Down To Earth

Big Creek UAV Lidar Dataset


LiDAR Dataset from Big Creek as seen in Down to Earth

If you've watched Down to Earth then you might be interested to take an interactive look at the Down To Earth Data - collected using mdLiDAR1000 flying at 4 meters per second and an altitude of 50 meters.
Click the image below to view the data

Click the image to view the interactive data set

“Down to Earth” is a new reality series revealing the challenges and hazards that surveying crews face while determining points on the surface of the Earth and measuring the distances between them.

Presented by Microdrones, the series showcases the powerful data deliverables their integrated systems can create like 3D pointclouds, orthomosaics, or methane inspection concern maps. 

The first 3 episodes, titled “The Ozarks” take viewers on an edge-of-your-seat journey alongside Crafton Tull as the engineering and surveying attempt to map a path for a road through Arkansas’s treacherous Ozark Mountain Region.

The series will capture the adventures, obstacles and all-too-real danger professional surveyors face while marking boundaries, measuring distances and working to deliver actionable insights about the natural landscape.

Click above to watch Down to Earth

In the first episode, you’ll meet the Crafton Tull team and learn about their mission – delivering key data on 150 acres of the cliff-filled region of Big Creek where they are tasked with surveying the site so that their engineers can design a road through the heart of the mountainous terrain.

In short – it’s a tall challenge for both Crafton Tull and Microdrones.

“The challenge on this project is the terrain, from surveying the top to the bottom of the mountain,” said Crafton Tull Vice President of Energy Services, Nick Tucker.

Throughout the series, you’ll see how Crafton Tull attacked this challenging terrain head-on with the Microdrones mdLIDAR1000, leveraging the drone to navigate an elevation change of more than 500 feet.

“Without a drone and with a regular survey crew out here, you’re looking at probably two to three weeks of field work to get this surveyed,” Davis said. “It’s dangerous, too, because there are some sheer bluffs on here that would be really challenging to get data on.”

Providing support and technical assistance was Microdrones Southern U.S. Sales Manager Matt Rosenbalm, who was confident the mdLIDAR1000 could overcome the daunting challenges of the Ozarks.

“I always like to see what kinds of projects they’re using our systems to do,” Rosenbalm said. “This one is obviously putting everything to the test, and it’s kind of neat to see how we tackle this.”

In episodes 2 and 3  you’ll see how the Crafton Tull team adapts to new challenges and problems, collects and analyzes critical data, and find out if the team’s mission to translate the region’s intimidating terrain into actionable insights was a success.

For more information on using drone LiDAR in your workflow, CLICK HERE to schedule a meeting with one of our professional representatives.