Google Earth Engine Data Catalog

The Data Catalog is your library of datasets in Earth Engine: imagery, climate, elevation, land cover, and more. Knowing how to read catalog pages lets you pick the right data and use it correctly.

Learning objectives

  • Find datasets in the catalog and grab their IDs.
  • Read metadata: bands, resolution, temporal coverage, and providers.
  • Copy and run sample code from a catalog page.
  • Decide if a dataset fits your question (resolution, dates, cloudiness).

Why it matters

The right dataset saves hours of preprocessing. Metadata tells you band names, scale, date range, and usage notes-critical for accurate analysis.

Find and read a dataset page

  1. Go to EE Data Catalog.
  2. Search for "LANDSAT/LC08/C02/T1_L2" or "COPERNICUS/S2_SR".
  3. Open the dataset page and note: Dataset ID, bands, resolution, temporal coverage, sample code.
Screenshot of Earth Engine Data Catalog
Dataset pages list ID, bands, resolution, dates, and sample code.

Use the sample code

// Example: Landsat 8 Surface Reflectance from catalog sample
var col = ee.ImageCollection('LANDSAT/LC08/C02/T1_L2')
  .filterDate('2023-06-01', '2023-06-15')
  .filterBounds(ee.Geometry.Point([-82.3, 29.6]))
  .first()
  .multiply(0.0000275).add(-0.2); // apply scale/offset

Map.centerObject(col, 9);
Map.addLayer(col, {bands: ['SR_B4', 'SR_B3', 'SR_B2'], min: 0.02, max: 0.3}, 'True color');

What you should see

A true-color Landsat scene centered on your AOI.

Key concepts to check on a dataset page

  • Dataset ID: string for ee.Image() or ee.ImageCollection().
  • Bands: names, wavelengths, and scale/offset notes.
  • Spatial resolution: pixel size; match to your analysis scale.
  • Temporal coverage: available date range.
  • Sample code: fastest starting point-copy or open in Code Editor.

Try it: find a dataset and run it

Search for "SRTM" in the catalog, copy the sample code, run it, and center on your hometown.

Find Sentinel-2 SR, note NIR and red band names, and run the sample visualization.

Common mistakes

  • Using the wrong band names because you skipped the Bands tab.
  • Ignoring scale/offset instructions on surface reflectance products.
  • Choosing data with temporal coverage that does not include your study period.

Quick self-check

  1. Where do you find the Dataset ID?
  2. What metadata tells you the pixel size?
  3. How do you open sample code directly in the Code Editor?

Next steps

  • Bookmark 3 datasets you will use this term (imagery, climate, elevation).
  • Test sample code for each and adjust AOI and dates.
  • Add notes on band names and scale/offset to your project README.