Google has introduced a new suite of AI-powered tools for Google Earth, aimed at helping organisations tackle climate change, urban planning and humanitarian challenges.
Google has introduced a new suite of AI-powered tools for Google Earth.
The new offering – announced via Google’s official blog – brings together years of satellite imagery, geospatial data and machine learning into a single platform, allowing partners to train AI models on Google Cloud and apply them directly to the Earth Engine interface.
Google has said it is planning to use the technology to help organisations tackle climate change, urban planning and humanitarian challenges.
Tanya Birch, senior program manager for Google Earth, said in a statement: “Until now, environmental and scientific organisations have faced a significant gap between AI research and real-world application.
“We built Google Earth’s new AI features to close that gap, giving experts tools that were previously out of reach.”
At the core of the new platform is an API designed for geospatial AI, enabling developers to build custom models that can identify patterns in environmental data.
Use cases already include detecting wildfires, tracking glacier retreat, and mapping drought-prone areas.
Early users of the platform include the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), World Resources Institute, and the Environmental Defense Fund, with projects ranging from deforestation monitoring to post-disaster recovery mapping.
Birch added: “One of the biggest benefits is being able to go from data to actionable insight faster than ever before.
“By removing the technical barriers, we’re opening the door for more groups – big and small – to make an impact.”
Google has said the tools will be especially useful for climate researchers, conservationists, and governments in developing regions.
The company is also making a library of pre-trained models available via the Google Earth Engine, allowing users to hit the ground running without the need for extensive training data.
The new tools are available in preview now, with broader access expected later this year.
Google confirmed it will provide cloud credits to non-profits and academic researchers to support early adoption.
Google unveils new AI tools for Google Earth
