Introduction
Planet Insights Platform is a cloud-native Earth observation data and analytics platform. You use the platform to create insights - useful information that you derive from analyzing satellite data.
An insight could be detecting a deforestation event, classifying agricultural crops, assessing the impact of a natural disaster, or mapping land-use patterns. With the platform you can access reliable data, analyze that data at large scales, and build solutions from the insights you create.
Depending on your workflow and preferred tools, you can use the platform in different ways:
Data Scientist
As a data scientist, you can build, test, and deploy algorithms for processing satellite imagery at scale and easily integrate into workflows through tools like the Python SDK. Start small and iterate by using the platform to pre-process data as inputs for training machine learning models so you don’t need to manage large imagery infrastructure.
GIS User
GIS users can quickly integrate imagery into their applications using Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards for imagery streaming. Apply custom logic for visualizing your imagery and then simply plug the services into your GIS tool of choice, or use one of our native GIS plugins for ArcGIS or QGIS.
Software Engineer
As a software engineer or architect, you can take a serverless architecture approach to integrating satellite imagery into web applications that you build. Integrate imagery into your web mapping applications built with Leaflet, Mapbox, and more.
Data
The platform makes working with satellite data simpler and more scalable by providing you with a cloud-based environment for accessing, processing, and analyzing imagery. You can work with proprietary imagery from Planet as well as imagery from open data constellations.
Data layers
You can use the following sources of imagery with the platform:
- Planet data - Access Planet data layers including PlanetScope, SkySat, and Planetary Variables.
- Public imagery - Work with data from open data collections such as Sentinel and Landsat.
- Bring your own data - Connect to your own imagery data stored in your cloud environement and use them with our imagery processing tools.
Data management
By default, imagery from open constellations are available immediately for you to start analyzing and streaming - no need to order them, just start working with the imagery.
Planet imagery needs to be ordered, and when it’s ordered you can order it to be downloaded, delivered to your own cloud, or delivered to imagery collections.
Imagery collections store the data on Planet Insights Platform so you don’t need to worry about files, cloud storage, indexing data, or building tile services and other remote sensing infrastructure.
Analysis
You can analyze Earth observation data using our cloud processing. You don’t need to download imagery locally or re-host in your own cloud. Whether you’re working on small projects or large-scale applications, the platform has tools to help you process satellite data efficiently.
- Spectral indices
- Change detection
- Pixel classification
- Zonal statistics
Evalscripts
Analysis options on the platform are customizable to your specific workflow. You can write extensible custom scripts, which are called evalscripts, to perform pixel-wise analysis, including spectral, multi-temporal, and classification tasks. To see what types of analysis are possible with evalscripts, check out our custom scripts page.
AI and machine learning
With the platform, you can access the results of object detection algorithms for features like roads, buildings, and agricultural field boundaries.
You can also use the platform to power your own AI and machine learning workflows, as well.
- Preprocess data by applying tools for compositing, masking unusable data, or calculating indices
- Convert imagery into zonal statistics as inputs for classification algorithms or create image chips for training object detection algorithms
Use our eo-learn package to connect the platform with the Python machine learning ecosystem.
Tools
You can interact with the platform through APIs to power or data science workflow or to build an application that requires satellite data. Or you can use simpler web applications and integrations for your preferred software.
Apps
If you are looking for web applications to use, you can also get started with those - no need to code. We have applications for
Integrations
You can also use the platform directly from your preferred software through integrations. Some integrations are native, like our integrations for ArcGIS and QGIS. Other integrations can be through code or open standards like Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) web services.
Developer Tools
The platform is API-first - designed for developers to build solutions with. You can utilize our serverless infrastructure to power your Earth observation workflows, either as part of an imagery processing pipeline or directly in applications you build.
Get started
First, you will need an account to access the platform:
And if you want to see in-depth workflow guides for common use-cases, checkout out our guides.