GIS & Geospatial Data Services

Google Earth Engine (GEE) is a powerful, cloud-based platform for planetary-scale geospatial analysis. It combines a massive, multi-petabyte catalog of publicly available satellite imagery and other geospatial datasets with Google's cloud computing infrastructure. This allows users to analyze and visualize vast amounts of data without needing to download and store it locally. GEE is particularly useful for tasks such as monitoring vegetation and land use change, mapping earth surface trends, and tracking disturbances.

Unlike Google Earth, which is primarily a tool for viewing and exploring a virtual globe, GEE is a sophisticated analysis tool for processing and manipulating geospatial data. It provides APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) for JavaScript and Python, which are used in a web-based Code Editor and other programming environments. This enables the creation of scripts that perform complex analyses on large regions or the entire planet.

Starting a Free Academic Account

Google Earth Engine remains free of charge for academic, research, and non-profit use. To get started with a free account for academic purposes, you will need a Google account. The process involves creating and registering a Google Cloud Project, which serves as the access point for all GEE operations. All GEE calls, whether from the Code Editor or other client libraries, are routed through this project.

Here's a general breakdown of the steps:

1. Create a Google Cloud Project: You'll need to create a project in the Google Cloud Console. This is a one-time setup process.

2. Enable the Earth Engine API: Within your new Google Cloud Project, you must enable the Earth Engine API.

3. Register the Project for Noncommercial Use: You will need to complete a registration form to confirm that your project is for noncommercial use (e.g., academic research or teaching). Using an email address associated with a recognized educational or research institution can help with the verification process.

4. Begin Using the Platform: Once your project is registered and the API is enabled, you can start using the GEE Code Editor or other client libraries (Python, JavaScript) to access the platform.