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Case Study: 25 Acres of LiDAR Data Captured (and Delivered) in Under 48 Hours

Updated: Jan 5

Do you ever find yourself in a time crunch? When it comes to last-second client projects, it's easy for panic to begin to settle in. But, with a game plan, the right equipment and some quick data processing, you can get the job done!


PROJECT SNAPSHOT

  • ROCK's Client: Earth Tek LLC

  • Earth Tek's Client: Civil Sitework Contractor

  • Assignment: The client needed new accurate contours of a 25-acre planned residential neighborhood project to determine how much dirt was left to get the site to final design elevations. The client asked Earth Tek to capture data over the weekend and needed the contours by Monday morning.

  • Result: After capturing the LiDAR data on a Saturday, Earth Tek ordered expedited contours through ROCK Surveyor. Earth Tek’s client received the contour files, which allowed them to stay on track with the project.

With all his gear packed up, Bill Cheatham set out to tackle the 25-acre project site.

CLIENT: EARTH TEK LLC IN MACCLENNY, FLORIDA

With years of both practical field experience and estimating and project management experience, the Earth Tek team uses their expertise to translate civil construction plans into accurate quantities and ultra-precise GPS machine control files.


EQUIPMENT USED


Bill Cheatham, founder and owner of Earth Tek LLC, used a DJI M300 mounted with ROCK R2A LiDAR. He utilized an Emlid Reach RS2+ as his LiDAR base station. Cheatham used ROCK Cloud to process his data.


Bill Cheatham of Earth Tek LLC begins a new flight to capture LiDAR with his DJI M300 and ROCK R2A.

PROJECT BACKGROUND


A civil sitework contractor needed an as-built analysis with an accurate cut/fill map to allow Earth Tek’s client to compare contour data between the existing-to-current and current-to-final data. This would confirm the amount of earth the client needed to move to level the 25-acre property.


The problem was that the contractor fell behind on the project. In fact, the project had come to a complete standstill, and the contractor needed new contours over the weekend. They priced out bringing in a crew of two surveyors, which was both time and cost-prohibitive. The client turned to Cheatham at Earth Tek to see if his LiDAR setup could get the job done accurately and on time.


SOLUTION


Using his