Geological marvel in Colorado immortalized as digital twin

Desert Creative Group and Tersus GNSS have collaborated on the 3D capture of Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, USA, with centimetre precision. The two partners documented the site using the Tersus MVP S2 mobile Lidar system during Geo Week 2026. This project highlights the companies’ shared mission to make high-precision geospatial technology accessible, portable and reliable.

Framed by two towering monoliths – Ship Rock and Creation Rock – each soaring nearly 100m high, Red Rocks Amphitheater is a geological marvel where 250-million-year-old sandstone formations create a natural acoustic wonder. This iconic Colorado venue for outdoor adventure and live music, nestled between dramatic cliffs and renowned for its unparalleled sound, has now been immortalized as a centimetre-precise digital twin thanks to a collaboration between Tersus GNSS and Desert Creative Group, master distributors of Tersus GNSS in the US and Canada.

During Geo Week 2026, the two companies set out to capture the amphitheatre’s unique geometry using the Tersus MVP S2 mobile Lidar system. The process, documented in this on-site video, showcases how the team blended their passion for spatial technology with the venue’s rich history, preserving its magic in a new dimension.

The technology behind the scan

The Tersus MVP S2 – a backpack-mounted system equipped with a Hesai XT32 Lidar sensor, a 21MP panoramic camera with Leica optics, and advanced SLAM algorithms – made it possible to collect millions of data points in just 20 minutes. The system’s real-time GNSS corrections and high-density imaging ensured that every detail, from the texture of the sandstone to the precise layout of the seating, was captured with survey-grade accuracy.

Overcoming the challenges of SLAM

One of the biggest hurdles in mobile Lidar scanning is ‘drift’, where errors accumulate over time, distorting the spatial integrity of the data. The MVP S2 tackles this challenge head-on with a tightly integrated GNSS receiver, robust sensor fusion, and Tersus’s proprietary SLAM algorithm. This combination allows the system to recalculate trajectories using ground control points, ensuring stability even in complex environments like Red Rocks. Designed to deliver more than just visualizations, the MVP S2 provides accurate, reliable and actionable data for real-world projects in engineering, surveying and heritage preservation.

From field to final product

The entire scan was processed in just one hour on a standard laptop, producing a clean, high-resolution point cloud with sharp edges and automatic removal of transient elements like passing visitors. The final result is a digital replica of Red Rocks’ monoliths and seating, ready for use in everything from event planning to conservation efforts. This project highlights the shared mission of Desert Creative Group and Tersus GNSS: to make high-precision geospatial technology accessible, portable and reliable.

For more information, visit Desert Creative Group or Tersus GNSS.