RIT Open Community eXperiment (ROCX) 2025

There is a continual need for well ground-truthed remote sensing data collections. As new modalities, platforms, and sensors are deployed, it is important to develop data sets with ground-truth for research and education purposes. In the spring of 2024 RIT began planning for a major data collection activity coined RIT Open Community eXperiment (ROCX) to be held in September 2025. Over the next 18 months guidelines for the experiment were developed, a working group formed, and detailed plans made. The activity culminated in an intense experiment period September 4 – 22, 2025. The project began with a solicitation of interest through a survey questionnaire. Promotion of the survey was done through announcements at remote sensing conferences, emails, and social media. By the time of the experiment, responses were recorded from over 140 researchers with just over 100 opting to join a planning Working Group. From June 2024 through September 2025, 28 online Working Group meetings were held with participants sharing ideas and plans for the collection. Two open periods were held in late 2024 and early 2025 to solicit proposals for data collections and ground experiments. ROCX coordinators agreed to be the host and reserved RIT’s Tait Preserve in nearby Penfield, NY for the planned two-week period. The coordinators developed written Participant Agreements to be signed by all parties clarifying roles and responsibilities. Detailed logistical plans were developed. During the experiment period 75 participants from 24 organizations and 6 countries came to the Tait Preserve to set up ground experiments and collect data. Data were acquired for nineteen ground experiments by fourteen ground instruments, eight UAV platforms, two airplanes and seven satellite platforms. Data acquired are being compiled for distribution on an open access website for use by the global remote sensing community.

For more information see https://www.rit.edu/dirs/ROCX2025.