Google Earth Engine Boot Camp

The Google Earth Engine (https://earthengine.google.com/) combines a multi-petabyte catalog of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets with planetary-scale analysis capabilities to estimate environmental measures at fine spatial and temporal resolutions. To-date, this resource has yet to be fully leveraged for environmental exposure science and health research. This two-day intensive boot camp provides an overview of concepts, techniques, applications, and data analysis methods for applying the Google Earth Engine to estimate environmental factors (e.g., green space, air pollution, climate change) and exposures for health research. Lectures will introduce participants to cutting-edge geospatial exposure assessment methods and example case studies will use the Google Earth Engine to estimate air pollution, green space, built environment, temperature, climate, and natural system-related exposures (e.g. drought, flooding, forest change, etc.).  This boot camp is led by experts in the field of environmental exposure science and epidemiology, data science, and geography.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be familiar with the following topics:

• Capabilities of the Google Earth Engine
• Datasets available for environmental exposure science
• Data analysis methods within the Google Earth Engine
• Applications for air pollution, green space, built environment, temperature, and climate exposure research
• Applications for planetary and human health research
• Emerging satellite data and exposure science opportunities

Summer 2026: The Google Earth Engine Boot Camp is a livestream, remote training that takes place over live, online video on May 18-19, 2026 from 10am - ~4:15pm EDT. Please note this training is not a self-paced, pre-recorded online training.

Investigators from any institution and from all career stages are welcome to attend, and we particularly encourage trainees and early-stage investigators to participate. There are three requirements to attend this training:

1. Basic familiarity with coding and GIS is highly recommended (but not required) to get the most out of the Boot Camp. While there are several APIs to access the Google Earth Engine, we will be using the JavaScript Earth Engine Code Editor. New for 2025, an optional prerecorded lecture and self-paced lab is available for those interested in using Python or R. 
2. Each participant is required to sign up for a Google Earth Engine account prior to the boot camp.  It is recommended that you sign up at least 2 weeks before the boot camp so you can work through the pre-boot camp materials that will be provided.
3. Each participant is required to watch a 30-minute presentation prior to the boot camp which provides an overview of the Google Earth Engine code editor. For those unfamiliar with JavaScript, watching an additional presentation with hands-on examples of running code in the Google Earth Engine is also recommended. 
4. Each participant must have a laptop or desktop with Zoom installed.  To get the most out of breakout groups, we also recommend a working microphone and webcam.  Participants may also wish to share their screen with instructors during one-on-one questions.

Perry Hystad, PhD, Professor, College of Health, Oregon State University.

Andrew Larkin, PhD, Assistant Professor, College of Health, Oregon State University.

Scholarships are available for the Google Earth Engine Boot Camp.

"I enrolled in the GEE boot camp with specific research goals but no prior knowledge on processing satellite-images and left the GEE boot camp with the foundation/tools to work towards accomplishing those research goals." - Doctoral Student at Boston University School of Public Health, 2025

"It was a very informative course and helpful for getting a good start in using GEE. I truly appreciate the instructors for their efforts and clear explanations." - Faculty Member at Chiba University, 2025

"The boot camp has provided me with many potential research ideas and given me the confidence that I can make them happen. All the materials were well-prepared, and I'm 100% sure they will be helpful in my work. The instructors and administrative team were excellent and they were responsive to students' questions. It would be wonderful to have the opportunity to work with these instructors again in the future! - Doctoral Student at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2025

"This Boot Camp opened a whole new world of Google Earth Engine (GEE) for environmental epidemiology studies, providing a wealth of resources on environmental exposures. I am excited to incorporate the insights and tools from this program into future research projects." - Researcher at the University of Chicago, 2024

"This was a fantastic crash course in using Google Earth Engine. With no prior GEE experience, I now feel like I could very easily start incorporating GEE into my research." - Graduate Student Researcher at Boston University School of Public Health, 2024

"Excellent boot camp. Being able to follow along on screen while the boot camp was being conducted in real-time was very helpful. It was helpful to pay attention while also being able to code simultaneously. The workshops/group sessions were most helpful and fun to do." - Doctoral Student at Boston University School of Public Health, 2024

"An excellent boot camp to introduce learners to the powerful world of GEE! I really enjoy learning about application examples in different environmental fields." - Recent PhD graduate at Drexel University, 2023

"A lot of information packed into a small time frame, but lessons are built on what the previous ones taught. Knowledgeable instructors helped keep learning on the right track." - Research assistant at Baylor College of Medicine, 2023

"Opened my mind to the vast and exciting possibilities in GEE. Would love to use in future research projects." - PhD student at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 2023

Registration Fee includes course material. Course material will be available to all attendees during and after the workshop. 

2026 Registration Category Rates: 

• ​​​Student/Postdoc/Trainee:
  • Early-bird rate: $995
  • Regular rate: $1,195
• Faculty/Academic Staff/Non-Profit Organizations/Government Agencies:
  • Early-bird rate: $1,195
  • Regular rate: $1,395
• Corporate/For-Profit Organizations:
  • Early-bird rate: $1,395
  • Regular rate: $1,595

$200 early-bird discount is automatically applied if you register before the April 15 deadline.  

• $200 Early-bird Discount: This is automatically applied if you register before the April 15 early-bird deadline.  

• 10% Columbia/OSU Discount: This is valid for any active student, postdoc, staff, or faculty at Columbia University and Oregon State University. If paying by credit card, use your Columbia email address during the registration process to automatically have the discount applied. If paying by internal transfer within Columbia, see below.  To access OSU discount, please email ColumbiaSHARP.GEE@gmail.com.

• 10% Mailman Alumni Discount: This is valid for any individual who graduated from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. To access the Mailman Alumni discount and receive a registration code, please email sharp_program@cumc.columbia.edu your graduation year and degree.  

• Group discounts are available for organizations sending 5+ participants. Please contact us directly at sharp_program@cumc.columbia.edu for more information.  

If paying by internal transfer within Columbia, submit this Columbia Internal Transfer Request form (link to form coming soon) to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.

If you would prefer to pay by invoice/check, please submit this Invoice Request form (link to form coming soon) to receive further instructions. Please note: filling out this form is not the same as registering for a training and does not guarantee a training seat.”

Cancellation notices must be received via email at least 30 days prior to the training start date in order to receive a full refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Cancellation notices received via email 14-29 days prior to the training will receive a 75% refund, minus a $75 administrative fee. Please email your cancellation notice to ColumbiaSHARP.GEE@gmail.com. Due to workshop capacity and preparation, we regret that we are unable to refund registration fees for cancellations less than 14 days prior to the training.

If you are unable to attend the training, we encourage you to send a substitute within the same registration category. Please inform us of the substitute via email at least one week prior to the training so we can include them on attendee communications, gather registration details, and provide materials.Should the substitute fall within a different registration category (e.g., you are a faculty member and they are a postdoc), the credit card on file will be credited/charged respectively. Please email substitute inquiries to ColumbiaSHARP.GEE@gmail.com. In the event Columbia must cancel the event, your registration fee will be fully refunded.