The Potential of Google Earth Engine as Decision Support for Agricultural and Forestry Planning Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

The primary challenges in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region are enhancing technological capabilities and information in agriculture and forestry. Land use change is also a pressing concern. This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of recent research on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform for decision support in agriculture and forestry planning. It summarized policy frameworks, spatial indicators, and data tools from 59 studies between 2017 and May 2022. Cloud-based platforms like GEE and artificial intelligence have grown in applications for scientific analysis. The review concludes that the best practices for enhancing technological capabilities and information available in the agriculture and forestry sector in LAC include: (i) further leverage of GEE and the recent artificial intelligence techniques; (ii) a continued effort to expand spatial data infrastructure; (iii) a continued effort to share harmonized labeled datasets; (iv) a continued effort to overcome the current limitations in terms of sensor resolution and image processing; and (v) political and administrative issues (e.g. funding, sustainability). This paper can contribute to further interdisciplinary research and stakeholder coordination activities to generate benefits based on artificial intelligence and GEE tools, so that capabilities and services can be offered in each country of the region.