Stanford Libraries & Planet Labs collaborate to capture Stanford University’s 2024 Commencement, from space
Over this year’s commencement weekend, the Stanford campus was bustling with the excitement of graduation. Countless photos were taken, capturing the pivotal moments for graduates and their families. Among the thousands of snapshots being taken, one stood out—the one being taken by a Planet SkySat satellite, capturing Stanford’s entire Class of '24 from more than 400 km above the stadium.
"I realized that many, if not most, of the graduates in this class began their Stanford experience in isolation from their classmates. I wanted to do something that captured this last moment, as a class, together," said Stace Maples, Head of The Stanford Geospatial Center, and Assistant Director of Geospatial Collections & Services for Stanford Libraries.
The Stanford Geospatial Center, at the Branner Earth Sciences Library, teamed up with Planet several months ago to make this extraordinary capture possible.
"It turns out that moving a satellite to take an image of a place within a few days' window is pretty easy now. Planet even makes it possible to do that with a Python Notebook. Capturing a specific moment is something different, altogether," Maples explained."Capturing an image at an exact moment using satellite imagery has historically been challenging, but with Planet's unique constellation of high-resolution satellites, we can capture meaningful moments like these within a few hours! This capability will only improve with Planet's upcoming high-resolution satellite constellation, Pelican, coming online later this year," said Austin Stone, a Customer Success Manager at Planet.
Just a few days before graduation weekend, Planet confirmed the mission: "This is happening." With the weather Palo Alto is known for, a perfect, clear day provided the ideal conditions for the capture.
Stanford and Planet began their relationship in 2019. Stanford played a crucial role in helping Planet tailor their Education & Research subscription model to meet the needs of R1 research universities. In turn, Planet has provided PlanetScope daily imagery, and other multispectral Earth imaging products, to support Stanford's research and teaching.
The SkySat satellites, used for this capture, are known for their high-resolution imaging capabilities. SkySat satellites can capture images with a resolution of 30-50 centimeters per pixel, enabling detailed observation of Earth’s surface. This technology has been instrumental in various research applications at Stanford, from detecting human trafficking in the Amazon, to mapping nomadic pastoralists for public health applications.
This relationship between Stanford Libraries and Planet has not only provided a unique memento for the Class of '24 but also exemplifies the innovative spirit that defines Stanford University.
The captured imagery has been placed on the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR), and is being licensed for non-commercial use, for anyone. You can download the images, and the raw data from the SDR or view the imagery in an interactive web map.
For current Stanford student, staff and faculty researchers, see the Stanford Geospatial Center resources for education & research library guide to find out more about the Stanford Geospatial Center, Stanford’s Planet E&R Subscription, and how to get access.
Congratulations to Stanford's Class of '24!