ROCK Ultra – Zephyrhills Residential Development
Jul 28, 2025
The ROCK Ultra demonstrates its power for large-scale land development with this comprehensive scan of a 546-acre residential project in Zephyrhills, Florida. Captured by Florida Design Consultants, Inc., this dataset was acquired from an altitude of 120 m while flying at 8 m/s. The mission showcases the Ultra's ability to efficiently map vast and varied terrain—from active construction zones to sensitive wetlands—without sacrificing detail.
Mission Overview
- Platform: Aerial survey with ROCK Ultra
- Flight Altitude: ~120 m Above Ground Level (AGL)
- Flight Speed: ~8 m/s
- Area Scanned: 546 acres
- Deliverables: Comprehensive colorized LiDAR point cloud covering a diverse, multi-phase residential development.
This dataset is a prime example of how high-altitude, high-speed LiDAR dramatically streamlines data collection for large, complex projects.
Coverage & Context
The 546-acre site presents a challenging mix of terrain types typical of Florida land development. The survey area includes:
- Multi-phase residential construction areas
- Natural wetlands and tall grass
- Dense vegetation and wooded zones
The ability to capture precise topographic data across such varied landscapes in a single flight is critical for effective planning, environmental compliance, and construction management. LiDAR technology is particularly effective in these environments, as its laser pulses can penetrate vegetation to accurately map the ground beneath.
Dataset Metadata
- Total Acreage: 546 Acres
- Coordinate System (Horizontal): WGS 84 / UTM zone 17N (EPSG: 32617)
- Vertical Reference: Ellipsoid-based heights — ensuring data is ready for direct integration into professional surveying and engineering software.
These specifications guarantee the dataset is plug-and-play for downstream analysis, design, and modeling workflows.
Performance Highlights
- Massive Coverage: Efficiently captured over 500 acres in a single mission, a task that would have taken days with previous-generation systems.
- Vegetation Penetration: The Ultra's powerful laser delivered a clean bare-earth model even through dense woods and swamps.
- High-Altitude Accuracy: Maintained survey-grade precision from 120 meters, simplifying mission planning and avoiding ground-level obstacles.
Applications
This dataset is ideal for a wide range of uses, including:
- Large-Scale Residential & Commercial Land Development
- Environmental Impact Assessments & Wetland Delineation
- Construction Progress Monitoring & Earthwork Calculations
- Civil Engineering & Infrastructure Planning
- Hydrological Modeling & Floodplain Analysis
Key Takeaways
- The ROCK Ultra efficiently maps vast, complex sites, capturing 546 acres at 8 m/s from 120 m AGL.
- It delivers uncompromising precision and vegetation penetration, making it a powerful tool for projects with mixed terrain like wetlands, forests, and active construction.
- The standardized metadata (UTM zone 17N) ensures the dataset is immediately usable for professional land surveying, engineering, and environmental analysis.