How is PlanetScope and free Landsat and Sentinel quota calculated?

Objective

The goal of this document is to share information about how we calculate quota so that partners and customers have a clear understanding and can plan quota consumption and purchases appropriately.  

Quota Styles

• Area Under Management
• Premium / Preferred / Starter 

Principles

Our usage systems strive to provide the best information to all of our stakeholders.  As we scale our systems and processes these are the principles that guide our efforts. 

• Precision - every time we run usage reports the data provided to customers and partners must be exactly the same.  When a customer runs a usage report on Feb 1 2021, the report is exactly the same as when the customer runs the same usage report on Oct 1 2021.   
• Accuracy - quota calculations should return accurate information that follows our quota calculation specifications.   
• Transparency - we share usage information with customers openly and transparently.  Planet employees see the exact same usage information as Customers so they can help explain and answer questions quickly and efficiently.  

Quota Calculations Applicable to All PlanetScope plans

Free Landsat & Sentinel Imagery

There is never any quota charge for downloading Landsat and Sentinel imagery from the Planet platform.  

Landsat and Sentinel are great datasets that are important, complementary tools.  Landsat and Sentinel data can be obtained from the Planet Platform using the same tools and delivery methods as the customer’s purchased Planet imagery without quota charges.  The area of Landsat and Sentinel imagery downloaded increases the total square kilometers of imagery downloaded tracked in the Downloaded Area (sq km) field in your usage reports.  The area of Landsat and Sentinel imagery does not increase your Quota Used (sq km). 

Repeat Downloads

Each image downloaded is charged quota.  If an image is downloaded multiple times each download will be charged quota.  The quota charge is equal to the area of the image measured in square kilometers subject to Chargeable Assets and Clip Tool charges detailed below.  

For example if a customer downloads image ID 20201004_183903_0f4e, Item: PSScene3Band, Asset: analytic and the quota charge will be the area of the image 212.23892 sq km.  

If that same customer downloads the same image again but with the different asset type, for example visual, the quota charge will be the area of the image 212.23892 sq km. 

Please see the Area Under Management knowledge base article for information on how quota is charged for usage under those plans. 

Chargeable Assets  

If a customer downloads a chargeable asset the quota charge will be in square kilometers the size of the scene or clipped area downloaded.  If a customer downloads a not chargeable asset the quota charge will always be 0 sq km.  

Examples: 

• Assets with a quota charge: Analytic, analytic_sr, visual 
• Assets without a quota charge: XML, UDM

For example if a customer downloads image ID 20201004_183903_0f4e, Item: PSScene3Band, Asset: Usable Data Mask Version 2 (UDM2) and the quota charge will be 0 sq km.  

How does this work with bundles? 

Customers use bundles to download multiple assets at one time using the Orders API.  Bundles typically include 1 charged imagery asset like analytic_sr and metadata like a Usable Data Mask.  If a bundle includes a charged imagery asset the bundle is charged.  

How does this work with the Data API? 

Customers may download individual imagery assets using the Data API.  Customers may download a single asset with a quota charge like analytic_sr which will cost quota.  Customers may download a single asset without a quota charge like a UDM file which will not cost quota.  

Activation Versus Downloads Assets  

Customers are charged for downloads, not for activations.   Activating an image is when Planet takes raw data from the satellite and turns it into an image file and associated metadata.   A customer may choose to only activate an image.  This is the --activation-only functionality available in the Planet Command Line Interface Reference Document.  After an image is activated the customer can choose which individual assets to download.  If the customer downloads an asset with quota charge like analytic_sr this download will cost quota.  If the customer downloads an asset without a quota charge like a UDM file this download will not cost quota. 

Quota Time Periods   

Each plan grants access for a given time period.  The Access Period is typically 1 to 3 years long and grants access from the start date to the end date.  Customers may use quota between those dates.  

Monthly plans grant a quota which is available for use on the first calendar day of the month.  This quota expires on the last calendar day of each month.  Unused Quota at the end of the month cannot be used in later months, it does not rollover.  

Area of Interest 

Each plan grants access to Planet imagery over a specific Area.  The purchased area the customer can access is called an Area of Interest (AOI).  When setting up a customer’s purchase the Area of Interest is assigned to the plan.  AOIs are generally represented as a geojson.  Our backend system that provisions customer’s plans 

The Area of Interest provisioned to the plan and entered in our provisioning system may be simplified.  We simplify these areas to make the system more efficient and performant for customers, check out the Coastline Paradox =). When we simplify complex geometries we try to favor the customer, so you may receive access to a small, marginal amount of area at the edges of your purchased Area of Interest.  The customer contract remains the source of truth for each plan’s Area of Interest.

Orders API Tools

The Orders API provides a variety of tools for customers to perform functions on Planet’s infrastructure.  This helps customers get more value out of Planet’s imagery more efficiently. Operations may impact the quota charged for a download, but there is no individual charge for each operation used.  

Operations are reflected in quota calculations as follows:  

• • Composite:  the area of the input scenes are charged, not the area of the output
  • Coregister: the area of the anchor item and the area of the requested imagery are both charged for each order.  Anchor items may be charged multiple times.    
  • Clip: please see the separate clip section 

Operations which do not impact quota calculations:  

• • Top of Atmosphere Correction (TOAR) 
  • Tiling – Split a file into a regular set of tiles based on a user-defined tiling system
  • Cloud delivery – Specify a cloud provider to deliver the data (Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Service)
  • Email and webhook notifications – Allows your backend services to be notified directly when your order is available.
  • Order zipping – Deliver order in a zip file. 

Clip Tool Charges

The Orders API provides a variety of tools for customers to perform functions on Planet’s infrastructure.  This helps customers get more value out of Planet’s imagery more efficiently. Operations may impact the quota charged for a download, but there is no individual charge for each operation used.  

Starter Customers:  

• • Starter customers do not have access to use the clipping tool.  
  • Starter customers are charged for the full outline of each scene downloaded.  

Preferred Customers: 

• • Preferred customers can clip to any size (as small as one pixel) 
  • Preferred customers are charged a minimum of 100 sq km per intersecting scene.

Premium Customers: 

• • Premium customers can clip to any size (as small as one pixel) 
  • Premium customers are charged a minimum of 0.01 sq km per intersecting scene.

Scene to Scene Overlaps 

Customers are charged for overlapping areas in clipped scenes.  When a customer uses the orders API to specify a clip geometry that geometry is applied to all of the scenes in the order.  Any areas that fall within that clip geometry are delivered to the customer. 

More information and visual examples:  

When many scenes are collected within the same satellite pass we call this a strip.  Customers often order imagery from multiple scenes from the same satellite pass.

Customers using the Orders API specify a clip geometry and a list of scenes.   The clip geometry is applied to each image, and the intersection of the scene footprint and the clip geometry is generated as a clipped image the customer can download.  Each image prepared for download is evaluated individually for quota purposes, so the overlapping area will be charged for both clipped images.  

Reference: 

Chargeable Assets List:  

This is a full list of all assets that can be downloaded via our delivery systems (Explorer, Orders API etc.) and information for each asset if they are charged for quota.  If a customer downloads a “Charged = yes” asset the quota charge will be in square kilometers the size of the scene or clipped area downloaded.  If a customer downloads a “Charged = no” asset the quota charge will always be 0 sq km.