In 2019, GEO and Google Earth Engine (GEE) announced a call to action for Earth observations projects monitoring the pulse of the planet to apply for the GEO-GEE Programme.
More than 50 projects were submitted from around the globe on a range of social and environmental topics including climate monitoring, water and coastal observations, sustainable development and other key areas related to environmental protection and conservation
Through a careful review process, the GEO-GEE programme selected proposals from organizations and initiatives that will deliver significant impact using Earth observations and data science with respect to improved decision making. Projects with direct relevance to global policy agendas including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as ocean conservation and biodiversity preservation were encouraged and considered essential elements of the proposals.
“Impact begins with insights. Organizations globally are using Google Earth Engine to achieve an unprecedented understanding of our changing environment and turn data into action...We are honored that Google Earth Engine can support the people behind these 32 winning projects as they tackle pressing global issues, from forest degradation and flood monitoring to natural resource management and global climate change.”
Rebecca Moore, director of Google Earth, Earth Engine & Outreach
On July 13, 2020, GEO and GEE announced 32 projects from 22 countries that were awarded $3 million USD towards production licenses and $1 million in technical support from EO Data Science to tackle some of the world’s greatest challenges using open Earth data. The GEO-GEE Programme is also supporting projects with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) to use Google Earth Engine to support climate change and disaster monitoring activities over the next two years.
The winning projects are responding to a wide range of environmental and social challenges using real-time Earth observation data coupled with cloud computing, some of which include: mapping poverty data and vulnerable settlements, deforestation and land degradation, flood warnings, marine coasts, ice shelf monitoring, environment, and climate stress, food and agriculture and many more.
“GEO is very proud to be supporting these projects in collaboration with Google Earth Engine and EO Data Science. I am thoroughly impressed with the number, quality, and diversity of proposals we received. The diversity in terms of the topics, regions, and approaches is a testament to the fact the Earth observations are instrumental for a wide range of applications and solutions."
Gilberto Camara, GEO Secretariat Director.
The GEO-GEE programme is carried out in cooperation with the GEO Secretariat, GEO Programme Board, Google and EO Data Science. Google is providing production licenses to use GEE and EO Data Science is providing ongoing technical support, mentoring and capacity development support through a targeted outreach programme