Introduction to this special section: Drone geophysics

Abstract

Technological advancements in geophysical sensors and sensor platforms over the past decade have given rise to the rapidly growing and innovative field of drone-based geophysics. As improvements in reliability, payload capacity, coverage capability, resolution, data quality, cost, and personnel safety continue to be realized, the widespread application of drone geophysics marks an exciting new era of innovation in near-surface geophysics. Since July 2017, when the first special section on drone geophysics was published in The Leading Edge, we have witnessed the rapid development and expansion of this applied-geophysics subfield to a point where there are now entire annual conferences, such as the SEG Summit on Drone Geophysics founded in 2020, dedicated to its continued advancement. Increasingly, it has become clear that drone geophysics is here to stay and is one of the most influential, widespread, and game-changing technology advancements in applied geophysics in recent years.