The Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions holds a subscription to Planet Labs satellite imagery, which includes PlanetScope daily 4-band imagery at 3-meter resolution (from 2014; 8-band available from 2020) and RapidEye 4-band imagery at 5-meter resolution (2009–2020). Imagery can be accessed via web browser, desktop GIS plugins, or API. Access is limited to a set number of named user licenses. Eligible Yale affiliates may request an account for research and teaching purposes.
Request an Account
Current Yale affiliates with an active NetID can request a named Planet user account for research or teaching purposes. For smaller study areas, consider applying through the Planet Education and Research Program or exploring other free alternatives (see Alternate Sources below). To request access, please complete the Request Form. Most requests are processed within 2–5 business days.
**When providing an email address, we will use this email to invite you to Planet. Do not create an account with this email address ahead of receiving an invitation.**
License and Use Restrictions
Our subscription includes campus-wide annual limits:
- 2 million sq km for scene downloads
- 50 million scene tile downloads
- Unlimited basemap tile downloads
While these limits are generous, they can be quickly depleted by repeated or excessive downloads—intentional or not. For context, the total surface area of Earth is approximately 510 million sq km.
To ensure fair and sustainable access for all users:
- Only download what you need.
- For large requests, test with a smaller extract first to confirm your workflow.
- Use drawing tools in Planet Explorer or API functions to clip imagery to your specific area of interest.
- If using scripts, separate the download process from data processing or analysis to avoid repeated downloads.
- Each Lab or Center will be assigned an annual data quota. Once this quota is reached, no additional data will be available to the group for the remainder of the year.
Planet satellite data is copyrighted and licensed for academic, non-commercial use by current members of Yale University.
Redistribution or republication of original datasets or significant derivatives is strictly prohibited.
When citing Planet data in publications, include the following notice:
“Image © 20xx Planet Labs PBC” (replace xx with the year of imagery used)
Accounts are given access for one year; however, all users are subject to data usage limits (usually under a lab or center), which we reserve the right to adjust as needed.
Further, accounts may be canceled/disabled if:
- You graduate or end your Yale affiliation
- Your name no longer appears in the Yale directory
- Your account remains inactive for an extended period
Accessing Planet Data
Planet offers multiple tools and platforms for accessing its satellite imagery. The links below provide documentation on how to use each service. Once your account is activated, you can access these tools through the Planet Account Applications Menu.
- Planet Explorer: A web-based interface for browsing, comparing, and downloading daily satellite imagery. Accessible directly from your account menu.
- Basemap Viewer: Basemaps are seamless mosaics of processed imagery designed to provide a clear, cohesive view of the Earth. Use this tool to view, compare, and download individual tiles. Access via your account menu.
- GIS Integrations: Connect Planet data to GIS platforms like QGIS, ArcGIS Pro, and Google Earth Engine using available plugins. Requires installation of a plugin and configuration of your API key.
- Planet API: Access imagery programmatically using the Planet API. Ideal for automating downloads, processing, and analysis. A sample Python Jupyter Notebook is available to help you get started. Requires API key setup.
Planet Imagery Datasets
Imagery
Individual satellite scenes that capture a specific geographic area at a particular point in time.
- PlanetScope
Planet’s flagship product, offering near-daily imagery at 3-meter resolution from 2014 to the present. Initially capturing 4 bands (red, green, blue, and near-infrared), it expanded in 2020 to include 4 additional bands: red edge, green I, coastal blue, and yellow. - RapidEye
A legacy dataset available from 2009 to 2020, providing daily 5-meter resolution imagery across 4 bands (red, green, blue, and near-infrared). - Public Imagery
Includes imagery from NASA’s Landsat 8 and ESA’s Sentinel-2 missions. These multi-band datasets offer lower resolution and do not count against our Planet imagery quota.
Basemaps
Basemaps are composites created by processing and stitching together multiple scenes to generate seamless, large-area visualizations.
- Visual Basemaps
8-bit time-series mosaics optimized for visual consistency and reduced cloud and haze effects. Ideal for general viewing and presentations. - Surface Reflectance Basemaps
16-bit time-series mosaics designed for radiometric consistency, making them well-suited for land use and land cover analysis. Our subscription includes access to archived basemaps for specific regions, but does not provide full global coverage.
Alternate Sources
Planet Labs imagery is best suited for users who require high-resolution, near-daily satellite imagery for specific, limited areas as part of their research. If you need global basemaps, imagery for teaching or class projects, or don’t need resolution finer than 30 meters—or if you’re not eligible for a Planet account—consider the following free alternatives:
- Planet Education and Research Program
Provides complimentary access to up to 3,000 km² per month of PlanetScope and RapidEye imagery, including global basemaps, for academic and research use. - NASA EOSDIS Worldview
A NASA tool that offers lower-resolution satellite imagery and global basemaps, ideal for visualizing Earth data across time and space. - USGS EarthExplorer
A comprehensive data portal from the U.S. Geological Survey providing access to a wide range of satellite imagery and raster datasets, including LANDSAT, MODIS, and others. - pylandsat
An open-source Python library and command-line tool that allows users to search for and download LANDSAT imagery in bulk from public archives.