Integrating Google Earth Engine with QGIS

Introduction

This tutorial will walk you through how to integrate Google Earth Engine with QGIS. QGIS is a more traditional GIS with a graphical user interface, to learn more about QGIS and how to install it go here (LINK). Google Earth Engine is a cloud computing platform that houses large datasets of satellite imagery and where large scale processes run. A free account is needed to use Google Earth Engine, to learn more about GEE and how to set up your account go (HERE).

Connecting Google Earth Engine to QGIS

Installing Plugins

To connect Google Earth Engine to QGIS you will need to download the plugin. Open QGIS navigate to Plugins > Manage and Install plugins and then scroll down or search for Google Earth Engine and Google Earth Engine Data Catalog.

Where to find plugins in QGIS

Google Earth Engine Plugins Download

Connecting your Google Earth Engine Account

Once the plugins are installed you can connect your Google Earth Engine account to your QGIS project. Navigate to the GEE button at the top of the screen, and select sign in, this will take you to a web page that asks you so sign in to your google account and link your project. Once you approve the connection you’ll need to connect the Earth Engine project you wish to work from. If you haven’t set up an Earth Engine project you can learn how to do so here(LINK).

Where to find the GEE sign in

Connecting a Google Earth Engine Project

Once you've authenticated you Google Earth Engine account you will be prompted to connect QGIS to an Earth engine project.

Project Connection Window

Using Google Earth Engine within QGIS

Now that your account and projects have been connected you can begin to use GEE. We’ll explore the data catalog first. Click the data catalog button at the top of the screen in QGIS

Click here to open the GEE data catalog

This opens the data catalog window. You can now choose the imagery dataset you wish to use (sentinel2, Landsat, ect.) you can also choose which bands you want to use including true colour, false colour, NDVI, EVI, and many others. You can also set the date range, maximum cloud coverage, and the number of images you want (the max is 20). The default extent it the viewing window within QGIS.

Data Catalog Popup

Once you have an image in QGIS you can manipulate it as you would if you had downloaded the image from any other data provider. While the data catalog is incredibly useful Google Earth Engine much more powerful than just a data provider. If you have used GEE before and have scripts that you have run in another environment such as Jupyter notebooks or google colab you can also run them in QGIS through the python console / code editor.

Use Case Examples

The following code can be used to run a climate prediction model and map the mean air temperature across the globe in the year 2030. All the computing is done with GEE servers and the result is displayed within QGIS.

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