Working with Satellite Data: An Introduction to Google Earth Engine

Presented by the Unit for Data Science and Analytics at ASU Library, the Satellite Data and Google Earth Engine open lab will introduce participants to the fundamentals of satellite data, including what satellite data is, how it is collected and where it can be accessed for academic and research use. 

The session will explain key characteristics of satellite imagery such as spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution and will provide an overview of major sources of openly available satellite data. Participants will gain a conceptual understanding of how satellite data is used to observe environmental, geographic, and spatial phenomena across disciplines. Building on this foundation, the open lab will introduce Google Earth Engine (GEE) as a major platform for working with satellite data at scale. Participants will learn how GEE stores large collections of satellite imagery and enables cloud-based analysis without the need for local data storage or specialized computing infrastructure. 

The session will explain, at a high level, how satellite data is explored, processed, and analyzed within Earth Engine, and why GEE has become an essential tool for satellite data analysis in research and applied contexts. By the end of the open lab, participants will have a clearer understanding of the satellite data ecosystem, and the role GEE plays in making large-scale satellite data analysis possible.