Planet.com Learning Resources

Stanford Geospatial Center Quick Starts

• Planetscope Satellite Imagery 101: Searching, ordering, processing and visualizing, with Python

  "The Planet API 101: An Introduction for Complete Beginners" is a Python notebook designed to guide novices through using satellite imagery to observe environmental changes.

  Specifically, it focuses on analyzing the Winter 2022-23 Atmospheric River Events in Northern California and their impact on the flooding of Lake Lagunita on the Stanford Campus.

  Through a step-by-step approach, beginners learn to search, filter, order, and visualize satellite data, offering insights into the inundation event and demonstrating the power of geospatial analysis with real-world applications.

• Planet.com Developers GISDay@Stanford Python Workshops
  These materials, from Planet.com's GISDay@Stanford Event, can be used as a self-paced introduction to the broad array of tools that the Planet.com APIs & SDK provide

  • Intro to Planet & basic API (Search & Ordering)
    A brief overview of 8-band Planetscope imagery, with a hands-on introduction to using Planet APIs to search the data catalog and order imagery for local download.

  • Image Processing with Python & Planetscope
    Now that you've downloaded some Planetscope Imagery, what can you do with it? This workshop includes an interactive overview of basic image processing with rasters and vectors in Python with spatial libraries like rasterio and geopandas.

  • Advanced Orders API & SDK Use
    An introduction to additional customization offered by the Orders API for scaling imagery orders using the Planet python SDK. This workshop will cover its capabilities for supporting bulk ordering, basic server-side image processing with toolchains, and cloud delivery to Google Earth Engine. This workshop will also cover accessing assets with basic scripting in Google Earth Engine.

Planet Quick Starts

• Want to see Planet Imagery in your browser? Get started with Planet Explorer
• Prefer to use QGIS or ArcGIS? Check out Planet's Integrations for your GIS software of choice
• Ready to dive into Planet's collection of APIs? The APIs quickstart guide is for you

Planet University

Planet University is a comprehensive platform designed to facilitate learning and utilization of Planet's satellite imagery and geospatial data. It aims to assist users in activating their Planet accounts, starting with Planet data, and accessing various help and support resources provided by Planet. The platform caters to researchers, educators, and students, offering a range of educational resources, including tutorials and courses, to enhance their understanding and application of geospatial analysis and satellite imagery in their projects. Planet University stands as a valuable resource for those looking to harness the power of satellite data for environmental monitoring, urban planning, agricultural assessment, and more, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in various fields through the application of cutting-edge satellite technology.

• Planet University - Full self-paced courses in everything from the fundamentals of Remote Sensing, to specific applications of Planet.com imagery products in research.
• Planet School: Planet's original pages of Introductory materials for learning to use Planet.com data
• Planet's Python Notebooks - A massive repository of Python Notebook examples of Planet.com imagery products in research applications.

Planet.com Documentation Quicklinks

• Planet's API Ecosystem¶

  Planet's platform is made up of a collection of APIs. These include:

  • Data API - allows you to search Planet's complete catalog of data
  • Orders API - raster tools for creating analysis-ready data with Planet's imagery archive
  • Basemaps API - give you access to Planet's mosaiced basemap services
  • Tile Services - XYZ and WMTS tile map services for use in your favorite GIS or mapping client

  • You can read more about each API and find complete docs and API reference guides here.

• The Planet.com Developers Center
  Explore documentation, references, tutorials, and tools: everything you need to start using Planet today.

Planet Product Specifications

• PlanetScope Imagery Products Specification
• Planet Automated Basemap Specification

Planet’s GIS Integrations with QGIS, ArcGIS Pro and Google Earth Engine

Planet’s GIS Integrations offer an embedded UI experience within your GIS software that enables you to discover, preview, stream and download Planet imagery & Basemaps directly from your GIS.

• Access these integrations by installing the Planet ArcGIS Pro Add-In or the Planet QGIS Plugin¶
• Use the search panels for imagery and Basemaps to discover the images best fit for your application, directly in your GIS¶
• Quickly preview images and stream Basemaps using Planet’s tile services to inspect imagery without downloading data¶
• Leverage the Basemap tools to visualize change, and identify source metadata for any Basemap pixels¶
• Download imagery or Basemaps directly from your GIS¶

Planet QGIS Plugin¶

The Planet QGIS Plugin provides access to Planet’s satellite imagery directly from QGIS.

To order Planet imagery for use in QGIS, specify the area of interest (AOI) and the filters in your search. Also, you can discover and stream Planet Basemaps, and send tasking coordinates to Planet's Tasking Dashboard for high-resolution, on-demand imagery captures. Download the QGIS Plugin at Download the Planet QGIS Plugin.

Using the Planet QGIS Plugin¶

Once the Planet QGIS Plugin is installed, a Planet Imagery panel is added to the QGIS interface. The following tools enable you to interact with the Planet Platform:

• Image Search - Search the Planet Imagery catalog to find and to order imagery when and where it is needed.
• Planet Basemaps - Search for Planet Basemaps to stream for visualization or download for analysis workflows.
• Planet Inspector - Inspect the source images and their metadata for Basemaps that you have added to your maps.
• Planet Tasking - Specify coordinates for high-resolution tasking to send to Planet's Tasking Dashboard.
• Order Status - View the status of your orders and add them to your maps.

