Custom aerial image acquisition is more accessible to small and medium sized business than you might think. Satellite tasking or aerial image acquisition captured by First Base Solutions can be ordered through our customer service by providing an area of interest, your desired specs, and an acquisition window you’d like to stay within.  Each project is unique, but there a few factors that we consider when preparing a quote.

For imagery from fixed wing aircraft, he size of the site and therefore the amount of coverage required will partly determine the costs, and also the turnaround time to complete the image processing for delivery. Our traveling distance to your site from our home base airport is a factor as well. The amount of detail and the photo resolution required for your project will be a consideration because this affects the flying speed and altitude needed to meet the particular specifications. Lastly, the time of year can affect our availability. Most imagery is preferred “leaf-off” meaning a busy flying season during a small window of opportunity in early Spring after the snow has melted but before the leaf buds have opened so that ground features are as clear as possible. Timing a flight for a specific time frame may affect the cost as well.

For satellite tasking, the size of the area of interest and the desired resolution are again the main factors in pricing. Satellite capture occurs around the world, every day of the year. Your order’s predicted success, based on a combination of historical weather patterns, site latitude and a few other factors will influence where your order lands in priority against other peoples’ orders. There is a risk when ordering satellite imagery. If the image is less than 15% cloud, the customer is obligated to pay. Uplift pricing is available to specify a lower acceptable cloud cover, or bump your order ahead in the priority sequence. In contrast, the fixed wing aerial images are virtually guaranteed to be cloud free and reviewed for quality before delivery.