Advances in Ground Penetrating Radar Research

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a collection of innovative contributions on ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology, methodology and applications. GPR is a widely known non-destructive method that uses electromagnetic waves to image the subsoil or structures. The technique allows defining the structural arrangement of media with contrastive electromagnetic properties and to detect pathologies.

The first reported attempt at measuring subsurface features with radio waves was done in 1956, when the interference between direct air transmitted signals and signals reflected from the water table was exploited to estimate the water table depth. In the subsequent years, the majority of activity regarded radio echo sounding in ice, both in polar regions and on glaciers. Subsequently, radio waves were used to explore coal mines and salt deposits. The Apollo 17 lunar exploration (1972) included the measurement of surface electrical properties by using a pulsed radar sounder. After that, GPR equipment started being commercialized and applications began to grow. Throughout the years, hardware systems and software have been sophisticated to provide better resolution at higher data acquisition speed and more user friendly equipment. Recently GPR multi-channel systems were developed, combining different frequency antennas. GPR has been mounted on road and marine vehicles and even to drones. The newer systems combine GPR with complementary non-destructive sensors. Software progress comprises interactive data filtering, three-dimensional (3D) processing and accurate electromagnetic modelling. Recent software options permit to combine and compare GPR data with information measured by other geophysical techniques. GPR and its applications are a trend in science. The 4-years European project COST Action TU1208 significantly contributed to this area of research and particularly to the use of GPR in civil engineering.

We invite researchers to contribute with original articles presenting the most recent progresses and interesting case studies within the following topics, and beyond:

• Design, realization and testing of GPR systems and antennas
• GPR data processing and analysis
• Modelling and inversion methods for GPR
• Imaging approaches and 3D visualization
• Applications of GPR in the geosciences
• Applications of GPR in environment
• Geological and geotechnical applications of GPR
• Environmental engineering applications of GPR and prospection of natural landscapes
• Applications of GPR in agriculture and for water management
• GPR archaeological prospection
• New data processing algorithms
• Mine detection and forensics
• Combined use of GPR and complementary non-destructive and semi-destructive techniques

Dr. Vega Pérez-Gracia
Dr. Sonia Santos-Assunçao
Dr. Wallace Wai Lok Lai
Guest Editors

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