Intro to Tasking
The introduction to MGP Tasking describes the components and business rules at an introductory level. To skip this introduction, you can go straight to the Tasking Tutorial or to the Tasking API reference section.
Overview
The MGP Tasking API lets you request a new imagery collection over your Area of Interest (AOI) within a specified time frame. You may include additional parameters such as image resolution and off-nadir angle. You will also need to specify the priority level of your tasking request. When a new image is collected, it is processed and delivered based on the instructions provided in your tasking request body.
Credits and usage
A usage quote is calculated when a request is submitted. The estimate is based on the tasking priority and whether the AOI falls in a low or high demand area. Account credits are reserved to cover the quoted amount. Once the order is fulfilled, any reserved credits that were not used are released.
Order size
The minimum order size for an MGP tasking request is 50 sq kms. The maximum order size is 1000 sq kms.
High demand areas
High demand countries include: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Benin, China (East), Colombia, Congo, Cyprus, Ecuador, Gabon, Gaza Strip, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, North Korea, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Syria, Taiwan, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, and Yemen
Priority
The default priority for a tasking request is "Select". You can upgrade the priority to "Select Plus" as part of your request. Orders with "Select Plus" set are placed on the tasking deck at a higher priority than regular "Select" orders, which can shorten your collection timeline. The "Select Plus" priority incurs a price increase which can be seen in Maxar's commercial tasking pricing sheet.
Satellite assignment
When a tasking request is placed, the MGP Pro tasking system will dynamically assign the order to the best available sensor to meet the order criteria, including the WorldView Legion satellites. You cannot specify which satellite to task.
The MGP Tasking API
A tasking request body is needed for the following requests. Build your tasking request first, then use it to get a usage estimate quote, validate your request body, and submit your tasking request.
| Request | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Quote a tasking request | /tasking/quote | Returns estimate data for AOI sq kms and credits consumed for the request. |
| Validate the request body | /tasking?validation_only=true | Validates the format and schema of the request body. Run a validation check from the tasking endpoint and include the url parameter validation_only with a value of true. |
| Submit a tasking order | /tasking | Submit your tasking request to MGP tasking. |
Tasking request components
Collection window (start and end date)
The collection window for the tasking request is determined by the start date and end date submitted in the request. Both dates must be set in the future. For date and time formatting rules and examples, see Tasking Parameters: Date and Time
Area of interest
The AOI for collection must be a polygon in GeoJSON format and must meet the minimum and maximum order size; See Tasking Parameters: AOIs for more AOI requirements.
Tasking parameters
The tasking parameters describe the conditions that must be met for the tasking order to be collected. See Request Parameters for details.
See also: Guidance for maximizing collection opportunities
Order templates
The "order templates" section of a tasking request defines how a collected image should be processed and where it should be delivered.
Pipeline
The "pipeline" is responsible for processing the collected imagery. Imagery can be processed as one of the "core imagery" product types by specifying the pipeline for the product type. See Core Imagery Default Recipes for a table that shows the product types, their pipeline names, and the default recipe for the imagery type.
Settings and placeholders
The "settings" section includes the required settings for ordering imagery from the pipeline. Include a "customer description" for the imagery order that may help you identify it later. For the inventory_ids and aoi settings, you will use "placeholders" for the values. See the Tasking Request Tutorial for details.
Order deliveries
Once imagery is collected, ordered, and processed, it can be delivered to one of the following cloud storage platforms:
- Amazon S3 commercial cloud
- Azure cloud storage
- Google cloud storage
The order is also delivered to the Orders Manager in the MGP Pro User Interface.
Before you place a tasking request, make sure Maxar has permission to write data to your cloud storage location. See Prerequisite: Set Up your Cloud Storage Location.