Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Exploitation
ENSCO has more than 50 years of experience in the application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for surveying the ground and other infrastructures to detect and characterize hidden or buried objects. In addition to using commercial GPR exploration systems for subsurface characterization, ENSCO engineers have developed innovative antenna designs for specialized GPR applications.
GPR exploration applications have included subsurface characterization for soil characterization, environmental exploration, detection of buried mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), characterization of building infrastructure, including the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., and detection and mapping of underground utilities. In the Basilica example, long wavelength GPR was used to propagate radar energy across the massive pier and verify the large central cavity inside the pier was filled with concrete needed to support the added weight associated with the Basilica renovations. In addition to applications of GPR exploration, ENSCO scientists performed research in GPR propagation modeling and algorithm development for application to advanced GPR imaging applications. ENSCO has applied polarimetry, backscatter, radar propagation, and antenna pattern modeling using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) and analytical modeling for subsurface and infrastructure target characterization and imaging. ENSCO has written complete 2-D and 3-D GPR data processing and imaging applications.
