Cited by 3,400Remote-Sensing Image ClassificationRemote Sensing and Land UseAdvanced Neural Network Applications

Deep Learning in Remote Sensing: A Comprehensive Review and List of Resources

Open access
Zhu, Xiao Xiang, Tuia, Devis, Mou, Lichao, Xia, Gui-Song, Zhang, Liangpei, Xu, Feng, Fraundorfer, Friedrich·2017·IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine

Abstract

Central to the looming paradigm shift toward data-intensive science, machine-learning techniques are becoming increasingly important. In particular, deep learning has proven to be both a major breakthrough and an extremely powerful tool in many fields. Shall we embrace deep learning as the key to everything? Or should we resist a black-box solution? These are controversial issues within the remote-sensing community. In this article, we analyze the challenges of using deep learning for remote-sensing data analysis, review recent advances, and provide resources we hope will make deep learning in remote sensing seem ridiculously simple. More importantly, we encourage remote-sensing scientists to bring their expertise into deep learning and use it as an implicit general model to tackle unprecedented, large-scale, influential challenges, such as climate change and urbanization.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1109/mgrs.2017.2762307

Cites

146 of 146 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Authors
Zhu, X. X., Tuia, D., Mou, L., Xia, G.-S., Zhang, L., Xu, F., & Fraundorfer, F.
Affiliations
  • Technical University of Munich (DE)
  • Wageningen University & Research (NL)
  • Wuhan University (CN)
  • Fudan University (CN)
  • Graz University of Technology (AT)
Venue
IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine
Published
2017-12
Volume
5
Issue
4
Pages
8-36
ISSN
  • 2168-6831 (ISSN-L)
  • 2473-2397
  • 2373-7468
OpenAlex
W2764034829
Cited by
3,400
References
146
Citations by year
2026: 616 · 2025: 502 · 2024: 385 · 2023: 358 · 2022: 411 · 2021: 424 · 2020: 329 · 2019: 266 · 2018: 109
FWCI
160.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine (publishedVersion)
  • elib (German Aerospace Center) (acceptedVersion)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
  • Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • arXiv (Cornell University)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
  • Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (150593)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (41431175, 61571134, ERC-2016-StG-714087, 41501462)
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Hunan Normal University
  • Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
  • Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt
  • China Scholarship Council (ERC-2016-StG-714087)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
  • Technische Universität München
  • Université de Lausanne
  • Universität Zürich
  • Wuhan University
  • Xi'an University of Posts and Telecommunications
  • University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Wageningen University and Research
  • Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics
  • Wageningen University Fund
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Media Technology › Remote-Sensing Image Classification
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Remote Sensing and Land Use
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Advanced Neural Network Applications
Keywords
deep learning, remote sensing, machine learning, black-box models, remote sensing data analysis, climate change, urbanization, big data analytics

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