ROCK Ultra – Bower Road Survey
Aug 13, 2025
This dataset is a powerful demonstration of the ROCK Ultra tackling one of the toughest surveying environments: a 188-acre site in Central Florida with dense vegetation, flowing creek beds, and rugged terrain. Collected by D.C. Johnson & Associates, this project shows how a task that would take a ground crew over three days was completed in a single 17-minute flight.
The results are a testament to the Ultra's efficiency and superior vegetation penetration, delivering a complete, centimeter-level ground surface model where traditional methods would fail.
Mission Overview
- Platform: Aerial survey with ROCK Ultra
- Flight Altitude: ~120 m (400 ft) AGL
- Flight Speed: ~9 m/s (20 mph)
- Area Scanned: 188 acres
- Flight Duration: 17 minutes (no battery swaps)
- Deliverables: GCP Backed Surface Model, Classified Point Cloud
Coverage & Context
This site was specifically chosen for its challenging characteristics, which include:
- Thick, dense vegetation and canopy cover
- Multiple winding creek beds
- Steep slopes leading down to a lake
These conditions make ground-based surveying slow, dangerous, and prone to leaving significant gaps in the data. The ROCK Ultra effortlessly captured the true ground, including critical features like the toe of slopes and the creek bed itself.
Performance Highlights
- Unmatched Efficiency: What was once a 3+ day job for a survey crew was reduced to a 17-minute flight.
- Exceptional Vegetation Penetration: The dataset clearly defines the ground surface beneath a thick canopy, eliminating data gaps.
- High-Speed, High-Altitude Capture: Flying at 120 m and 9 m/s allowed for rapid coverage of a large, complex area in a single flight.
- Complete Topographic Detail: Accurately maps intricate natural features that are difficult or impossible to capture from the ground.
Applications
This dataset is an excellent resource for:
- Environmental & Hydrological Studies
- Land Development in Heavily Wooded Areas
- Topographic Surveying for Engineering Design
- Natural Resource Management & Conservation
- Erosion and Floodplain Analysis