Remote sensing to shape the next generation species distribution models

Current species distribution modeling (SDM) research calls for more realistic approaches that better integrate biotic interactions and a robust modelling framework flexible enough to accommodate multiple scales. One of the current limitations of SDMs relates to a lack of availability of ecologically and spatially explicit parameters to feed into the considered models, especially when these models are defined at high spatial and temporal resolutions. In this respect, we believe that novel remote sensing data provide a unique opportunity for biogeographers to progress from classical SDMs to a new generation of SDMs. We here propose a new class of modelling approach, the next generation species distribution models (NG-SDMs)