Ordering commercial data

Until the Resource Catalogue interface is launched, search and browse for data is currently possible within our STAC catalogue interface or directly through our APIs. This video tutorial walks through how to discover available imagery based on specific search criteria, and view commercial image thumbnails to make informed purchasing decisions.

Before attempting to order any commercial data, you must first link your account.

Using the left-hand panel, search for the data you are looking to find by using the available filters. The type of data you are looking for can be selected in the initial options (public or commercial, optical or SAR). An area of interest should be drawn on the map, or uploaded as a shapefile. A temporal extent for the data search can be selected via calendar input. The user can also limit their search to specific data providers, and refine the parameters based on max cloud cover and look angle using the slider widgets. The search is carried out by selecting the blue search button in the bottom left corner.

Figure: Search query process for data browsing the Resource Catalogue

All imagery from the Resource Catalogue matching the search parameters is then displayed in a pop out panel adjacent to the left hand panel. The user can scroll through the list to search the available data. Acquisition date and time are displayed per image, as well as the cloud coverage (%), and a thumbnail snapshot of the imagery. To help browse more efficiently, a user can change the sorting field, which defaults to most recent acquisition date.

From here, there are two options. A user can purchase an item from the catalogue (see "Purchasing Planet and Airbus imagery"), or save an item to their workspace for later. This can be accessed under the favourites tab found in the user workspace, indicated by the heart icon.

Once you have selected to purchase a commercial image, a pop out window such as the one pictured below will appear.

Figure: Order screen for optical data

Figure: Order screen for Synthetic Apeture RADAR (SAR) data

To carry out the purchase, review all of the fields displayed and check you are happy with all elements of the order, as a purchase cannot be reversed once it has been made. If you have any queries before carrying out the order, don’t hesitate to get in contact with enquiries@eodatahub.org.uk where the team will be happy to assist you. Follow the guidance below, which walks through the requirements for each field, step by step.

[Order name]

The order name can be customised, so that the user can identify and differentiate between different downloads if they have carried out multiple transactions. The entry box is a free text field.

[Customer reference]

The customer reference provides an ID character string which is unique to each individual data order.

[API key]

The API key is a prerequisit to carry out the purchase, and should be retreived from the relevant data provider. Instructions are provided in Linking existing Planet and Airbus accounts

[Product bundle]

The product bundle is selected from a dropdown menu of 4 available options, outlined below. This field indicates the level of preprocessing required from your imagery order. For example, Basic is the most raw version of the image with the least preprocessing, generally more useful for scientists, while Visual has the most preprocessing stages, enhanced to support easy map visualisations for novice users.

• Visual - A simple map accurate image analogous to an aerial photo. Immediately recognisable, with no specialist EO data expertise. Natural colour, 8-bit RGB image - should be opened by any system - just like a consumer digital camera image, only georeferenced. Orthorectified, pansharpened, natural colour. Suitable for visual mapping applications, image backing for GIS applications, AI computer vision analysis - training and deployment. Suitable for all users.
• General Use - Orthorectified, pansharpened (where applicable) multi-spectral imagery to support general mapping and analytic applications. Calibrated to reflectance. Ready for immediate use - no calibration or data fusion required. Suitable for general image analysis and classification, land cover and land use analysis, and visual mapping applications.
• Analytic - Orthorectified, multispectral imagery to support scientific applications. Calibrated to reflectance. Supplied as a bundle (where applicable) to maintain the radiometric integrity of each band. Orthorectified, reflectance. Suitable for spectroscopy and physical modelling, empirical modelling, precision agriculture and biophysical modelling, and image classification. More aligned to EO specialists.
• Basic - A multi-spectral image close to the natural image aquired by the sensor, aimed to give the user close to full automomy over the data processing chain. Imagery in sensor geometry and corrected for sensor distortions, and co-registration of spectral bands (multispectral and panchromatic). Contains RPCs and sensor model. Imagery is calibrated to remove sensor affects (such as CCD array equalisation), but has no further radiometric processing and can be considered 'Raw'. Not orthorectified or radiometrically corrected. Suitable for precision ortho-rectification, photogrammetry, data calibration and atmospheric correction, and 3D modelling. For EO and photogrammetry specialists.

[End user country]

The user must input their country from the dropdown menu.

[License]

Select the license from a dropdown menu of the following options:

• Single Use - An individual user
• Multi Use - An organisational license for a team of users

Once you are happy that all of the above fields are populated as per your purchase request, ensuring there are no errors in the inputs, proceed to make the purchase by selecting the blue Place Order button.

If the purchase is successful, the Order Confirmation pop out should appear. The status of the commercial data request, as well as access to your purchased imagery, can now be viewed in your EODH user workspace. Guidance for this is outlined in the next section.

Navigate to your personal workspace catalogue, found in the Catalogue tab of the EODH website, where any purchased imagery will appear. This can be associated with your individual or organisational workspace account. Purchased imagery specifically will be found within the commercial-data catalogue, within the workspace catalogue. Note that item assets may take a while to appear after purchasing. Check the item in your workspace for the status of the order.

Before a transaction can carried out to purchase a commercial image, the user is first met with the following checkboxes (see pictured). These are in place to ensure the user understands the licensing agreement they are accepting by making the purchase. The user must agree that they have:

1. Read and accepted the product license
2. Read and accepted the vendor terms and conditions
3. Give their consent to the EODH to place the order on behalf of the user

Please ensure you have read and consented to all the agreements before placing the purchase, the relevant documents for which are linked under Read more. If you require more information regarding the license agreements, these are published by the data providers, Planet and Airbus, respectively. Alternatively, check back to our documentation section on licensing restrictions.

Cost of the imagery selection is clearly displayed at the bottom right of the checkout page in green. It is important to also ensure you are happy with the total cost before proceeding with the purchase.

Figure: Confirmation checkboxes at checkout screen, with image cost displayed at the bottom right of the panel

In the case where a user makes an accidental order by proceeding through the checkout screen to point of purchase, please note that the order cannot be changed after delivery. As such, the user should ensure thorough checks are carried out before purchasing to ensure the correct product, resolution, date, and image provider have been selected as intended.