能力。在本研究中，我们对通过谷歌学术识别出的约20000名在其个人资料中明确列出“遥感”的研究人员进行了全面的科学计量分析，考察了他们的发表趋势、引用模式、合作网络和学科归属。该分析使用了一个数据集，其中包括从1700年到2024年的超过837658篇出版物和近2000万次引用。我们的研究结果显示，每位研究人员平均积累了1435次引用，平均H指数为10.9，i10指数为17.4。合作在该领域发挥着关键作用，79%的引用来自合著作品就是证明。科学产出在2022年达到峰值，有54304篇出版物——这是有记录以来的最高年度总数。然而，2024年出现了轻微下降，发表了50096篇论文。每篇论文的引用次数在2010年代中期达到峰值，在2015年至2020年期间达到最高水平。相比之下，近年来出现了显著下降，总引用次数从2020年的超过110万次降至2023年的317585次，2024年仅有84389次。关键词分析确定“分类”“气候”“森林”“土地”和“测绘”为主要主题，反映了该领域对应对全球环境挑战的持续关注。虽然出版物产出的持续增长凸显了遥感研究的活力，但引用次数的下降表明研究正朝着吸引更窄受众的高度专业化研究转变。这一趋势需要对研究重点和出版实践进行战略重新评估，以确保遥感研究在应对紧迫的全球挑战方面保持其相关性和影响力。
