Starting November 13, 2024, all users of Google Earth Engine must use a Cloud project to access the platform. This change affects both commercial
Starting November 13, 2024, all users of Google Earth Engine must use a Cloud project to access the platform. This change affects both commercial and noncommercial users, with significant milestones throughout the year leading up to this transition.
What’s Changing?
Google Earth Engine is transitioning all users to Cloud projects to improve scalability, processing power, and user experience. Here’s the timeline:
- End of June 2024: All new Earth Engine users must use Cloud projects for access.
- September 16, 2024: Quotas will be limited for users without Cloud projects, and most new features will only be available via Cloud projects.
- November 13, 2024: Earth Engine access will require a properly configured Cloud project.
If you use Earth Engine for noncommercial purposes, you can continue to do so for free, but you must set up a Cloud project to maintain access. After November 13, 2024, you will need a Cloud project to access your Earth Engine data (assets, Apps) or to run computations.
Understanding Individual Access Without a Cloud Project
Before 2022, Earth Engine users signed up for “individual” access without needing a Cloud project. However, since Earth Engine became a Google Cloud API in 2022, Cloud projects are now required. Users still relying on individual access must transition to Cloud projects to avoid losing access to Earth Engine in late 2024.
To check if your account is set up for individual access without a Cloud project, visit the legacy signup access page. If your account needs updating, ensure that all requests (including those from any service accounts) are configured to specify a Cloud project.
If you cannot transition to a Cloud project, you may request a temporary exception. However, this process requires manual review, and exceptions are not guaranteed.
Steps to Transition to Cloud Projects
Get a Project: Follow the Earth Engine Cloud project setup guide to create or configure a Cloud project. Ensure that you use the same email as your individual access to transfer your assets and scripts.
Enable the Earth Engine API: Visit the Earth Engine API page in the Cloud console and enable it for your selected project.
Configure a Billing Account: Noncommercial users do not need to configure a billing account, but commercial users will need one backed by a form of payment.
Register the Project: Register each project on the registration page, choosing between paid or unpaid configurations based on your use case.
Select a Subscription: Commercial users will need to select a subscription during registration if it is not already present on the billing account.
Use the Project When Calling Earth Engine: Ensure that you have the correct project selected across all Earth Engine surfaces.
What Happens if You Do Nothing?
If you do not configure a Cloud project, your Earth Engine data will remain stored in Earth Engine per the Terms of Service, but you will need a Cloud project to send any requests. Your scripts will still be accessible and editable from the underlying Git repository at earthengine.googlesource.com.
If you wish to delete your Earth Engine data without setting up a Cloud project, you can submit a data deletion request.
Requesting an Exception
If you are unable to configure a Cloud project, you may request an exception to continue using individual access temporarily. Keep in mind that this process may take several weeks and approval is not guaranteed.
For more detailed instructions and to begin your transition, visit the Google Cloud Documentation.
