API Quota Policy

Background¶

The Climate Engine API uses default quota limits to keep the service free, reliable, and available for basic use by the broader user community. These limits apply to newly issued API accounts, especially for export endpoints and other workflows that can place large demands on shared computing resources.

The API is essentially a simplified wrapper around Google Earth Engine that supports common tasks such as exporting images, extracting time series, and generating analysis-ready outputs from Climate Engine datasets. For moderate request volumes and smaller analyses, the default quota limits are intended to support typical use.

For larger or more operational workflows — such as frequent automated requests, large raster exports, or repeated analyses across many areas — users can remove Climate Engine API quota limits by connecting their own Google Earth Engine account and Google Cloud Project through the Climate Engine–Earth Engine Connector. In this configuration, Climate Engine runs supported Earth Engine computations using the user’s authorized Google Cloud resources rather than the shared Climate Engine quota pool.

Enable the Climate Engine-Earth Engine Connector

You can enable the Climate Engine-Earth Engine Connector to remove the quota limits on your account and execute code user your own Google Cloud Projects and Service Accounts, learn more here

When you exceed a Climate Engine API quota limit, you will receive an informative error message indicating which limit has been exceeded. The default quota limits are applied at the rate of:

50 Earth Engine Compute Unit (EECU)* hours per month
300 total requests/day
3000 total requests/month
100 exported images/day
1e8 maximum pixels in the exported image**

Track quota usage

You can track your quota usage and availability by using the home/user/quotas API endpoint: https://api.climateengine.org/docs#/home/user_quotas_home_user_quotas_get

*More information about EECU can be found here: https://cloud.google.com/earth-engine/pricing

**For context, the maximum export extent for a Landsat-scale image (30 m resolution) is roughly 3,500 sq miles (9000 sq km), which is about the area of Yellowstone National Park; global images of 0.1 degree resolution climate data (ERA5 Land) or CONUS images of 4 km resolution climate data (GridMET, PRISM) can also be exported.

We're currently completing a Google App Verification process, which will enable users to remove the API quota limits by linking their Climate Engine account with their Google Earth Engine credentials. We hope to offer this functionality broadly soon — feel free to contact us in the meantime if you have questions.