Google Earth Data Layers Go Global: Simplifying Geospatial Work
- 28East
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
High-stakes projects rely on high-quality location data, but getting the context you need shouldn't feel like a scavenger hunt.
Historically, answering spatial questions meant hunting down disparate datasets, wrestling with formatting, toggling between tools, and trying to paint a complete picture.
To help you spend more time making decisions and less time wrangling data, Google Earth has announced massive improvements: global coverage of data layers, native Earth Engine raster layers, and a deeply integrated Ask Google Earth experience.
Data Layers Go Global
Reliable data is the foundation of any geospatial work.
Instead of digging through local databases or funding expensive, time-consuming physical site visits, you can now bring critical context directly to your digital canvas, anywhere in the world.
Google is expanding coverage for its most popular layers and introducing powerful new ones:
Inundation history: Visualise how often places around the world have been wet from 1999 to 2020 at a 128-meter resolution to improve planning and response outcomes.
Cycling trip percentages: See the monthly percentage of trip segments completed by bike across the globe. This unique, anonymised data helps urban designers build safer, more livable cities.
Terrain data: Instantly evaluate locations remotely using 20-meter global elevation contours, validating buildable acreage in minutes instead of months.
Earth Engine Rasters in a No-Code Environment
Constantly toggling between complex GIS coding environments and visualisation platforms hinders efficiency.
Google is bridging that gap by bringing the analytical power of Google Earth Engine directly into Google Earth’s intuitive, no-code workspace.
New raster datasets, including slope, aspect, and forest cover, make it easier than ever to combine raster data, vector data, imagery, and your own custom data to make better decisions.
Ask Google Earth To Integrate With Data Layers
Manually finding and formatting geospatial data can take hours.
To eliminate that busywork, Ask Google Earth is now directly integrated with data layers. You can use natural language to ask for the data you need, and the AI will recommend and pull the required layers directly onto your canvas.
For example, a prompt like "Help me visualise elevation in Golden, Colorado" instantly loads elevation-related data layers onto your project.
28East’s Role in Simplifying Geospatial Data
The ability to access global datasets and instantly generate insights with AI is a game-changer for urban planning, site selection, and infrastructure development.
By leveraging platforms like Google Earth and Google Cloud, we help businesses unlock actionable insights without the hassle of wrangling raw data.
Get in touch to find out more.
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