Step 1 - Obtain your partner key
Before you can use the platform you will need a partner key. Your partner key is issued by your account manager when your service agreement is signed and it is unique to your organisation, so please do not share it with other organisations or include it in emails to us (our support team will never ask you for your key). If you have lost your key your account manager can issue a new one, but please be aware that issuing a new key will cause the old key to stop working immediately, which may interrupt any systems that are already using it. Your key will look something like a series of letters and numbers separated by dashes.

Step 2 - Send your key with every request
Every request that you make to the platform must include your partner key. The key is sent in an HTTP header called X-Api-Key. It must not be sent as part of the address or in the body of the request. Requests which do not include the key, or which include a key that is not recognised, or which include a key that has been replaced, will be refused with an "unauthorised" response and will not be processed, and you will not be charged for them.

Step 3 - Order a survey
To order a survey you send the details of the property and your claim to the survey ordering address, which is described on the API Reference page, using the POST method. You will need, at a minimum, your own reference for the claim so that you can match the survey up when it comes back, and the address of the property, written out in full as you would write it on an envelope, as our dispatch team use this to plan the flight. You can also tell us how urgently you need the survey and where you would like the results sent. When your order is accepted we will reply with a survey number. Please keep the survey number, as you will need it to check on the survey later and our support team will ask for it if you contact us.

Step 4 - Wait for the results
Once your survey has been ordered it is placed in our dispatch queue and assigned to the nearest available pilot. After the flight our analysts review the imagery and produce a damage assessment. Surveys are typically completed within 24 to 48 business hours of being ordered, although rush and emergency surveys are completed sooner (see the reference page for details). You can either check on the survey from time to time using its survey number, or provide us with a web address that we will send the results to when they are ready (we call this a "webhook"). We recommend the webhook method, as checking too frequently may cause your requests to be limited.

Here is an example of checking on a survey, using the popular curl tool:

curl -H "X-Api-Key: YOUR-KEY-HERE" https://api.skyreach.example/api/v1/survey/12345

Step 5 - Go live!
Once you are happy with your integration please let your account manager know and they will arrange for your account to be moved to production billing.

Last updated: 02/11/2017