After an order is placed, the Operations team will conduct a feasibility study. They will evaluate the tasking parameters with the provider, and then will present the following assessments:
- The order is possible with the given parameters.
- The order requires modifications with suitable options proposed.
The time it takes to complete a feasibility study depends on the number and complexity of the areas of interest (AOIs), the total order size, the level of competition with other projects, and the time of year.
The time from September to May is considered a normal tasking season. During this period, a feasibility study will take less time to be completed compared to timeframes during the high season.
From June to August, tasking over the Northern Hemisphere is in high demand — the vegetation is active, and in many areas of the hemisphere there is less cloud coverage. This contributes to the overall workload on providers.
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How many AOIs are in your order, and what is the total order size?
An order with up to 5 AOIs or up to 500 km2 in size is considered simple. Meanwhile, any order with more than 20 AOIs or more than 2,000 km2 in size is a complex order.
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How complex are your AOIs?
A standard bounding box is considered a simple-shaped AOI, while a long corridor with many vertices is considered a complex shape.
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Does your order involve combinations of different acquisition parameters?
An order with a combination of different acquisition parameters is considered complex. For example, when sensors from different collections are tasked within the same order.
If you want to assess order feasibility with different parameters, each combination of parameters will be assessed separately. For example, to assess the same order in mono and stereo, we will conduct two separate feasibility studies. Such an order would be considered complex.
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Does your order involve different tasking priorities?
An order with a combination of different pricing plans corresponding to different tasking priorities is considered complex. This happens when one part of the order needs to be captured faster than the others.
| Order complexity | September–May | June–August |
|---|---|---|
| Simple | 1–3 business days | 3–4 business days |
| Standard | 3–4 business days | 5–7 business days |
| Complex | up to 5 business days | up to 10 business days |
Any change to the geometry or the parameters of your order will require us to conduct a new feasibility study.
You can change the submitted order’s parameters and geometry, but note that its feasibility will need to be assessed from scratch.
If the acquisition start day passes and the order is not activated, a new feasibility study will need to be conducted.
Feasibility studies depend on timeframes. When a timeframe changes, it affects the conditions of the tasking acquisition.
Use the geometry checklist before submitting an order to ensure your feasibility study doesn’t take longer than the standard time.