Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is an ultra-wideband imaging technique used for subsurface exploration and monitoring. It is widely used for locating utility lines; monitoring pavement, runways, and walls for soundness and thickness; search and rescue; archaeological exploration; forensic examinations; mining; ice sounding; detecting unexploded land mines and bombs; agricultural applications; groundwater studies; permafrost, void, cave and tunnel detection; location of sinkholes, karst, subsidence areas; and many other similar applications.

The beauty of GPR is that it is non-invasive, relatively inexpensive, and can be used in a variety of ways -- there are hand-held units, downhole units, units that can be dragged behind vehicles, and even used from aircraft and satellite. It has the highest resolution of any subsurface imaging method (sometimes with resolutions of one centimeter), and is far safer than x-ray technology.

See below for some interesting links on this fascinating technology!

• GPR in the News
• GPR Tutorials and Articles
• Other interesting GPR links
• Books about GPR

GPR is covered by the FCC Decision and Order covering UWB. For more information on this rulemaking, see our UWB News page. Links below provide specific information on how this rulemaking affects GPR, and other recent and topical information on this technology.

• SSS Online's April 2002 interview with Dennis Johnson of Geopyhysical Survey Systems, Inc.
  
  
• New Rules Endanger GPR — Geotimes, June 2002
  
  
• 2002 9th international conference on GPR — Santa Barbara, CA, USA, April 29 - May 2
  
  
• "The New Ground Penetrating Radar Regulatory Environment" — paper by Gary Olhoeft, PhD, Colorado School of Mines