There are numerous ways to import Google Earth imagery into the QGIS (e.g. OpenLayer plug-in or XYZ tiles), however the recent-most images are downloaded. Is there any way to import historical imagery? My project's related to tracking land use dynamics and it would be great if I could switch between imagery from different years.
[GIS] Uploading older Google Earth Historical Imagery into QGIS
google earthhistorical-imageryqgisqgis-plugins
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It doesn't look like the historical data is available through this method.
You can add more mapping services in the Quick Map Services plugin by going to Settings and then More Services. If you add the whole pack you get many more services, but not the Google one you want.
Having a similar problem in the UK. I think they've just added a load more historical Landsat/Copernicus dated layers. In your case I guess that means it's displaying whatever "improved" imagery it can at your scales. In my case it means that scrolling back through time on sites where before I had 1-2m resolution aerial imagery of maybe 10 dates I now have an extra 20-30 sets of useless pixelated satellite imagery to skip through before I find dated aerial imagery again. Would be nice to be able to filter historical imagery by resolution.
In the example below, the northern half of the image is aerial the same imagery and has coverage over the southern half. But because satellite imagery is available for the southern half, I get this. Skipping one step back in date moves to full aerial coverage again. It's just lots of extra clicks and loading time to find the imagery that's useful.
Best Answer
I don't know of a good automated way. Here's what I do.
In QGIS, create a layer with the ROI - as a rectangle or two diagonal points - saved as KML
Import the KML into GE, zoom to the ROI, keep it viible, and select the historical imagery desired.
Make sure to reset tilt and compass.
Save as image, removing all extraneous decorations under Options, and saving at a sensible, most likely highest resolution.
In QGIS, georeference the saved image, with CRS = 3857, transformation type = linear, only generating a world file not resaving the image. Use two diagonal points of the ROI as the reference points.
As caveats, realize that GE has the underlying image stored somewhere - inaccessibly - as XYZ tiles in usual tiling resolution steps. You are exporting at a different resolution, and would not be easy to perfectly match (given GE zooms out from the loaded ROI slightly). So you're piling multiple image resamplings on each other.
Second, your ROI points/rectangle will be marked on the image. So might need a second, "outer" ROI that's bigger than your actual one.
Third, be aware of usage/licensing restrictions. I believe Google's usage terms are pretty restrictive. So you might be violating their TOI by doing this at all, and are pretty sure to be violating if you use this in the context of any professional/commercial activity!
As an extra trick, if you are D/L multiple historical imagery, if you are careful then GE will not change the window in between if you do absolutely nothing else than change the imagery date. In this case, you can then just copy the world fine generated in Step 5 for your first image to all the other saved images.