Tasking
Satellite tasking is the process of requesting a new image collection. SatVu platform has various tasking products that are designed to enable performing satellite data collection for different use cases:
| Tasking Product | Description |
|---|---|
| Standard tasking | With the Standard tasking product, you can define the exact set of satellite tasking and desired image parameters. You can specify target geometry, and timeframe, but also define off-nadir angle, ground sample distance, cloud cover percentage and the day or night acquisition mode. |
| Assured tasking | With the Assured tasking product, you can select a specific pass of the satellite over your target area of interest. In addition, this product has a higher priority level in the satellite management system, increasing the chance of successful data acquisition. |
The platform ensures a transparent price estimation, a clear feasibility check process, order monitoring, and data delivery.
Tasking in the SatVu platform
Using the SatVu platform, you can task SatVu’s satellite to collect new data for your area of interest. The platform takes care of the whole tasking process for both standard and assured tasking products.
- Feasibility checks - check whether the satellite can collect data that satisfies the constraints provided for the Standard tasking product and retrieve available passes information for the Assured tasking product.
- Price estimation - check the price of the tasking order before placing it.
- Ordering data - submit the order. Standard tasking supports both one-off orders and recurring order series, allowing you to schedule multiple orders over the same location on a repeating cadence.
- Retrieving order information - track the status of the order.
- Downloading data - data and metadata can be readily integrated into your application and remain available to you in the platform.
- Cancelling an order - cancel the order before the satellite collects data.
The whole flow is available via RESTful API and the web app.
Please note that in order to task a satellite, you must have access to the tasking product in the selected contract. More information is under Contract Restrictions.
Key Concepts
Tasking products represent a set of future data acquisition parameters designed to fulfil different use cases. SatVu platform has two tasking products: Standard tasking and Assured tasking. The standard tasking product focuses on collecting an image with explicitly provided parameters: desired cloud coverage, ground sample distance or off-nadir angle, etc. The assured tasking product enables selecting the exact pass of the satellite over the target while other tasking parameters cannot be customised.
Feasibility check is the process of evaluating if the tasking order with provided parameters can be captured. Operating a satellite, we will always have constraints in collecting data globally due to the revisit rate, swath width, etc. The feasibility check enables you to better plan acquisitions since we evaluate the current satellite position, its orbit, weather conditions and other forms of data to inform you if the tasking order will likely be successful.
Tasking orders represent a single data acquisition request that will happen in the future. The order defines the tasking parameters but also provides information about the current status of the tasking request. Standard Tasking orders can be part of a recurring order series, allowing you to schedule multiple standard tasking orders at once over the same location.
Order status is a representation of where the tasking order is in its lifecycle. You will see a few intermediate
statuses, such as staged or in progress, as well as final statuses, such as fulfilled, that indicate that the
order has been successfully delivered.
Tasking documentation overview
This part of the documentation describes core concepts, flow and the tutorial on how to perform satellite tasking using the SatVu web application.
Tasking feasibility describes the concept and the process of performing a tasking feasibility check.
Tasking orders describes the tasking data ordering flow, including definitions of statuses and processes of changing or cancelling a tasking order.
Standard tasking tutorial provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform a successful standard tasking order using the platform.
Recurring series tasking tutorial provides a step-by-step guide on how to create and manage a recurring standard tasking order series using the platform.
Assured tasking tutorial provides a step-by-step guide on how to perform a successful assured tasking order using the platform.
The “Developers” part of the documentation describes the flow using the Python SDK and the Restful API. In addition, we provide Tasking API Reference documentation.