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Ordering with Tiles

Understand Tiles​

The default ordering method is our flexible polygon order, designed to meet most user needs. However, for grand-scale monitoring, customers can order predefined ClearSKY tiles and benefit from an 80% reduction in base prices compared to polygon orders.

Key Points:

  • Tile characteristics
    Tiles have a defined number of pixels that follows the original distribution by the satellite imagery provider (Copernicus/ESA). Most tiles are 5120 × 5120 px and only deviate at edges of UTM zones.

  • Bulk ordering
    For bulk orders, refer to our tile map to understand the size and placement of tiles. Tile placement is predefined. Our tiles are also viewable on polygon.clearsky.vision and dashboard.clearsky.vision.

  • Ordering process
    Aside from the enforced tile geometry and the discount, the ordering flow is identical to polygon orders with the same options for image frequency and model selection.

Draw with the polygon tool to see predefined tiles for the chosen UTM zone or see tiles at polygon.clearsky.vision.

Why tiles are often the right choice​

  • Much more affordable per km²
    Tiles apply 80% off the model base rate. For many programs this is the best budget choice.

  • Easy to expand later
    Need to extend the area to the left or right of your first AOI next month? With the fixed grid you can append neighboring tiles cleanly without redrawing polygons.

  • Best for continuous monitoring
    For long-term, large, contiguous areas we recommend tiles. They are simpler to manage and cheaper per km² over time.

  • Mix with minitiles for edges
    If you want to cover a big area with tiles but trim edges, add minitiles where fine granularity is needed.

Pricing at a glance​

Model base rate before discounts:

  • Nimbus: €0.10 per km²
  • Stratus-2: €0.20 per km²

Tile factor:

  • Tiles: pay 20% of the polygon price
  • Minitiles: pay 50% of the polygon price

Examples before monthly spend tiers and optional satellite inputs:

  • Nimbus tile: €0.10 × 0.20 = €0.02 per km²
  • Stratus-2 tile: €0.20 × 0.20 = €0.04 per km²

Your monthly EUR spend tier can lower the €/km² further. See Introduction to Pricing for current tier ranges.

Understand Minitiles​

Minitiles are 320 × 320 px and, like tiles, only deviate near UTM zone edges. An order can include both tiles and minitiles.
Minitiles apply a 50% reduction to the model base rate. There are too many minitiles globally to visualize here, but you can use the signed download below or the API to find the right ones.

Download the Global Tile Catalogue​

Download a GeoPackage (.gpkg) with naming, placement, EPSG and more. The file is available via signed link:

info

The GeoPackage is ~2 GB and lists every ClearSKY tile.

Tile Search via API​

You can also search for orderable tiles (and optional minitiles) via a POST request to:

POST /api.clearsky.vision/api/tasking/search/tiles

Request Body (JSON):

{
  "Wkt": "POLYGON((7.6 51.9,7.6 52.0,7.7 52.0,7.7 51.9,7.6 51.9))",
  "Guids": ["{tile-guid-1}", "{tile-guid-2}"],
  "IncludeMinitiles": true
}

Response (JSON):

{
  "foundTiles": [
    {
      "guid": "{tile-guid-1}",
      "utmZone": "33N",
      "geometry": { "type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [...] }
    }
  ],
  "foundMinitiles": [...]
}
tip

Each tile returned by the API includes an EPSG code and a DataGeogWkt to help interpret its spatial data. You can also refine your search by supplying tile GUIDs or GeoJSON geometry. Read more at api.clearsky.vision.