R3 V2 Van Bibber Creek

When it comes to mapping complex, vegetated environments with survey-grade precision, the ROCK R3 V2 proves that power, portability, and accuracy can come together in one mission. Recently, we took the R3 V2 airborne over Van Bibber Creek in Colorado—a picturesque riparian corridor with dense tree canopy—to capture 38 acres of high-resolution data in a single battery flight.

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Mission Overview

Platform: DJI Matrice 300 RTK
Sensor: ROCK R3 V2 (16-channel variant)
Flight Altitude: ~45 m AGL
Flight Speed: 5 m/s
Area: 38 acres
Battery Usage: Single flight
Deliverables: High-accuracy LiDAR point cloud, orthophoto

This wasn’t just a demonstration of coverage—it was a test of canopy penetration, ground classification quality, and the R3 V2’s ability to deliver a crisp orthophoto for visual reference.

Why Van Bibber Creek?

Van Bibber Creek offers a varied mapping challenge:

Dense Vegetation: Tall cottonwoods and undergrowth along the creek banks.
Mixed Terrain: Open grassland transitions to thick riparian canopy.
Hydrological Features: Meandering waterway with varying elevation along the banks.

These factors make it a perfect site to showcase the R3 V2’s dual-return LiDAR capability—capturing both canopy structure and ground points in a single pass.

Data Acquisition

Flying the M300 at 45 m AGL and 5 m/s allowed the R3 V2 to balance safety, point density, and coverage efficiency. The mission leveraged:

High Point Density: Up to 640,000 pulses/sec, resulting in a rich dataset.
Dual Returns: First return for canopy mapping, second return for ground penetration.
Integrated GNSS + IMU: Ensuring absolute accuracy in the 2–3 cm range after PPK processing.

All data was recorded to the R3 V2’s onboard storage and processed through ROCK Cloud for streamlined strip alignment, classification, and orthophoto generation.

Results

1. High-Resolution Orthophoto

Using the integrated RGB camera, the mission produced a vibrant orthophoto, perfectly aligned with the LiDAR point cloud. This visual layer makes the dataset ideal for environmental planning, construction design, or public presentation.

2. Dense Vegetation Modeling

The LiDAR point cloud reveals detailed canopy height models while also delivering clean ground models—even under heavy leaf cover. This is critical for floodplain analysis, trail planning, and ecological studies.

3. Survey-Grade Accuracy

Thanks to PPK GNSS integration and the tactical-grade IMU, the dataset meets survey-grade specifications without requiring excessive ground control.

Applications for the Dataset

This mission’s outputs are valuable for:

Environmental & Watershed Management
Trail Planning & Park Development
Flood Risk Analysis
Vegetation Monitoring
Civil Engineering & Infrastructure Planning

Key Takeaways

The R3 V2’s 16-laser design is perfectly capable of producing clean, detailed deliverables in vegetated areas.
A single-battery mission on the M300 can easily capture medium-sized survey sites (30–40 acres) with room to spare.
ROCK Cloud’s processing workflow transforms raw field data into usable deliverables quickly and efficiently.

Interested in seeing the data?
Contact Rock Robotic to schedule a live dataset walkthrough of the Van Bibber Creek mission. See firsthand how the R3 V2 can deliver powerful results for your next mapping project.