 The Google Earth Engine, GEE, portal offers enhanced opportunities for Earth observation studies by providing access to satellite and ancillary data, cloud computing, and algorithms for processing large amounts of data with relative ease. However, the uptake and usage of this opportunity remain varied and unclear. This study aimed to investigate the usage patterns of the GEE platform and weather researchers in developing countries were making use of the opportunity. The analysis of published literature showed that a total of 300 journal papers were published between 2011 and June 2017 that used GEE in their research spread across 158 journals. The highest number of papers were in the journal Remote Sensing, followed by Remote Sensing of Environment. Landsat was the most widely used dataset. It is the biggest component of the GEE data portal, with data from the first to the current Landsat series available for use and download. Examination of data also showed that the usage was dominated by institutions based in developed nations, with study sites mainly in developed nations. There were very few studies originating from institutions based in less developed nations, and those that targeted less developed nations, particularly in the African continent.