Image information and metadata

To explore image bands and properties in the Code Editor, print() the image and inspect the output in the console. This information can also be accessed programmatically. For example, the following demonstrates how to access information about bands, projections and other metadata:

// Load an image.
var image = ee.Image('LANDSAT/LC08/C01/T1/LC08_044034_20140318');

// Get information about the bands as a list.
var bandNames = image.bandNames();
print('Band names: ', bandNames); // ee.List of band names

// Get projection information from band 1.
var b1proj = image.select('B1').projection();
print('Band 1 projection: ', b1proj); // ee.Projection object

// Get scale (in meters) information from band 1.
var b1scale = image.select('B1').projection().nominalScale();
print('Band 1 scale: ', b1scale); // ee.Number

// Note that different bands can have different projections and scale.
var b8scale = image.select('B8').projection().nominalScale();
print('Band 8 scale: ', b8scale); // ee.Number

// Get a list of all metadata properties.
var properties = image.propertyNames();
print('Metadata properties: ', properties); // ee.List of metadata properties

// Get a specific metadata property.
var cloudiness = image.get('CLOUD_COVER');
print('CLOUD_COVER: ', cloudiness); // ee.Number

// Get the timestamp and convert it to a date.
var date = ee.Date(image.get('system:time_start'));
print('Timestamp: ', date); // ee.Date
    

Note that the results of these queries are server-side objects. When you print() them, you request that information describing the object be sent from the server to your client. (Learn more about client vs. server in Earth Engine on this page). The Code Editor then attempts to display the object information in a human-readable way in the console.