Global bibliometric analysis of the 'Remote Sensing' subject category from the Web of Science (1997-2012)

This study aimed at analyzing the evolution of the research into 'Remote Sensing' subject category; as a first approximation, we have revised in the Web of Science, the journals that are in that category. Secondly, we used bibliometric indicators to analyze publications for journals between 1997 and 2012. To do so, we analyzed for different countries and research centers, various bibliometric indicators such as the number of documents, showing, the productivity, the average number of citations, authors, research centers, national and international collaboration per document including their networks, the weighted and relative impact factor, as well as the h-index. Furthermore, we analyzed the international dissemination of research of countries through journals and the relationship with the impact factor to detect the published journals of each country. We have shown that English is the most common language of publication, and the USA is the most productive country, although it has a relatively low impact factor. We can remark that the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are the most productive institutions, and the great number of publications of some Chinese universities.