Despite being challenging and frustrating when debugging code, this class was fascinating and gave me opportunities to develop my coding skills and practice Google Earth Engine thoroughly. If you want to improve your remote sensing skills, TAKE THIS CLASS!! It is one of the most challenging but rewarding GIS classes I have taken in my GIS minor at UCLA.

Bo offered two grading schemes: 100% based on weekly projects and discussion posts OR 100% on the independent project. If you do both, he will give 10 points extra credit towards the final grade. Even though the weekly project can be very complex and demanding, Bo offers students many extra credit opportunities when they structure their codes or package the functions outside the main code, for example. These additional credit expectations can vary between each project. If you don’t have any Google Earth Engine experience, surviving each weekly project already offers you enough scores to float in the class ngl. All students complain about the class but we are not that worried about our grades, so I think it is a great place to learn, try, and fail at times, LOL.

This is the only geography upper-division class with a mandatory lab session, so it speaks volumes. However, I am grateful for Bo’s quick email or canvas message response whenever I ask him about the class or how to debug the code. William was also very supportive during office hours or when requesting an extension for the weekly project. I think the experience in this class would not have been this positive without great TA support. I have learned so much from this class, and I will never go back to download the Landsat data from USGS or do mosaic manually ever again. GEE is much more efficient and such a powerful free-source remote sensing tool. If you are dreaming of pursuing a job in the remote sensing world, TAKE THIS CLASS. Go to office hours, ask questions, and expect to invest time in this class. Each project can take from 2 to more than 10 hours a week… especially during the machine learning week when you need to add your own training points… but don’t worry about that now. You will know when you get there, and you will not be alone since everyone will also struggle with you LMAOOO. Needless to say, I highly recommend this class if you want a class that is worth every penny you pay for this school. Bo is such a devoted instructor, and lifelong GEE support is guaranteed after taking a class with him.

A good class to really get into the weeds of remote sensing. I feel like I walked out of the class with a much better understanding of what goes into image processing. Sometimes, the lectures can come off as a bit repetitive, but overall I do think it helps in solidifying concepts. My biggest tip is to GO TO OFFICE HOURS! Otherwise the quarter will fly by and you won't have learned much.

This class was not as easy as I expected; there was a tough learning curve. It felt as if only the first two assignments were meant for people trying to learn the software for the first time... however, I did enjoy the class. Prof Bo and TA Chen are very supportive, and I often found myself in their office hours. Expect to put more than 8 hours of weekly work into the class (especially if you are unfamiliar with GEE). I would recommend the class though. GEE is very useful and practical, more so than ENVI oftentimes. Professor Bo is very passionate about remote sensing and helping his students because he understands the class may be difficult.

This class, while challenging and fast-paced, was definitely worth the effort. You're exposed to Google Earth Engine (which to my knowledge is not discussed in other Geography courses) and you build up your coding & remote sensing knowledge each week through assignments & discussion posts. The weekly projects took me a lot of time, but starting early & working consistently throughout the week will make it a lot more manageable. Both Dr. Zhou & the TA (Chen) were readily available during class & office hours to help troubleshoot and give tips on the assignment.
I came into this class with practically no coding experience and I was able to do well, so don't let that discourage you. A willingness to learn and an interest in the subject is really all you need. Plus, Google Earth Engine is actually very cool-- throughout the course I found myself thinking more & more about the different potential applications, and its a pretty endless list. Having Dr. Zhou as a professor is great too-- he is extremely enthusiastic about the subject.