Introduction
Google has announced significant updates to Google Earth AI, expanding its capabilities and global access to help organizations tackle critical environmental and humanitarian challenges. Built on decades of modeling the world and paired with Gemini's advanced reasoning, Earth AI is helping enterprises, cities and nonprofits with everything from environmental monitoring to disaster response.
The latest updates introduce Geospatial Reasoning, a new framework that automatically connects different Earth AI models to provide comprehensive insights in minutes—work that previously required complex analytics and years of research. These advancements build on Google's existing geospatial AI capabilities that already provide flood forecasting for over 2 billion people and delivered crisis alerts to 15 million people across Los Angeles during the 2025 California wildfires.
What is Google Earth AI
Google Earth AI brings together Google's geospatial models to help tackle the planet's most critical needs. Built on decades of modeling the world, combined with state-of-the-art predictive models and Gemini's advanced reasoning, it lets enterprises, cities and nonprofits achieve deeper understanding in minutes—efforts that previously required complex analytics and years of research.
The platform includes specialized models for:
- Flood Forecasting: Life-saving predictions covering over 2 billion people
- Wildfire Detection: Real-time monitoring and crisis alerts
- Air Quality Monitoring: Environmental health tracking
- Population Mapping: Demographic analysis and vulnerability assessment
- Weather Prediction: Advanced meteorological capabilities
Geospatial Reasoning: Connecting the Dots
Geospatial Reasoning is a new framework powered by Gemini that automatically connects different Earth AI models—like weather forecasts, population maps and satellite imagery—to answer complex questions.
Instead of just seeing where a storm might hit, analysts can now use Geospatial Reasoning to identify which communities are most vulnerable and what infrastructure is at risk, all at once. For example, Geospatial Reasoning empowers the nonprofit GiveDirectly to respond to disasters by combining flood and population density information, helping them identify who needs direct aid most.
Organizations can sign up for consideration to become a Trusted Tester for Geospatial Reasoning. Social impact organizations can learn about future support for nonprofits through Google.org and non-commercial access programs.
Enhanced Google Earth Capabilities
Gemini capabilities in Google Earth enable analysts to quickly understand information about the world just by asking questions. Google is bringing new Earth AI models to Gemini capabilities in Google Earth, letting users instantly find objects and discover patterns from satellite imagery.
For example, a water company can now spot where a river has dried up—which can help communities predict the risk of dust storms during a drought—and notify people in advance. Or, analysts can quickly identify where harmful algae is blooming in order to monitor drinking water supply, giving authorities time to issue warnings or shut down water utilities.
Availability
This experimental capability will be available in the U.S. in the coming weeks to Google Earth Professional and Professional Advanced users. Starting today, Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the U.S. can access Gemini capabilities in Google Earth with higher limits.
Google Cloud Integration
Google is making Earth AI Imagery, Population and Environment models directly available to Trusted Testers on Google Cloud. Businesses can now use their own data alongside Google's models and datasets, like Imagery Insights, to tackle specific challenges from environmental monitoring to disaster response.
Earth AI in Action
Google has begun piloting Earth AI with thousands of organizations, including:
Health and Humanitarian Applications
The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) is using Earth AI's Population and Environment models, along with their own datasets, to understand and predict which areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo are at risk for cholera outbreaks. This information enables experts to help manage water, sanitation and vaccinations.
Satellite Imagery Providers
Planet and Airbus are using Earth AI models to analyze the billions of pixels they capture daily:
- Planet looks at historical satellite imagery to help customers map deforestation
- Airbus uses Earth AI to help customers detect where vegetation is encroaching on power lines, so they can prevent outages
Insurance and Risk Management
Bellwether, a moonshot at Alphabet's X, is using Earth AI to provide hurricane predictions insights for global insurance broker McGill and Partners. This enables McGill's clients to pay claims faster so homeowners can start rebuilding sooner.
Future Impact
These updates will make it easier to take action with Earth AI. Google is working with partners to train Earth AI models to reason about the physical world as fluently as LLMs reason about the digital one so that they can support those building solutions for their communities, solving problems in public health, crisis response and beyond.
Conclusion
Google's latest updates to Earth AI represent a significant advancement in geospatial AI capabilities. The introduction of Geospatial Reasoning, powered by Gemini, enables automatic integration of different environmental data sources to provide comprehensive insights in minutes rather than years.
The platform's real-world applications demonstrate practical value across multiple sectors:
- Public Health: WHO AFRO using Earth AI for cholera outbreak prediction
- Environmental Monitoring: Planet and Airbus leveraging models for deforestation mapping and infrastructure monitoring
- Disaster Response: Enhanced capabilities supporting over 2 billion people with flood forecasting
- Insurance: Faster claims processing through improved hurricane prediction insights
With expanded access through Google Cloud, enhanced Google Earth capabilities, and support for social impact organizations through Google.org, Earth AI is becoming more accessible to organizations working on critical environmental and humanitarian challenges.
To learn more about AI applications in environmental science, explore our AI Fundamentals course, check out our glossary of AI terms, or browse our AI models catalog for deeper understanding.
Sources
Want to learn more about AI applications in environmental science and geospatial analysis? Explore our AI fundamentals courses, check out our glossary of AI terms, or browse our AI models catalog for deeper understanding. For information about AI tools and platforms for environmental monitoring, visit our AI tools section.