Foreword to the Special Issue on Hyperspectral Remote Sensing: Theory, Methods, and Applications

Hyperspectral imaging has become a very active field in both theoretical and application-related research in remote sensing since its emergence in the 1980s [1], [2]. The first airborne hyperspectral sensor, called Airborne Imaging Spectrometer (AIS), was designed in the early 1980s [3]; an advanced airborne sensor, i.e., Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), began to provide high-quality airborne data in 1987 [4], [5]; Hyperion–the first spaceborne hyperspectral sensor–was launched in 2000 and routinely acquires data with larger spatial coverage from earth orbit [6]. Nowadays, more and more high-quality hyperspectral data are commercially available, which are greatly promoting the research in hyperspectral remote sensing. The fact that hyperspectral remote sensing is of great interest to the scientific community can be partially reflected by several journal special issues published in the last decade, such as those appeared in IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING (TGRS) [7], IEEE Signal Processing Magazine (SPM) [8], and Remote Sensing of Environment (RSE) [9]. It can also be demonstrated by the lately launched but well-received workshop series,Workshop on Hyperspectral Image and Signal Processing: Evolution in Remote Sensing (WHISPERS), sponsored by IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society. Since its first inaugural 2009 workshop in Grenoble, France, followed by the second one in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2010, and the third one in Lisbon, Portugal in 2011,WHISPERS has been considered as one of the most prestigious international conferences in hyperspectral remote sensing. Some interesting research presented in WHISPERS series can be found in two recent journal special issues [10], [11]. In 2012, WHISPERS moved to Shanghai, China. There were 91 oral presentations and 31 posters. Three excellent plenary speakers: Professor Qingxi Tong from Peking University, China, Professor Jean-Pierre Bibring from University of Paris, France, and Professor Susan Ustin from University of California, Davis, USA, introduced their cutting-edge research in this field. Following the success of this fourth WHISPERS edition, it is our great pleasure to introduce this special issue in order to present the most recent developments. A large number of submissions were received, and 29 papers have been accepted after rigorous review. A few of the submissions will be published in the following issues of JSTARS, after the final reviews and revisions are completed. In the remainder of this Foreword, we briefly introduce these 29 accepted papers, which cover several important topics. In particular, 9 of these 29 papers are related to hyperspectral remote sensing applications, which well fit the scope of JSTARS.