Remote sensing is the study and process of detecting and observing the physical characteristics of an area by measuring radiation at a distance. Special cameras, satellites, and aircrafts collect images, replacing manual ground data collection. There are three types: active sensing produces images via its own signal, passive sensing relies on natural energy and light waves from the desired target, and microwave sensing functions as a combination of both.
Panchromatic images are captured across the visual spectrum (usually grayscale), allowing for greater spatial resolution at the expense of color differentiation. These images are single-band.
Multispectral images are comprised of several layer bands of different wavelength ranges in one location. Multispectral sensing is a passive remote sensing type, and usually measures red (R), green (G), blue (B), and/or infrared (IR).
Russia’s Shiveluch Volcano; Landsat 9 captured this image on April 15, 2023, using pan-sharpened bands (6, 5, 4) along WRS-2 Path 98 Row 21.
Hyperspectral imaging is similar to multispectral imaging in that it measures several bands of information, but differs in that it processes an image across the continuous electromagnetic spectrum. This type of imaging is not as common as panchromatic or multispectral imaging.
(MRP) is using hyperspectral remote sensing at a variety of scales to characterize rocks and soils in selected areas of Alaska
Sources/Usage: Public Domain // Credits: Raymond Kokaly, USGS
Planet Labs provides daily satellite images of the Earth’s land surfaces and coastal areas. Natural color, near infra-red, and other multi-channel imagery products are available with 5m, 3.7m and 50cm ground pixel resolution. Images are exportable to GIS systems or can be viewed and analyzed using Planet's website and tools. PlanetScope (3.7m) satellite images are available daily, starting in 2014. SkySat (50cm) images are available for selected areas and time periods, starting in 2016. RapidEye (5m) is from 2009-2020.
Access restricted to UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab faculty, staff, and students. New users must first complete registration form. The UC Berkeley Library manages the license and registrations (5/1/24-4/30/25).
PlanetScope ~ 3.7m resolution in four spectral bands: RGB and Near Infrared
SkySat archive ~ 50cm resolution imagery older than 6 months (no imagery within the past 6 months)
RapidEye archive ~5m resolution imagery archive from 2009 to 2020
Basemaps - time series mosaicked products optimized for either visual reflectance (8-bit) or radiometric consistency (16-bit)
Planet Stories - a simple tool to provide imagery time-lapse
Access to imagery via an API, web applications or GIS integrations
For more information about Planet, see Planet.com and the Planet documentation portal.
Planet’s GIS Integrations with ArcGIS Pro and QGIS as well as Google Earth Engine (GEE) documentation)
Planet has a range of APIs, such as the Data API for searching Planet's data catalog, Orders API for creating analysis-ready data, and Subscriptions API for subscribing and monitoring continuous cloud delivery of imagery and metadata collections.
Access python library's, Jupyter Notebook, and Planet's GitHub repo along with other tools and resources that make it easier to work with Planet imagery.
Browse user guides, documentation and full API references for Planet's APIs, GIS Integrations, Imagery and Apps.
Access tutorials, on-demand webinars, upcoming webinars and more.
Space for latest product updates, community forums, and much more.
Guidance:
Please visit Planet University for events opportunities and online trainings and Planet Community to post questions, share ideas, and connect with others using Planet.
Citations:
For journal articles, use the following citation:
For figure captions, use...
Many thanks to Amy Work, GIS Librarian at UC San Diego, for providing content for this guide section on Planet Data.
