Know where the water goes
We turn your flight's elevation data into modeled drainage, flow, and wetness layers. Grade, place culverts, and lay out lots with the water, not against it.
From bare earth to a decision you can act on
Each layer builds on the one before: ground, flow, channels, pools.
The starting point
Bare-earth terrain
Laser scanning strips away brush and tree cover, and a hillshade makes every swale, bench and ridgeline easy to read.
- Bare-earth elevation model with vegetation removed
- Hillshade that makes subtle grade changes visible
- Centimeter-grade vertical detail across the whole site
Where water concentrates
Flow accumulation
A map of where water concentrates — the faint threads that become swales, and the swales that become channels after a storm.
- Upslope area draining through every point
- Concentration corridors that reveal draws and channels
- The flow data your engineer sizes culverts from
The channels themselves
Strahler drainage network
The drainage as one connected channel network, each reach ranked by Strahler order so the trunk channels stand out. It lies on the ground in your 3D viewer.
- Connected channel network ordered by Strahler stream rank
- Trunk drainages separated from minor tributaries
- Delivered as GeoJSON for your GIS and KMZ for your phone
Where it pools
Terrain wetness (TWI)
A wetness index flags the low, flat ground where water lingers: the low corners, the natural pond sites, the spots to keep a foundation off.
- Wetness index highlighting low, flat, water-gathering ground
- Natural pond and detention candidates surfaced early
- Low, flat ground flagged before it surprises a foundation
What you do with it
Grading, culverts, ponds, and planning
Grade with the water, see where the flow concentrates before a culvert goes in, and site a pond where the ground already holds water. Hand the same data to your engineer.
- Grading and earthwork that works with the natural drainage
- Culvert and detention placement backed by flow data
- Pond and stock-tank siting on the ground that holds water
The layers, one tap each
Our own ranch's LiDAR ground, the way your viewer draws it — the same window under every layer.
Bare earthThe bare ground under the cedar, from the LiDAR, coloured blue low to red high — every terrain and water layer starts here.
LiDAR scan · Jul 2026 · 0.5 m · 299–324 m
Open it yourself
See a real drainage network
A real drainage network from our own 40-acre Hill Country ranch. Download it and open it in any GIS or map app.
WGS 84 / UTM Zone 14N · contours open in AutoCAD
Map your land, then know where the water goes
Tell us about your site and we'll scope the layers that fit. Or open the live demo first.
What these layers are — and aren't
Drainage, flow, terrain, and floodplain layers are derived analysis computed from our elevation data to support planning and design. They are not a certified survey, a stamped engineering study, or a FEMA flood-zone determination.
This data is not a legal survey. Embry Solutions LLC does not perform land surveys. For boundary, subdivision, or title surveys, please consult a licensed Texas surveyor.