Google Earth Engine: empowering developing countries with large-scale geospatial data analysis—a comprehensive review

Abstract

Google Earth Engine (GEE) serves as a versatile platform for processing and visualising geospatial datasets, with its primary aim being to provide an open platform for planetary-scale geospatial analysis. Over time, GEE has proven itself as a valuable and robust tool, offering access to a wide array of imagery within a single consolidated system. Its cloud computing environment and computational power eradicate the need to store, process and analyse vast amount of satellite imagery on local computers. GEE has the potential to address some of the challenges associated with earth observation and geospatial applications, particularly in developing countries. Its development has lessened the reliance on high-speed processors and extensive storage capacities. Moreover, GEE presents users with a unique opportunity to conduct analyses with minimal financial investment and equipment requirements. The platform has showcased its capability to perform spatial and temporal analyses on global-scale data at significantly accelerated computational speed, rendering it an attractive tool for the scientific community, offering both versatility and accessibility. Its application spread across various sectors including crop inventory, vegetation mapping and monitoring, land cover mapping, disaster management, hydrological studies, urban planning and management, wetland conservation and management, climate change analysis and forestry analysis. For researchers in developing countries, who often grapple with challenges related to data accessibility, funding for computer hardware and software and resource limitations, GEE opens up new avenues. However, despite its potential, the utilization of GEE in developing countries has fallen short of expectations. Therefore, it is crucial for developing countries to fully leverage this platform to accelerate their sustainable development.