Wherobots Cloud meters usage in Spatial Units. Each engine has its own kind of Spatial Unit, metered a different way: A WherobotsDB Spatial Unit measures the computational horsepower provisioned to a runtime, and accrues for as long as that runtime runs. A RasterFlow Spatial Unit measures the data a RasterFlow task processes. This page covers RasterFlow Spatial Units. For WherobotsDB Spatial Units, see Managing Costs and Runtimes.
For up-to-date information on rates and prices, see Wherobots Pricing.
What is a RasterFlow Spatial Unit?
A RasterFlow Spatial Unit measures the data a RasterFlow task processes. One RasterFlow Spatial Unit is 1,000,000,000 units of that data, before any complexity factor is applied. A single pixel can carry several bands, and a task can run over several time periods, so the data a task processes is all three multiplied together:- The area of your area of interest.
- The resolution you request.
- The number of bands.
- The number of time periods.
Example: data processed for a Sentinel-2 mosaic
Example: data processed for a Sentinel-2 mosaic
A 100,000 km² Sentinel-2 mosaic at 10 m resolution with 4 bands, over 1 time period:
Time periods
A time period is a distinct span of time for which RasterFlow produces a separate output. Most tasks use a single time period, but you can request more: running the Fields of the World (FTW) model across two years produces one result per year, and twice the RasterFlow Spatial Units of a single year.How a task’s cost is calculated
Every RasterFlow charge follows the same path, from the inputs you choose to the cost on your bill. A task’s cost is the RasterFlow Spatial Units it is billed for, multiplied by the price of that task:cost = Spatial Units billed × price per Spatial Unit.
Five components determine that cost:
Data processed
Data processed
The pixels a task reads, across every band and time period:
pixels × bands × time periods. Your area of interest and the resolution you request determine the pixel count, so this is the part of the calculation you control directly.RasterFlow Spatial Unit
RasterFlow Spatial Unit
The unit RasterFlow usage is metered in. One RasterFlow Spatial Unit is 1,000,000,000 units of data processed, so a task’s Spatial Units are the data it processes divided by 1,000,000,000.
Complexity Factor
Complexity Factor
A multiplier applied to the Spatial Units of mosaicking and inference, reflecting how much processing each performs per pixel. The Mosaicking Complexity Factor varies by dataset and the Inference Complexity Factor varies by model. Build Multiscales and Mosaic Vectorization apply no such multiplier.
Minimum charge
Minimum charge
Each task is billed a minimum of 1 RasterFlow Spatial Unit at that task’s price, no matter how small the area of interest. If a task’s calculated Spatial Units fall below the minimum, you are billed the minimum instead.
Price per Spatial Unit
Price per Spatial Unit
Each of the four RasterFlow tasks has its own price per Spatial Unit. Because the price per Spatial Unit differs by task, add up the cost of a multi-task workflow rather than its Spatial Units.
RasterFlow tasks and pricing
Each of the four RasterFlow tasks has its own price per RasterFlow Spatial Unit. Mosaicking and inference also apply a complexity factor, a multiplier reflecting how much processing they perform per pixel, so the Spatial Units they consume reflect the work they actually do. The Mosaicking Complexity Factor varies by dataset, and the Inference Complexity Factor varies by model. Build Multiscales and Mosaic Vectorization apply no such multiplier. For the current price of each task, see Wherobots Pricing.Mosaicking
Mosaicking builds an analysis-ready raster mosaic from an imagery dataset for your area of interest. Mosaicking Complexity Factor: varies by dataset. Datasets that require cloud removal and compositing, such as Sentinel-2, go through additional mosaic pre-processing. Datasets that are read directly, such as NAIP, have a reduced complexity factor.
For more information, see RasterFlow Datasets.
Inference
Inference runs a model over your data, such as segmentation or feature extraction. Inference Complexity Factor: varies by model. Each model’s factor is derived from its throughput (bytes processed per second), normalized to the SAM3 reference model: a model that processes imagery more slowly than SAM3 has a higher factor, and a faster model has a lower one.
For more information, see RasterFlow Models.
Build Multiscales
Build Multiscales generates multi-resolution overviews of a mosaic, so it draws quickly at any zoom level. Build Multiscales consumes one RasterFlow Spatial Unit for every 1,000,000,000 units of data it processes.Mosaic Vectorization
Mosaic Vectorization converts a raster mosaic or prediction into vector features. Mosaic Vectorization consumes one RasterFlow Spatial Unit for every 1,000,000,000 units of data it processes. It usually runs over a single-band model prediction, so it processes a quarter of the data of a four-band task over the same area.Worked examples
Mosaicking by dataset and resolution
Mosaicking by dataset and resolution
Fixed area of interest: 10,000 km², 4 bands, 1 time period.
| Dataset | Resolution | Pixels | Data processed (pixel values) | Mosaicking Complexity Factor | Spatial Units | Spatial Units billed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAIP | 30 cm | 111,111,000,000 | 444,444,000,000 | 0.1× | 44.4 | 44.4 |
| NAIP | 60 cm | 27,778,000,000 | 111,111,000,000 | 0.1× | 11.1 | 11.1 |
| Sentinel-2 | 10 m | 100,000,000 | 400,000,000 | 1.0× | 0.4 | 1.0 (minimum charge applied) |
Field boundary detection with Fields of the World
Field boundary detection with Fields of the World
Area of interest: 100,000 km², Sentinel-2 at 10 m, 8 bands, 1 time period. The Fields of the World model uses 4 bands for the Planting Season and 4 bands for the Harvest Season.
| Task | Bands | Data processed (pixel values) | Complexity Factor | Spatial Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosaicking (Sentinel-2) | 8 | 8,000,000,000 | 1.0× | 8.0 |
| Inference (FTW) | 8 | 8,000,000,000 | 0.2× | 1.6 |
| Build Multiscales | 8 | 8,000,000,000 | none | 8.0 |
| Mosaic Vectorization | 1 | 1,000,000,000 pixel values | none | 1.0 |
| Total | 18.6 |
Mosaic Vectorization runs over the model’s prediction, which is a single band, so it processes one eighth of the data the eight-band tasks do.
What you are charged for
Beyond the per-task calculation, these situations affect what appears on your bill:Viewing your costs
Look up the RasterFlow Spatial Units consumed and the cost of any RasterFlow execution in Workload History. Each execution lists its tasks, the Spatial Units each consumed, and the resulting charge.Controlling your costs
Every RasterFlow Spatial Unit comes from your data, so you control your cost directly. To reduce the RasterFlow Spatial Units a task consumes:Use a smaller area of interest
Use a smaller area of interest
RasterFlow Spatial Units scale linearly with area. Validate a workflow on a small area of interest before running it at full scale.
Use a coarser resolution where your analysis allows
Use a coarser resolution where your analysis allows
Resolution has a squared effect, so it is the largest lever. Doubling the pixel size cuts the data processed to a quarter.
Request only the bands you need
Request only the bands you need
Band count scales linearly. A three-band request costs three-quarters of a four-band request over the same area.
Request only the time periods you need
Request only the time periods you need
Each additional time period is a separate set of imagery to process. Two years of output is twice the RasterFlow Spatial Units of one.
Next steps
Get Started with RasterFlow
Learn about RasterFlow’s key features and capabilities.
Managing Costs
Keep WherobotsDB Spatial Unit consumption low while testing and developing.
Workload History
Review the tasks you ran and the units they consumed.
Wherobots Pricing
See current tiers, rates, and plan details.