FAQ

last updated: March 27, 2024

Google Earth Engine Delivery Frequently Asked Questions

Ordering Questions

Do I need download quota to deliver imagery to Earth Engine?

Yes, delivery to GEE requires and consumes download quota.

Which raster operations are supported by Planet’s GEE Delivery Integration?

Supported Raster Operations provides complete details.

What is the Max Order size to GEE?

The max order size depends on your Orders plan and how much quota you have for download. Max order size can range from 500 to 2000 assets per order.

What is an appropriate scale for Planet GEE Delivery Integration usage?

With the default Planet Service Account, the ingest queue can fill up with large orders. Planet recommends a limit of approximately 1000 assets delivered per organization, per day. There is also an option to bring their own service account for a dedicated queue with greater scalability.

Some personal Google accounts are capped at 250 Gb (the limit is set by Google).

Do I have to pay for Google Cloud Storage to use the GEE Delivery Integration?

The Planet Delivery Integration sends imagery directly to your GEE account. It does not require you to set up or pay for cloud storage.

Which Planet Items and Assets are supported by the GEE Delivery Integration?

Item Type Supported Order Bundles Limitations
PSScene analytic_8b_sr_udm2, analytic_sr_udm2, analytic_8b_udm2, analytic_udm2, visual The harmonization order operation can only be used on PSScene SR assets
SkySatScene analytic, analytic_udm2, analytic_sr_udm2, visual, pansharpened_udm2, panchromatic_dn_udm2
SkySatCollect analytic, analytic_udm2, analytic_sr_udm2, visual, pansharpened_udm2, panchromatic_dn_udm2 SkySatCollects may take an hour per item to ingest

Are Planet Basemaps supported?

Basemaps are not currently supported.

What happens to images that are ordered twice to the same Image Collection?

Planet GEE Delivery Integration overwrites image assets ordered to the same image collection. Download quota is deducted.

Why is my delivery to GEE taking longer than my Orders API request?

There is a hand-off from the Planet API to the GEE API. The following are approximate estimates of how long orders take:

  • 15 minutes for PlanetScope assets
  • 30 minutes for SkySat assets

Note: The estimated order time depends on several factors, including order size and network traffic to GEE. Estimations are not assured by a Planet SLA.

What permissions must be granted to the Planet Service Account for delivery to Earth Engine?

To write to an EE account, the Planet Google Service Account (SA) must have the EE Resource Writer IAM role. The Resource Writer role provides read/write access to an EE Cloud Project. Create a separate Cloud Project account without Read access for sensitive or proprietary data.

Data Questions

How are the UDM2 bands organized when delivered to an EE image collection?

Planet’s GEE Delivery Integration appends UDM bands to each image in your Image Collection. For example, if you ordered a PSScene4Band Item Type with the analytic_sr_udm bundle, your resulting image would have 12 bands (4 spectral, 8 UDM bands).

Bands Description
B1 Blue
B2 Green
B3 Red
B4 NIR
Q1 Clear Map
Q2 Snow Map
Q3 Shadow Map
Q4 Light Haze Map
Q5 Heavy Haze Map
Q6 Cloud Map
Q7 Confidence Map
Q8 Usable Pixels

PSScene 8-bands are ordered as:

Bands Description
B1 Coastal blue
B2 Blue
B3 Green II
B4 Green
B5 Yellow
B6 Red
B7 Red edge
B8 NIR

For more information about UDM2 bands, see About UDM2.

How does ingesting imagery to GEE change Planet data?

The following are examples of how GEE delivery changes Planet data:

Other Questions

How can I test the Planet GEE Delivery Integration?

To test the GEE Delivery Integration, sign up at the Planet Developer Program. Planet will provideyou with the API and enough download quota for the integration. Students or researchers can apply for data access by using the Education and Researh Program. Planet accounts with download quota can use the GEE Delivery Integration.


Rate this guide: