Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) transmits high-frequency electromagnetic pulses into the ground and records the reflections from boundaries between materials with different properties. As the antenna moves along the surface, a radargram — a cross-section of the subsurface — builds up, revealing pipes, cables, voids, old foundations and layer boundaries.

GPR works without drilling or excavation and leaves the surface intact, which makes it ideal in urban areas and beneath existing pavements and floor slabs. It is used before construction or excavation to reduce the risk of striking utilities, to find voids under asphalt and concrete, and to detect archaeological features and buried structures.

Penetration depends on antenna frequency and soil type: high-frequency antennas give detailed images from a few tens of centimetres down to 1–2 m, while low-frequency antennas can reach 5–10 m or more in dry sandy soils. Depth decreases in moist clay, and we take this into account when planning the survey.

Detected features are positioned with GNSS RTK or a total station and transferred to a topographic plan in AutoCAD, so the results are ready for designers and contractors in Baku and elsewhere in Azerbaijan.

When you need it

• Locating buried utilities before excavation
• Finding voids beneath asphalt, concrete and floor slabs
• Detecting old foundations and buried structures
• Checking pavement layer thickness
• Preliminary archaeological reconnaissance

What's included

• Selecting antenna frequency
• GPR measurements along a grid of profiles
• Radargram processing and interpretation
• Depth estimation of detected features
• Positioning by GNSS RTK or total station
• Plotting results on a topographic plan

How we work

1. Defining the task and target objects
2. Preparing the site and marking profiles
3. GPR data acquisition
4. Office processing and plotting on the plan
5. Report handover

Deliverables

• Interpreted radargrams
• Plan and depth layout of detected features (DWG/PDF)
• On-site marking of features where required
• Technical report