About Ground Penetrating Radar

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a radar system specifically designed to allow for the internal characterisation of a medium under investigation. It can be used on a wide variety of materials, most commonly soil, concrete and asphalt.

Examples of uses of GPR systems include the detection and distinction of utilities in concrete/the ground (an infrastructure/ subsurface investigation) or the detection and distinction of faults/ fractures in buildings or rock faces (an infrastructure investigation).

The internal characterisation of a medium is achieved when an antenna transmits a radiowave through a medium. This radiowave travels through the medium and is reflected back as the composition of the medium alters; this may due to a pipe, cable or a change in medium density. A receiving antenna detects this reflected radiowave. When the receiving antenna detects a radiowave, it is sent to the GPR system’s control unit. The control unit digitises the radiowaves in real-time and displays them on a screen.

This real-time image allows for a preliminary on-site interpretation and the potential of a detailed, spatially specific GPR investigation.