The Role of UAS–GIS in Digital Era Governance. A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) technologies, also known as UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), drones, or Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) and GIS (Geographic Information System) are recognised for the value of the results that can be achieved by their combined use. However, their use and the results achieved are rarely framed within the context of Digital Era Governance (DEG), an undertaking that would significantly reduce the capabilities of knowledge transfer from the academic and/or private environment to the public domain. The purpose of this study was to highlight, by a bibliometric analysis, the areas of proposed use of this team of tools and the extent to which these can enter the sphere of interest of public administrations, especially local ones. From a methodological point of view, based on the 439 articles filtered from the Web of Science database where UAS/UAV and GIS technologies were used, several bibliometric analyses have emerged. VOSviewer and R (Bibliometrix tool) were used to conduct the bibliometric analyses. Most scientific publications that used UAV technology as a working tool have predominant applicability in photogrammetry, while GIS applications are found in publications dedicated to image processing, landslides, and cultural and archaeological heritage. We point out that from the point of view of international cooperation, at the level of institutions or countries, certain international organisations from the USA, China, and the central and northern European states have a high interest in this topic, and a low cooperation between academia and public administration is exhibited. The conclusion is represented by the apparent lack of framing of the results of UAS–GIS technologies usage into wider and more topical contexts, such as digital era governance, and also a reduced applicability of the research results.