Lixel K1 + Emlid Reach RS2, 9-Minute Site Survey With Sub-Inch Accuracy

Case Studies2025.12.234 min read

Lixel K1 + RTK Case Study: 9-Minute Site Survey with Sub-Inch Accuracy

Project Lead: Carlos Zuluaga Santa, VDC Manager, Harkins Builders, Inc.

Harkins Builders accessibility site survey captured with the XGRIDS Lixel K1 handheld scanner

Project Overview

Location: Essex, MD

Data Acquisition Time: 9 minutes (XGRIDS Lixel K1 scanning only)

Achieved Accuracy: ±0.5" (12.7mm) typical, ±1" maximum deviation

Project Date: October 2025

The project design team provided drawings indicating a desired new accessible ADA path through the community sidewalks as well as several accessible parking spaces. However, the design team did not have a survey of the existing conditions. The project construction team desired an accurate survey with sub-inch accuracy for assessing the feasibility of the accessible spaces and providing accurate estimates and guidelines for the construction team.

Equipment & Methodology

Hardware Configuration

Ground Control/Reference Points:

Emlid Reach RS2 base station (static position)
Emlid Reach RS2 rover for GCP and checkpoint collection
Emlid Flow app for data collection and Emlid Caster for connectivity between the RS2 Base Station and the K1 RTK module.

3D Scanning:

XGRIDS Lixel K1 handheld scanner with RTK module

Aerial Context:

DJI Mavic 3E for orthophoto generation
DroneDeploy processing platform with GCP integration

Results First

Georeferenced point cloud of the site from a 9-minute Lixel K1 RTK scan

9 minutes of scanning → 0.5-1.0" accuracy across entire site

Colorized point cloud of community sidewalks and parking from the Lixel K1 survey

Point cloud detail of the accessible parking layout captured by handheld SLAM

Point cloud ground surface used to assess ADA accessible path feasibility

Top-down point cloud of the surveyed site showing full ground coverage

The K1 Advantage

Single-operator workflow: One person walked the site with the K1 for 9 minutes. No tripod setups, no line-of-sight constraints, no return trips for missed features.

RTK module performance: Real-time positioning corrections maintained consistent accuracy throughout the scan. No post-processing registration required—data came out georeferenced.

Ground-level capture advantage: While drone orthophotos struggled with foliage obscuring ground features, the K1's ground-based SLAM captured beneath tree canopy without obstruction.

Workflow

Ground control: Emlid Reach RS2 base/rover established reference points
Scan: K1 with RTK module captured site (9 min)
Process: LixelStudio with RTK positioning and GCP corrections. The resulting point cloud was imported into Autodesk Civil 3D as an RCP file for the creation of Surface model.
Validation: Compared Civil3D surface elevations to Emlid check points
Integration: Combined with drone orthophoto in Civil3D

Technical Notes

Processed directly to Civil3D-ready point cloud
Postprocessing the K1 data using RTK data and GCP constraints georeferencing the point cloud data.
Surface generated using Civil3D's "Create Surface from Point Cloud" command

Civil 3D surface model generated from the georeferenced Lixel K1 point cloud

Why This Matters for Construction Workflows

Carlos' VDC role at Harkins Builders requires coordinating model-based workflows across trades. Traditional surveying methods create bottlenecks—waiting for external surveyors, scheduling return trips, and processing delays.

The XGRIDS K1 + RTK combination solved three problems:

Speed: Site captured during a single site visit
Accuracy: Met survey-grade tolerances without external surveyors
Integration: Direct to Civil3D for immediate coordination with design models