Instruments, generating remotely sensed data from the surface of the earth comprised pilot-flown aircraft are considered as the first generation of platforms. The second generation consisted of earth orbiting satellites. And the third generation of platforms is referring to drones. Drone technology unleashes new innovative possibilities in the field of remote sensing. Drones address the questions of spatial and temporal resolution in the acquisition of data. Drones help to acquire data regardless of time and place.

Drones or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are a technological advancement which eliminates human risk factor. Everyone can easily acquire drone at a cheap rate and determine when and where to fly it. Strict regulations may set the limit of using drones, but their use is precision agriculture, ecology, atmospheric research, fire monitoring, and humanitarian observations, continues to increase. The integration of drones and the internet of things technology creates numerous enterprise use cases. Drones work with on-ground IoT sensor networks which help agricultural companies to monitor land and crops, and energy companies to survey power lines.

Acquiring drones needs a forum for high-quality peer-reviewed papers which broadens awareness and understanding of UAV developments and applications, associated developments in sensor technology, data processing, and communications, and UAV system design and sensing capabilities.

Drones are categorized as personal and commercial usage. They are equipped with a number of sensors, as distance sensors, time-to-flight sensors, chemical sensors, and stabilization and orientation sensors. Their visual sensors help to get still and video data, multispectral sensors collect visible and non-visible wavelengths.

Increasing adoption of drones has sparked a number of privacy, security and safety complaints and concerns. Drones have been used to obtain images of individuals in their homes or other private locations. Commercial and personal drones also create safety concerns as midair collision or loss of drone control. As drone usage grows in popularity, many countries have established UAV regulations.

 Drones revolutionize methods of data acquisition and unveil new avenues of scientific research and environmental monitoring. With stronger privacy laws people should not worry about greater surveillance capacity of drones.

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