New Insights in Ground Penetrating Radar Antenna Research and Landmine Detection

Dear Colleagues

Although the 1997 Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty, now ratified by 164 countries, has helped reduce the number of Anti-Personnel [AP] landmines worldwide, there still remains a significant number in many countries and more are being added. Clearance is still a costly and time-consuming operation due to the high false alarm rate of conventional metal detectors, which owing to their affordability remain the main detector of use. New technology in the form of dual sensor detectors comprising metal detection and ground penetrating radar [GPR] sensors has proved an effective method of reducing false alarms and speeding up clearance. There are now a number of these detectors that are commercially available, although their widespread use in humanitarian operations is inhibited by their price. The performance of current GPR technology has reached the stage where detection capability is proven but reliable classification through recognising and identifying targets has not been achieved. The benefits of real time recognition and identification of targets are potentially significant as this capability will not only improve the probability of detection of targets but also reduce the false alarm rate per unit area. This could also open the way to a stand-alone GPR sensor becoming price competitive.

A key limitation of GPR in this application is the performance of the antenna which impacts on the ability to detect and recognise targets in subsequent processing, whether this is conventional or AI. Improved antenna performance would enable better rejection of clutter, increased range and resolution as well as better control of the radiated signal, potentially leading to improved target recognition and identification.

This special issue aims at exploring antenna research and design techniques for use in GPR sensors for landmine detection. Topics may cover all types of GPR antennas ranging from antennas for holographic, time domain, frequency domain and noise radar systems as well as SAR. Modelling, simulation as well as antenna measurements in the laboratory and field are particularly welcome. Many GPR antennas are arranged in a bistatic configuration and research on monostatic and array antennas could provide novel insights into future developments. Papers are welcomed on antenna design and performance on a variety of configuration such as hand-held, vehicle mounted and UAV mounted platforms.

Prof. David J. Daniels
Dr. Lorenzo Capineri
Dr. Frank Podd
Dr. Federico Lombardi
Guest Editors

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• landmine detection
• GPR antennas
• handheld
• vehicle mounted
• UAV mounted
• single, dual and array GPR antennas