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Analyze Data

Planet Insight Platform offers visual and statistical analysis features for working with satellite imagery from Planet and public constellations. Depending on your needs, you should run your analysis entirely on the platform (for instance, using the Browser) or leverage the platform as a pre-processing step in your analysis pipeline (for example, using the batch statistical API).

note

Viewing, streaming, and analyzing data costs processing units. You can find more information on how much different operations cost in the processing units documentation.

Data on the Platform​

Data on the platform is managed in Data Collections. Data Collections can contain any georeferenced raster data. Several data collections are readily available for all users, and some require a purchase of data first.

Readily available data collections include:

  • Public datasets such as Sentinel and Landsat.
  • Planet Sandbox Data, which we make available to try out various Planet products.
  • More datasets from Planet and the community that you can explore here.

You can also create additional data collections to work with data you purchase or have in your own cloud. Managing this data in data collections on the platform enables you to use data management, analysis, streaming, and other features on Planet Insights Platform.

  • Planet data that you purchase can be delivered into a data collection (see access data).
  • Georeferenced raster data stored in your own AWS S3 bucket can be registered using the Bring Your Own COG (BYOC) service.

You can use the data manager application to see and control what data is in collections. Additionally, you can use the following APIs to further manage data collections:

  • Orders API or Subscription API to order Planet Data and deliver it into a data collection.
  • BYOC API to register your data with a collection and access it just like any other data on the platform.
  • Catalog API to search through the data in collections using the Spatio-Temporal Asset Catalog (STAC) specification.

Visualizing Data on the Platform​

Using Planet Insight Platform browser, you can immediately view the data, use our analysis tools (comparing, extracting statistics and time series, editing the visualization), and export the results as images, time-lapses, or CSV in just a few clicks.

OGC Streaming​

If you want to stream the data into a web application, you can use the OGC API. This allows you to avoid the complexities of handling satellite data—no need for large storage volumes or extensive processing power to re-project or mosaic.

You can:

  • Add a new data collection in your GIS application (ArcGIS, QGIS, OpenLayers, Google Earth, or any other app supporting standard services) and start using the data right away.
  • Leverage OGC standards (WMS, WCS, WFS, and WMTS) to stream data directly to your applications.

Configurations​

To analyze the data in the Browser or stream it into your application using our OGC services, you must first choose the data collection and visualization layers relevant to your analysis from the many offered by the platform and from your own data.

This set of one or more layers is called a configuration, and it enables you to tailor how data is visualized in the Browser and streaming services.

Once you have created a configuration, you can perform your analysis:

  • In the Browser
  • In any of your favorite GIS applications (see our plugins)
  • In your application using our OGC services to stream the imagery
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Planet Insights Platform will automatically create default configurations when you order Planet data, enabling you to jump straight to using the data.

Types of Analysis​

The platform supports multiple types of analysis:

  • Visual analysis: Viewing and streaming imagery in true color, false color, or after applying custom band composites and indices.
  • Multitemporal analysis: Combining observations to create composites or visualizing change over time.
  • Statistical analysis: Calculating zonal statistics to summarize data over time.
  • Data fusion: Fusing multiple datasets for advanced analysis.
  • Batch analysis: Scaling analysis to broad areas with asynchronous processing.

You can use the Browser for visual and statistical analysis of any data collection included in a configuration. In a few clicks, you can visualize composites, indices, and time-series, compare images or visualizations side by side, and export timelapses or full-resolution renders.

APIs for Data Analysis​

You can also use the following APIs to analyze data in collections:

  • Processing API: Enables you to generate raster data based on satellite imagery. Users can request:

    • Simple band combinations such as false color composites.
    • Calculations of simple remote sensing indices like NDVI.
    • More advanced processing, such as the calculation of Leaf Area Index (LAI).

  • Statistical API: Enables you to calculate statistics based on satellite imagery without downloading images. For instance, you can calculate:

    • The percentage of cloudy pixels.
    • Descriptive statistics like the mean, standard deviation, and histogram of different spectral bands or indices for a given area and time of interest.
      Find more examples here.

Scaling Your Analysis​

You can scale your analysis with our Batch Processing API and Batch Statistical API to:

  • Process broad areas at a discounted PU rate (see processing units).
  • Define a custom tiling grid.
  • Track execution and get your results delivered to your AWS cloud bucket.
  • Handle analysis workflows asynchronously.

To speed up your integration, you can rely on Request Builder to quickly test and iterate your API requests and leverage our SDK libraries—see here for more details.

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Batch Processing API and Batch Statistical API are only available to users with an Enterprise Small or Enterprise Large plan. See pricing for more details.

Creating Your Own Analysis Logic​

Planet Insight Platform is not limited to predefined visualizations and logic—you can create and share your own using evalscripts.

In the Browser, you can:

  • Use the band picker to create custom composites and indices in a few clicks.
  • Leverage the evalscript editor to take complete control.

You can also:

  • Leverage existing evalscripts from our repository, edit them to fit your needs, or create your own using Request Builder and our APIs.
    See this course for more details.

What Can Evalscripts Do?​

Evalscripts offer advanced customization capabilities, allowing users to:

  • Create and tune indices and band math for rendering and statistics.
  • Fine-tune True or False color visual rendering.
  • Visualize change over time (see this snow cover change detection example).
  • Combine different data collections into a single layer (see this NDVI with S1 and S2 example).

You can read more about them here in the evalscripts section.

AI and Machine Learning​

You can also use the platform to power your own AI and machine learning workflows.

  • 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.

Analytic Feeds​

Planet provides automated AI-derived products, including:

  • Building Detection
  • Road Detection
  • Automated Change Detection
  • Agricultural Field Delineation

You can learn more about Analytics Feeds in the documentation for the Analytics Feed Viewer.

These analytical products that generate rasters can also be ingested as Data Collections to leverage all of the features described here on top of the analytical products.
As an example, see the Planet Sandbox Data Roads and Building collection.

More Resources​

📖

How to Access Planet Sandbox Data on the Planet Insights Platform

Learn how to access and use Planet Sandbox Data within the Planet Insights Platform.

📜

Introduction to Custom Scripts on the Planet Insights Platform

Explore how to create and customize scripts for advanced data analysis on the Planet Insights Platform.

📊

Extracting Statistics from Imagery on the Planet Insights Platform

Learn how to extract and analyze statistical data from satellite imagery using the Planet Insights Platform.

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