Bare-earth terrain, even under the trees
Our LiDAR sends hundreds of thousands of laser pulses a second. Some reach the ground through gaps in the canopy. We separate those ground hits from everything else and deliver a classified point cloud, a bare-earth surface and 1-ft contours, ready for Civil 3D.
Topographic packages at $140 per acre
Photos see the top of the trees. LiDAR finds the ground under them.
Photo mapping builds a surface from what the camera can see. On wooded or overgrown sites that surface is the top of the vegetation, and contours drawn from it are wrong. LiDAR records multiple returns per pulse, so ground points come through even where the camera sees only leaves.
That makes it the right tool for creek corridors, wooded parcels, drainage studies and utility routes, where a ground crew would spend days cutting lines.
Accuracy you can check. When your surveyor provides checkpoints, we compute vertical error (RMSEz) and report it under the ASPRS Positional Accuracy Standards. You get a measured number in the delivery report.
Works with your surveyor. We are not a licensed surveying firm, and our data is not a sealed survey. Your PLS sets control and seals the work. We deliver dense, classified terrain data built on that control.
One point of responsibility. One team handles flight planning, capture, classification, contours and CAD packaging. There are no handoffs for you to manage.
Seven stages, each checked before the next
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Plan & capture
Airspace review, a flight plan for the target density, and RTK LiDAR plus imagery. Coverage is checked before we leave the site.
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Validate
Trajectory processing, coordinate system and density checks against your area of interest. Problems are flagged within one business day.
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Classify
Noise removed, then ground classified with automated routines and manual editing in ditches, embankments and vegetation.
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Bare-earth surface
A terrain model from ground points, with breaklines at ditches, road edges and the top and toe of slopes.
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Contours
1-ft intermediate and 5-ft index contours, labeled. Areas with low confidence, such as standing water, are marked.
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CAD & GIS
Orthomosaic under the linework, a layered Civil 3D drawing, GIS files and a PDF topo exhibit.
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QA/QC & delivery
An independent checklist review, a checkpoint accuracy test and a delivery report with the package.
Files your designers can open on day one
| Deliverable | Format | Specification |
|---|---|---|
| Classified point cloud | LAS 1.4, tiled + merged | Cleaned, ASPRS classes (ground, vegetation, buildings, noise), clipped to the site |
| Bare-earth surface | GeoTIFF, Civil 3D surface / LandXML | Ground-only terrain model with breaklines |
| Contours | DWG, SHP | 1-ft intermediate, 5-ft index, labeled, on standard layers |
| Orthomosaic | GeoTIFF | Georeferenced image map of the site, clipped and tiled |
| Topographic exhibit | Plan sheet with ortho, contours, legend, scale and coordinate system note | |
| QA/QC report | Density check, classification notes, accuracy results, limitations |
Default coordinate system: Ohio State Plane, NAD83(2011), US survey feet, with NAVD88 (GEOID18) elevations. We confirm it against your surveyor's control before production and follow your layer and naming standards.
One per-acre rate, no hourly overruns
The production fee covers everything from flight planning through the QA/QC report and one round of review comments. Travel within 50 miles of Columbus is included; beyond that, mileage is billed at the IRS standard rate.
48 acres
× $140
$6,720
$6,720
Worked example for a 48-acre topographic site within 50 miles of Columbus. Projects have a $3,500 minimum, which covers 25 acres, and acreage beyond 100 acres is $95/acre. Dense vegetation or sites that need heavy breakline work add $30/acre. Rush schedules add 35%. Corridors are quoted per mile. Planimetric features (pavement edges, structures, fences), volumes, cross-sections and profiles are quoted on request.
Sites where the ground is hard to see or reach
Civil site design
Existing-conditions topo for grading, drainage and utility design on undeveloped land.
Creeks & parks
Wooded corridors and habitat areas where ground crews are slow or unwelcome.
Floodplain & stormwater
Dense elevation data for drainage studies and stormwater design.
Corridors
Roads, trails, pipelines and power lines, including wires and poles.
Two park bridge sites in wooded creek corridors
The City of Upper Arlington needed pre-construction terrain for two pedestrian bridge replacements in Miller Park and Smith Nature Park. Both sites sit in wooded creek corridors where a ground survey would be slow and would disturb habitat.
- Capture
- LiDAR through the canopy, plus imagery
- Delivered
- Point cloud, bare-earth DTM, orthomosaic and condition photos
- Also
- Progress flights matched to the contractor's milestones
- Field impact
- No ground crew in the habitat corridor
Frequently asked
Do we still need a surveyor?
Yes. Your surveyor provides ground control and checkpoints, and any work that needs a seal goes through them. LiDAR replaces most of the slow field work of collecting terrain shots, not the surveyor's responsibility.
Does LiDAR really see through trees?
Through gaps, yes. Under deciduous trees most pulses get some ground hits, and leaf-off season (roughly November to April in Ohio) is best. Dense evergreens, thick brush and water return few or no ground points. We mark those areas as low confidence instead of guessing.
What point density do we get?
Standard topographic jobs are flown for about 15 mm point spacing, several thousand points per square meter. We report density per tile in the QA/QC report and can fly denser or lighter to suit the project.
How long does it take?
We capture within about 5 business days of authorization, weather permitting. Draft surfaces and contours follow 4 business days after capture, and the final package 8 business days after capture. Expedited schedules are available.
Can you work in our CAD standards?
Yes. Send your layer names, title block and file naming rules at kickoff and the drawing will follow them.
New to drone LiDAR? Read our guide: Drone LiDAR & 3D modeling for construction documentation. It covers how LiDAR works, what you get, and how accuracy is reported with your surveyor.
Get the ground under the canopy.
Send a KMZ or sketch of the area, your accuracy and deliverable needs, and who is providing control. You'll get a fixed per-acre proposal within one business day.