A review of the research and advancements in MSDF monitoring for the remote sensing of soil and water conservation in China

With the advancement of remote sensing technology, the accuracy of satellite remote sensing data has continuously improved, and the precision of large‐scale soil and water conservation monitoring has steadily increased. However, owing to differences in sensor acquisition and processing methods, monitoring data obtained through various approaches frequently exhibit limited compatibility and data singularity, presenting challenges in meeting the requirements for advanced soil erosion monitoring. Recently, the emergence and application of multi‐source data fusion (MSDF) technology have effectively enhanced the spatiotemporal resolution of erosion monitoring. In this study, we employed the scientometric mapping tool CiteSpace using bibliometric methods to systematically review the research hotspots and development trends in multi‐source monitoring of soil erosion from 1999 to 2024. This review summarizes the classification and acquisition methods for multi‐source data, analyzes the characteristics and challenges of commonly used MSDF techniques, and elucidates the implementation pathways for applying MSDF technology to soil and water conservation monitoring in China. This review focuses on analyzing the application of multi‐source data to extract key factors of the soil loss equation, including rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, vegetation coverage, and topographic parameters such as slope gradient and length. Additionally, it discusses the limitations of multi‐source data acquisition methods and soil loss equation, proposes innovative directions for the comprehensive application of multi‐source remote sensing fusion technology in erosion monitoring, and provides scientific recommendations to support the high‐quality development and scalable implementation of soil and water conservation informatization.