System Requirements¶

• QGIS version 3.10 and later
• Python 3.6+

Planet Add-in for ArcGIS Pro¶

The Planet Add-in for ArcGIS Pro provides access to Planet’s satellite imagery directly from ArcGIS Pro. To order Planet imagery for use in ArcGIS Pro, specify the area of interest (AOI) and the filters in your search. Also, you can discover and stream Planet Basemaps and send tasking coordinates to Planet's Tasking Dashboard for high-resolution, on-demand imagery captures.

Getting started:

1. Get the Planet Add-in at Download Planet Add-in for ArcGIS Pro.
2. Follow the instructions in the Getting Started Guide.

Using the Planet Add-in for ArcGIS Pro¶

Once the Planet Add-in is installed, a Planet Imagery ribbon is added to all ArcGIS Pro projects. The following tools enable you to interact with the Planet Platform:

• Image Search - Search the Planet Imagery catalog to find and order imagery when and where it is needed.
• Planet Basemaps - Search for Planet Basemaps to stream for visualization or download for analysis workflows.
• Planet Inspector - Inspect the source images and their metadata for Basemaps that you have added to your maps.
• Planet Tasking - Specify coordinates for high-resolution tasking to send to Planet's Tasking Dashboard.
• Order Status - View the status of your orders and add them to your maps.

System Requirements¶

• ArcGIS Pro 3.0+ for version 3.x of the add-in
• ArcGIS Pro 2.4.3 - 2.9 for version 2.x of the add-in
• Python 3.6+

Google Earth Engine Delivery Integration

Planet.com SkySat Archive Student Imagery Grant

The Stanford Geospatial Center (SGC) at Branner Earth Sciences Library provides moderate amounts, up to +/-5000 sq. km., (we are flexible and will evaluate on a case by case basis) of SkySat Archive Imagery products (5-bands: RGB,IR & panchromatic, ~80cm resolution) produced from archive imagery collected and owned by Planet Labs, to support research by students at Stanford University. To learn more about Planet's Standard Imagery products please visit Planet.com.

SkySat Archive provides access to the Planet Labs back catalog of high resolution images. A 6 month embargo is imposed on new acquisitions, which means that you have access to imagery captured AT LEAST six months prior to the current date. Imagery may not be shared outside Stanford University. Imagery may not be re-sold. Imagery may not be used commercially in any fashion or provided to others who may use it commercially.

When imagery is presented, published or posted there must be a proper and distinct credit to the "Planet Labs PBC," as well as a verbal credit and acknowledgement during any presentations. No image published or otherwise used pursuant to these Usage Rules may be modified, altered or supplemented in any way without the express written consent of Planet Labs PBC.

All fields in the application are required, however please make sure to provide the following in order to move forward with the application review process:
1.) Stanford email address
2.) A GeoJSON file of area of interest. This can be created in https://geojson.io 
3.) List of Image ID's from Planet Explorer

Click here to access the Planet.com SkySat Archive Student Imagery Grant Application

Please note that you will need an existing account on Stanford's Planet.com subscription. If you are not currently part of Stanford's Planet.com subscription,  sign up for access to Stanford's Planet.com using this form. 

Planet.com SkySat Imagery Tasking Student Grant Application

The Stanford Geospatial Center (SGC) at Branner Earth Sciences Library offers the SkySat Tasking Grant for Stanford University students, providing up to four tasking requests for high-resolution SkySat imagery. Each task allows for the acquisition of imagery covering an area of 25 square kilometers, totaling up to 100 square kilometers of SkySat imagery. This grant aims to support academic and research projects requiring detailed Earth observation data.

SkySat imagery, offered through Planet Labs, delivers detailed visual and infrared data with technical specifications that include:
- Five spectral bands: RGB (Red, Green, Blue), Near Infrared (IR), and panchromatic, enhancing various research applications from environmental monitoring to urban planning.
- High-resolution imagery with approximately 80cm pixel size, allowing for the identification of small-scale features.

The tasking platform for SkySat imagery provides:
- The ability to specify temporal requirements for imagery collection, ensuring data relevance for time-sensitive studies.
- Quality parameters guaranteeing clear, usable imagery for academic research, subject to weather and operational constraints.

Recipients of the SkySat Tasking Grant must adhere to usage rules that prohibit sharing imagery outside Stanford University, resale, commercial use, or providing the imagery to others for commercial purposes. Proper credit to "Planet Labs PBC" is mandatory for any published or presented imagery, including both visual and verbal acknowledgments.

Applicants for the SkySat Tasking Grant must provide the following for consideration:
1. A Stanford University email address.

2. A GeoJSON file defining the area of interest, which can be created at https://geojson.io.

3. A GeoJSON file defining the specific center-points to be captured, which can be created at https://geojson.io.

3. A concise description of how the SkySat imagery will enhance their research.

This grant facilitates access to cutting-edge satellite imagery, supporting Stanford students in advancing their research with high-quality spatial data.

Please note that you will need an existing account on Stanford's Planet.com subscription. You can sign up for access to Stanford's Planet.com Org at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1WqY5wx-plU3GPsinKMBtTqfvQp6vBgAIOPeA4Ww69Vw/viewform?edit_requested=true

The Application for Stanford's Planet.com SkySat Tasking Grant access is available at https://forms.gle/V9XowiVgcAfxPixi9

This initiative underscores Stanford's commitment to supporting cutting-edge geospatial research, offering students unparalleled access to high-quality satellite data for their academic projects."