ABSTRACT
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR), also known as surface-penetrating radar, geo-radar, or more commonly by the abbreviation GPR, has seen significantly increased acceptance as a viable near-surface geophysical technique in recent years. The radar signals are emitted by a transmitter and penetrate into the subsurface as non-dispersive waves. For low-frequency radar applications, manufacturers rely on resistively loaded dipoles for the transmitter and receiver antennas. In recent years, the availability of large array radar systems for 3D mapping of wide swaths has grown significantly. A review of GPR manufacturers’ websites would suggest that GPR is a panacea to all near-surface imaging problems. Perhaps the first substantial commercial application of GPR technology was the mapping of buried utilities. Traditionally, the health of a road or highway has been measured using methods such as falling weight deflectometers to determine dynamic moduli and coring to measure thickness of various construction layers. The original applications of GPR, snow and ice, provide the ideal environment for radar penetration.
