Planet Labs Enhances Earth Observation by Integrating Planetary Variables into Sentinel Hub

Planet Labs PBC has announced the integration of its Planetary Variables into Sentinel Hub, a significant advancement in the field of Earth observation. This integration follows Planet’s acquisition of Sinergise in August 2023 and enhances the capabilities of Sentinel Hub.

Planetary Variables are pre-processed data feeds that provide insights into Earth’s surface conditions, including Soil Water Content, Land Surface Temperature, Crop Biomass, and Forest Structure. By integrating these data feeds into Sentinel Hub, users can easily analyze and generate insights, simplifying the process of accessing and utilizing Earth observation data.

Kevin Weil, President of Product and Business at Planet, highlighted the importance of this integration, stating that it will form the foundation of their Earth Data Platform. This platform is expected to empower a community of partners to develop impactful Earth observation data applications, addressing critical global challenges in security and sustainability.

Sentinel Hub is known for its efficient handling of large volumes of satellite data. With the integration of Planetary Variables, users can now integrate these new data layers with its APIs. This integration allows for seamless extraction of time series, multi-temporal processing, and streaming of imagery into various applications. The addition of Planetary Variables enhances Sentinel Hub’s utility and enables users to scale their workflows on Planet’s cloud infrastructure, reducing the time and resources spent on managing imagery infrastructure.

The practical applications of Planetary Variables span multiple domains. For example, users can monitor drought and manage water resources more effectively by comparing current and historical Soil Water Content. In agriculture, leveraging Crop Biomass data can optimize agricultural output and detect events like crop harvesting. Additionally, evaluating changes in Land Surface Temperatures can measure heat stress effects on crops or urban neighborhoods, essential for environmental monitoring and urban planning.

Planet Labs is known for its high-frequency Earth imaging capabilities and has positioned itself as a leader in the Earth observation sector. The integration of Planetary Variables into Sentinel Hub represents a fusion of technologies that enhances the accessibility of Earth observation data and expands the possibilities for data analysis and application in various sectors.