| Type | Years | Bands | Spatial Res. (MS) | Spatial Res. (Pan) | Scene Size | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CORONA |
1960-1972 | 6-40 ft | $$$ | |||
| Spot 1 | 1986-2003 | 3 (GR[NIR]) | 20 m x 20 m | 10 m x 10 m | 60 km |
$$$ |
| Spot 2 | 1990-2009 | 3 (GR[NIR]) | 20 m x 20 m | 10 m x 10 m | 60 km | $$$ |
| Spot 3 | 1993-1996 | 3 (GR[NIR]) | 20 m x 20 m | 10 m x 10 m | 60 km | $$$ |
| Spot 4 | 1998-2013 | 4(GR[NIR][SWIR]) | 20 m x 20 m | 10 m x 10 m | 60 km | $$$ |
| Spot-5 | 2002-2015 | 4(3,SWIR) | 10 m in multispectral mode (20 m on short wave infrared 1.58 – 1.75 µm | 2.5 to 5 m | 60 km | $$$ |
| Spot-6 | 2012-2024 | 4(BGR[NIR]) | 6 m at nadir | 1.5 m at nadir | 60 km | $$$ |
| Spot-7 | 2014-2024 | 4(BGR[NIR]) | 6 m at nadir | 1.5 m at nadir | 60 km | $$$ |
| GeoEye-1 | 2008- | 4 | 1.64 m GSD | 0.41 m GSD | 15.2 km | $$$ |
| GeoEye-2 / Worldview-4 | 2016-2019 | 4 | Nadir: 1.24 m 20° off-nadir: 1.38 m 56° Off-Nadir: 4.00 m |
Nadir: 0.31 m 20° off-nadir: 0.34 m 56° Off-Nadir: 1.00 m |
13.1 km | $$$ |
| WorldView-2 | 2009- | 8 | 1.8 m GSD (2.4 m at 20º off-nadir) | 0.46 m GSD (0.52 m at 20º off-nadir) | 16.4 km | $$$ |
| WorldView-3 | 2014- | 8 | Nadir: 1.24 m 20º off-nadir: 1.38 m |
Nadir: 0.31 m, 20º off-nadir: 0.34 m | 13.1 km | $$$ |
| QuickBird | 2001-2015 | 4 |
2.62 m (nadir) to 2.90 m (20° off-nadir) |
65 cm (nadir) to 73 cm (20° off-nadir) |
16.8 km / 18 km - (Early 2013) | $$$ |
| IKONOS | 1999-2015 | 4 | Resolution at Nadir 3.28 m | Resolution at Nadir 0.80 m | 11.3 km at nadir; 13.8 km at 26° off-nadir | free |
| Pleiades-1A/1B | 2011- | 4 | 2 m | 50 cm panchromatic 50 cm color (pansharpened) |
20 km | $$$ |
| Landsat 4-5 TM | 1982-2012 | 7 | 30 | 185 km |
free |
|
| Landsat 4-5 MSS | 1972-2013 | 4 | 79 km | 185 km | free | |
| Landsat 7 ETM + | 1999- | 8 | 30 m VNIR/SWIR 60 m TIR |
15 m | 185 km | free |
| Landsat 8 | 2013- | 9 | 30 m multi-spectral (VIS/NIR/SWIR) | 15 m | 185 km x 180 km | free |
| Landsat 9 | 2021- | 11 | 30 m multi-spectral (VIS/NIR/SWIR) | 15 m | 190 km x 180 km | free |
|
Sentinel-1 (A,B,C) |
2014- | 1 (C-band) | 5 m | 400 km | free | |
|
Sentinel-2 (A,B) |
2015- | 13 (VNIR, SWIR) | 10 m, 20 m, 60 m | 290 km | free | |
| Sentinel-3 (A,B) | 2016- | 21 | 300m full, 1200m reduced | 1270 km | free | |
| Sentinel-5P | 2017 | 7 | 5.5 km x 3.5 km | free |
Maxar (free): GeoEye-1, IKONOS, Quickbird, WorldView 1-4
NASA Earthdata (free): WorldView
NOAA CLASS (register)
NOAA Data Access Viewer (free): GOES-14, -15, -16, -17,-18, NOAA-15, -18, -19, -20, -21, DSCOVR, Suomi NPP (NOAA/NASA), Jason-3 (CNES owns), DMSP F-16, F-17, F-19, EWS-G1 (Air Force owns, formerly GOES-13)
Copernicus Open Access Hub (free): Sentinel 1-5
USGS EROS and EarthExplorer (free): Landsat 1-9
AIRBUS GeoStore: Pleiades, Pleiades One, SPOT archive, Spot One
LandInfo: Pleiades 1A / 1B, GeoEye 1, IKONOS, Quickbird, WorldView 1-4, Airbus Elevation 1, 4, Spot 6/7, Rapid Eye
Satellite Imaging Corporation (SIC): Albedo, Pleiades Neo, SuperView-Neo, WorldView 1-4, Legion, GeoEye-1, Pleiades-1A / 1B, Pelican, SuperView-1, KOMPSAT- 3 / 3A, QuickBird, Satellogic, Gaofen-2, TripleSat, IKONOS, SkySat, SkySat-C, Jilin-1 (1m), TerraSAR-X, SPOT-6 / 7, Other Satellites (2m-30m)
For research help and questions, please contact us using this form:
Created by Arabella Hafeli Scheler in May 2023. Updated by UC Berkeley Map Librarian. Inspired by blog post "Commercial Satellite Imagery: Types, Resolution, and Pricing" by Rebecca Seifried; Archived text from rmseifried.wordpress.com
