What Are Processing Units?

Processing Units (PUs) are the metric used to measure compute resource consumption on Planet Insights Platform. When making an API requests for tasks such as fetching satellite imagery, performing statistical analyses, or streaming data, PUs are used based on the complexity of the request. The number of PUs consumed depends on factors like the area of interest, spatial resolution, number of spectral bands, and the type of data requested.

Types of Processing Units

1. Monthly Processing Units: Allocated based on your subscription plan and reset at the beginning of each month. Unused units do not roll over.

2. Top-up Processing Units: One-time purchases that provide additional PUs for handling large, non-recurring workloads or unexpected usage spikes.

How Can I Monitor My Usage?

• Dashboard: Track your PU consumption via the Planet Insights Platform dashboard.

  Note: You can track your Usage within Pip for Workspace and run reports  via Workspaces -> Open work space -> Usage. 

• API Response Headers: Each API response includes an x-processunits header indicating the number of PUs consumed by that request.

How Do I Calculate My PUs?

1. Data Processing (Processing API, OGC API, Statistical API)

A standard request consuming 1 PU typically includes:

• An output image size of 512 x 512 pixels

• 3 collection input bands

• One data sample per pixel

• An output image format not exceeding 16 bits per pixel

• Without additional processing such as orthorectification applied

Minimum PU costs per request are:

• Processing API and OGC API: 0.005 PU

• Statistical API: 0.01 PU

PUs are deducted only when a request successfully executes. 

2.Data Access & Delivery (Orders, Subscriptions, Data APIs)

•     Actions                                                                                          PU Cost

        Image Asset Activation                                                                 20 PU per asset
       Clip Tool                                                                                       1 PU per data asset
       Merge Tool                                                                                  10 PU per request
      Coregister Tool                                                                              18 PU per request
      Other Tools (Band Math, Harmonize, Reproject, TOAR, etc.)         2 PU per tool, per data asset
      Egress (cloud delivery)                                                                   200 PU per GB
   

• Example: 10 fields, 2 assets/day, 292 days, with Clip and Harmonize tools:

        Assets: 2 × 292 × 20 = 11,680 PU
        Clip: 10 × 292 × 1 = 2,920 PU
        Harmonize: 10 × 292 × 2 = 5,840 PU
         Total: 20,531 PU/year
  Doc: AUM PU Calculation  and Consumption Rules

Multiplication Factors Affecting PU Consumption

The actual PU consumption for a request is calculated by applying multiplication factors based on various parameters:

• Area of Interest: Larger areas increase PU usage proportionally.

• Number of Input Bands: Using more than 3 bands increases PU consumption.

• Output Format: Requesting 32-bit float TIFFs or certain streaming formats (e.g., application/octet-stream) increases PU usage due to higher memory and data transfer requirements.

• Number of Data Samples: Requesting multiple samples per pixel (e.g., for time series analysis) increases PU consumption.

• Data Fusion: Combining data from multiple collections, especially from different locations, increases PU usage.

For example, requesting a 1024 x 1024 pixel image with 6 bands in 32-bit float TIFF format would consume more PUs than the standard 1 PU, due to the increased area, number of bands, and output format.

For more in-depth explanations of PU consumption, including optional multiplicators, API requests, and example calculations, please visit the Planet Docs site.

Which assets are subject to Processing Unit consumption?

All assets in an order (including imagery, UDM/UDM2, and XML/metadata) are subject to Processing Unit (PU) consumption.

For example, when ordering an analytic_3b_udm2 bundle for PSScene via the Orders API, the 20 PUs for asset activation are applied per asset in the bundle, per item. Likewise, tool charges (e.g., Clip at 1 PU per data asset, and other tools at 2 PUs per data asset) are also applied to each asset in the bundle. 

Learn more about the PU rules in our documentation site:  Understanding Processing Units (PUs)

How many Processing Units do I get if I purchase a plan or additional quota mid-month?

When you purchase a processing unit plan or upgrade in the middle of a month, the amount of processing units you will receive for the first month depends on whether you have purchased a monthly or annual plan.

Annual Plans

If you purchase an annual platform plan or upgrade to a higher plan, you will receive the full monthly processing unit (PU) quota immediately, regardless of which day of the month you made the purchase.  Upgrading an annual plan in the middle of your contract will update your billing cycle start date to the date that you upgrade with a new one-year term length.

Monthly Plans

If you purchase a monthly plan or upgrade to a higher plan, PUs are prorated based on the remaining days of the month. For example:

• Monthly Planet Insights Platform – Enterprise Large plans include 1 million PUs per month.
• You purchase the plan on April 19th, with 11 days remaining in April.
• You will receive approximately 366,667 PUs (11/30 X 1,000,000 PUs) for the remainder of April.
• On May 1st, your PU quota will reset, and you will receive the full 1 million PUs for the month.

For monthly plans, this prorated quota also applies to upgrades during the month. If you upgrade your plan in the middle of a month, your processing unit quota is also prorated based on the remaining days in the calendar month. When you upgrade to a new plan, you will pay the full amount for the higher plan, and your new billing cycle will be monthly starting on the day you upgrade. For example:

• You upgrade from an Enterprise Small (400,000 PUs/month) to Enterprise Large (1,000,000 PUs/month) on March 15th, with 16 days left in the month.
• Your quota for the remainder of the month will be updated to approximately 516,129 PUs (16/31 X 1 million PUs) for the remainder of March. Previous quota usage for the month will not count against your new quota; you can use the full prorated quota for the remainder of the month.
• Starting April 1st, you will receive the full 1 million PUs.