Taskings are a request is sent to a satellite provider, to specifically capture an AOI (Area of Interest), over a given date range.

Tasking data has a higher chance of data being collected, and require satellites to change their normal pattern of image capture, therefore is offered at a premium rate and includes a minimum order size.

IMPORTANT: If you wish to access tasking data, please talk to your Account Executive about your data permissions and pre-approved credits for future orders.

There are a few key minimums and restrictions on creating tasking orders:

The minimums mean you will be charged as if your AOI was 25 km2 (or larger if your area of interest is larger than 25 km2).

Our partners continuously capture data over a large portion of the globe every day. Which means, data could already be scheduled to be captured over your area of interest during any future interval you set. By placing a tasking order, you are requesting data be collected over your area of interest. Tasking requires our partners to alter their planned schedule for future data collection. This ensures data will be collected over your area of interest during your interval (weather permitting). Ordering tasking data provides you with confidence all efforts will be made to send you data for your selected areas of interest. Tasking data prices reflect that.

When you set an order to look for future data, EXPLORE will look at your start date and budget attribute.

If your start date is in the past, or if your budget attribute is below the threshold for tasking data, EXPLORE will assume you are looking for archive data only. The platform will then schedule for an archive data search to happen at the end of each interval set in the future (unless you select ‘first available’), we call this: future-facing archive.

If your budget is high enough, we will assume data availability is most important to you and place an order for tasking data, offering you the highest chance to see your interval return data.

Our data partners plan for data collection several days in advance. Once an interval in an order set to request tasking data gets close to the scheduled order date, the order will be considered committed. An order that is committed cannot be deleted. If you wish to cancel orders which have been created in an inactive state, and not yet activated, you can simply deactivate it.

You will be able to reactivate the order at a later date. If the order start date is now in the past, it will only return archive data (except for any committed orders yet to be delivered). If the order start date is still in the future, the order will try and reschedule tasking orders.

Here are a few errors to avoid when creating an order to request tasking data to ensure your orders go through.

Talk to your Account Executive about credit approvals to ensure you are pre-approved for the amounts you are requesting

Set a maximum budget at or above tasking prices. A failed budget check will not place a tasking order and simply return archive data at a later date (if any was collected).

An interval end date too close to the current time. You need to allow enough time for orders to be received by our partners and included into their schedules for collection. An interval end date too close to the current time will automatically switch to an archive search scheduled at the end of your interval.

You must set a start date in the future. Orders with a start date in the past will only look for archive data.

For tasking pricing see Data Pricing.