Frequently Asked Questions

I am not a NSW Government employee but can I access any imagery?

Answer: No, only current NSW employees can access and request NSW Imagery as managed by the NSW Imagery Hub.

I work for NSW Government, can I request any imagery?

Answer: Yes, please reach out to the team at [email protected] for imagery requests and questions.

Can local councils access this imagery?

Answer: Yes, all NSW local councils have access to all available imagery sources.

How do I request imagery?

Answer: Email [email protected] with an area of interest, timeframe and type of imagery you require.

Is there any cost to download imagery when we request it, or can we download imagery as much as we want?

Answer: There is no cost for NSW Government and Local Councils. But you will have to request a download through us (by emailing us at [email protected]).

What is the best resolution imagery you have available for all of NSW?

Answer: Currently SPOT at 1.5m, but Triplesat is 0.8m resolution and this is going to be delivered in June 2024.

When is Triplesat going to be available for streaming and/or download?

Answer: Mid - late 2024

How far back do your archives go for satellite imagery?

Answer: Our Landsat imagery archive goes back to 1988, but our higher resolution imagery such as SPOT was first acquired in 2008.

Does the NSW Imagery Hub have unlimited access to Planetscope downloads and Skysat tasking?

Answer: No, the NSW Imagery Hub has a limited amount of Planetscope downloads and Skysat taskings. 

How could we access the Planet monthly basemap for entire NSW? Is there a URL?

Answer: The spatial imagery team can provide fact sheets and guides on how to access via WMS.

Can basemaps of an area be downloaded as a geotiff, or are they web view only?

Answer: Yes, send an email to [email protected] and we can download for you.

Can we provide third parties (to NSW Government) access to this imagery?

Answer: For limited time - duration of project and only for a specific NSW Gov project. Please email [email protected] for more information.

What is the best resolution Planet can supply?

Answer: PlanetScope resolution is 3m and SkySat is 0.5m.

Is there any programmatic access to the data?

Answer: Planet has an API that you can use to search, filter and view tile previews etc. Please see https://developers.planet.com/docs/apis/ for more information and of course you can contact us on [email protected].

What kind of imagery is provided- raw or processed?

Answer: Generally pansharpened imagery is provided. But if a user has some special needs such as surface reflectance, radiance or raw data, then that could also be provided. 

Can you request a particular area be targeted for Planet? If so, for how many days? 

Answer: Yes, you can request a SkySat (50cm) capture. Note that these SkySat captures can take up to two weeks depending on satellite scheduling and weather. The other product available on the Whole of NSW Government Planet account, PlanetScope (~ 3m), is captured automatically across NSW on a near-daily basis and is available the next day via Planet Explorer or the Planet Plugin.

If an area has already been tasked across a large area by another part of DCCEEW e.g south west NSW, would we automatically have access to that through our accounts?

Answer: Yes, you will be able to see all areas previously captured within NSW via Planet Explorer  

Are all Planet Skysat and Planetscope captures and downloads time stamped? 

Answer. Yes, all captures include metadata inclusive of time and date captured. Times are in UTC and will need to be converted to the local time zone.  

Can we access Planet or other Imagery outside NSW - or Australia? 

Answer. No, the Statewide imagery program for NSW only includes data access for NSW 

Is it possible to share Planet Stories with others?

Answer. Yes, you can download these as MP4 or embed them in PowerPoint presentations. You can also share a link to the timelapse to any user who has a Planet Explorer account.