GEE Interface Platforms

You must sign up in order to access Google Earth Engine. Sign up here:

https://signup.earthengine.google.comsignup.earthengine.google.com

Google Earth Engine offers two platforms for users to view and explore data.

1. Explorer

The GEE Explorer lets users add data directly from the Data Catalog into the map, and is a user-friendly way to begin exploring the data.

It is aimed at non-programmers and provides basic analysis functionality such as per-pixel maths, terrain algorithms etc.

Users can save and share their Workspace, and export data from the Platform.

However, it has limited analysis power and only a small subset of tools are available.

Screenshot of Google Earth Engine Explorer

2. APIs

Users can connect to Earth Engine through one of the APIs, such as JavaScript or Python libraries or using the REST API.

2.1. JavaScript

The GEE Code Editor is a Web-based interface for the Earth Engine API using JavaScript.

Users have access to many example scripts, can import their own data and run scripts.

https://earthengine.google.com/platform/

2.2. Python

GEE has an open source Python API package called ee. It allows the same functionality, but uses different syntax.

The geemap python package has also been developed to allow interactive mapping with Google Earth Engine, and lets users analyse and view datasets within Jupyter environments.

2.3. QGIS Plugin

The GEE plugin enables users to write and execute EE scripts from the QGIS Python Code Editor

Example showing QGIS with GEE plugin active. Credit - GEE plugin documentation https://gee-community.github.io/qgis-earthengine-plugin/