Ground-penetrating radar with 3D-images

By Nina E. Tveter

As part of his doctoral work, Egil Sverre Eide has developed a broadband ground-penetrating radar (GPR) system which produces high-resolution 3D-images. A GPR system beams radio waves into the ground and can register echoes from buried objects. Such instruments are valuable for researchers such as geologists, archaeologists and people working in the construction industry. In addition, this kind of radar technology can be further developed for the detection of landmines.

What is special about Eide's prototype is that it is able to provide images with very sharp resolution. He has also developed a new type of aerial alongside the GPR system, for the rapid collection of data. This work has been carried out at the Department of Telecommunications at NTNU. The new radar has been developed so as to be able to provide images with maximum resolution for up to two metres below the surface. Under favourable conditions, GPR systems are able to register objects down to a depth of 50 metres. Such a system can also "see" several kilometres downwards into a glacier.