ROCK Ultra — Efficiency and Precision in the Pit

Experience the ROCK Ultra in action in central British Columbia, Canada, where Chief Geologist Keith Seidler and his team put the Ultra to the test across one of the country’s largest open-pit mines. Flying safely around the pit rim at 120 meters AGL, they captured a complete 3D model of the site spanning over 600 meters of elevation change, delivering crisp, high-density data of benches, haul roads, and 300-ton stockpiles—all without the risk of flying inside the pit.

What began as a steep-wall challenge became a demonstration of efficiency, precision, and safety. The Ultra reduced flight counts from six to three, enabling full pit coverage and clean data alignment across multiple adjacent pits—over 4,000 acres total—all in a single day. The result: seamless, high-fidelity point clouds supporting geotechnical monitoring, blast movement modeling, stockpile analysis, and month-end volumetrics with unmatched clarity and confidence.

Dataset Highlights

→ Collected By: Keith Seidler & Jeffrey Wannop, Central BC, Canada
→ Job Site: Open-Pit Mine (Undisclosed company)
→ Total Area: ≈414 acres (part of >4,000 acres mapped)
→ Flight Height: 120 m AGL
→ Flight Speed: 11–12 m/s
→ Number of Flights: 3 (replacing 6–8 with previous system)
→ Dataset Features:
 ✓ Crisp, high-density point cloud across 600 m elevation change
 ✓ Seamless alignment between adjacent pit surveys
 ✓ Clear visibility of benches, roads, and stockpiles
 ✓ Reliable geotechnical and volumetric data
 ✓ Efficient, single-day field-to-finish workflow

Explore More

🎥 Watch the Video Discussion
📖 Read the Case Study Article
ℹ️ Learn more about the Ultra
💬 Talk to a ROCK LiDAR expert