TU1208 GPR Association: Why? How? What?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Pajewski
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Scientific Journal ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Financial Model ◽  
Inspection Method ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Cost Action ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Ground Penetrating

<p>TU1208 GPR Association (www.gpradar.eu/tu1208/) is a follow-up initiative of COST Action TU1208 “Civil engineering applications of ground penetrating radar” (www.gpradar.eu), which ended in October 2017. The association inherited the same primary objective of the Action, namely, to exchange and increase scientific-technical knowledge and experience of ground penetrating radar (GPR) technique, whilst promoting a wider and more effective use of this safe and non-destructive inspection method. Currently (2019) the association involves 41 Members from 30 Institutes in 14 Countries; participating institutions include universities, research centers, public agencies, GPR manufacturers and end-users. The association is open to experts from all over the world and not 'only' to Members of COST Action TU1208. The research activities supported by the association cover all areas of GPR technology, methodology, and applications.</p><p><strong>Why? </strong></p><p>The motivations to maintain, expand and leverage our COST network after the end of the Action could be summarized by saying that during the Action’s lifetime we acquired awareness that “we are stronger together.” There can be different ways to keep a COST network alive after the Action’s end, the most common being continuation through funding of another Action or EU/international collaborative research projects. We realized that establishing an association would offer a great added value. An association is actually a platform to coordinate, complement, and support any new initiatives undertaken by its members; it helps to avoid fragmentation of research, achieve better harmonization of activities and approaches, and constantly attain involvement of new actors. In perspective, an association can potentiate the contact of a community of innovators with policy makers. Moreover, an association gives identity to the group and encourages the discussion of general principles alongside more strictly scientific topics.</p><p><strong>How?</strong></p><p>TU1208 GPR association was founded in September 2017, before the Action’s Final Conference. The financial model is a non-profit scientific association with statutes, registered with the Italian Revenue Agency. Administrative and operative offices are in Rome. The simplest financial structure was chosen for the association, which has a fiscal code but does not have a VAT number; thus, the association can receive social quotas, donations, and occasionally other types of incomes. This model is the easiest to run and can be upgraded in the future, if useful.</p><p><strong>What?</strong></p><p>We believe that the key principles and values that we experienced together in COST Action TU1208 continue to matter notwithstanding the Action ended, so we aim to apply them and spread them out.</p><p>The association publishes books, proceedings, and educational material. We have founded the first peer-reviewed scientific journal dedicated to GPR, “Ground Penetrating Radar” (www.gpradar.eu/journal/): this is the most challenging and ambitious initiative that the association has initiated and carried out so far. Our publications are distributed in true open access, free to both Authors and Readers.</p><p>We organize networking and educational events, such as workshops, training schools, roundtables and scientific sessions in international conferences (including the EGU session «COST Actions in Geosciences», wherein this abstract is presented, and the EGU session «Ground Penetrating Radar: Technology, Methodology, Applications, and Case Studies»). The association has also funded/co-funded a few scientific missions.</p>

scholarly journals Ground Penetrating Radar Investigation of Late Pleistocene Shorelines of Pluvial Lake Clover, Elko County, Nevada, USA

Quaternary ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Munroe
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Beach Ridge ◽  
Beach Ridges ◽  
Sand And Gravel ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Topographic Surveys

Beach ridges constructed by pluvial Lake Clover in Elko County, Nevada during the Late Pleistocene were investigated with ground-penetrating radar (GPR). The primary objective was to document the internal architecture of these shorelines and to evaluate whether they were constructed during lake rise or fall. GPR data were collected with a ground-coupled 400-Mhz antenna and SIR-3000 controller. To constrain the morphology of the ridges, detailed topographic surveys were collected with a Topcon GTS-235W total station referenced to a second class 0 vertical survey point. GPR transects crossed the beach ridge built by Lake Clover at its highstand of 1725 m, along with seven other ridges down to the lowest beach at 1712 m. An average dielectric permittivity of 5.0, typical for dry sand and gravel, was calculated from GPR surveys in the vicinity of hand-excavations that encountered prominent stratigraphic discontinuities at known depths. Assuming this value, consistent radar signals were returned to a depth of ~3 m. Beach ridges are resolvable as ~90 to 150-cm thick stratified packages of gravelly sand overlying a prominent lakeward-dipping reflector, interpreted as the pre-lake land surface. Many ridges contain a package of sediment resembling a buried berm at their core, typically offset in a landward direction from the geomorphic crest of the beach ridge. Sequences of lakeward-dipping reflectors are resolvable beneath the beach face of all ridges. No evidence was observed to indicate that beach ridges were submerged by higher water levels after their formation. Instead, the GPR data are consistent with a model of sequential ridge formation during a monotonic lake regression.

Results of experimental tests for the evaluation of the signal-to-noise ratio, short-term stability, linearity in the time axis, and long-term stability of the GPR signal - according to COST Action TU1208 guidelines

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milan Vrtunski ◽  
Lara Pajewski ◽  
Aleksandar Ristić ◽  
Željko Bugarinović ◽  
Miro Govedarica
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Time Axis ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Cost Action ◽  
Term Stability ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Ground Penetrating

<p>Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems need to be calibrated on a recurrent basis and their performance shall be periodically verified, in accordance with manufacturer recommendations and specifications. Nevertheless, most GPR owners in Europe employ their radar units and antennas for years without ever having them verified by manufacturers, unless major flaws or issues become evident. In this framework, Members of COST Action TU1208 have recently carried out a critical analysis of the few existing procedures for the calibration and performance verification of GPR systems; and, they have proposed four improved experimental tests to evaluate the signal-to-noise ratio, short-term stability, linearity in the time axis, and long-term stability of the GPR signal [1]. In this work, we present the results of the tests executed in Novi Sad, Serbia, on a GSSI SIR 3000 control unit equipped with GSSI ground-coupled antennas having central frequencies of 400 MHz and 900 MHz. We have experienced that the execution of the tests helps to attain stronger awareness about the behaviour and limits of owned GPR equipment. It is also interesting to check how the results of the tests change over time and in different environmental conditions, to analyze the performance evolution of the equipment. Main aim of this abstract is to spread the voice and encourage GPR owners and manufacturers to execute the tests. If a wide variety of control units and antennas are tested, of older and more recent conception, with different numbers of working hours, reliable thresholds for the tests can be established and the proposed procedures can be further refined and upgraded. Moreover, the results of the tests can be translated into accuracy levels of measured physical and geometrical quantities, to get some awareness about the uncertainty of results of a GPR survey (e.g., achieved accuracy levels in the estimation of layer thicknesses).</p><p> </p><p>[1] L. Pajewski, M. Vrtunski, Ž. Bugarinović, A. Ristić, M. Govedarica, A. van der Wielen, C. Grégoire, C. Van Geem, X. Dérobert, V. Borecky, S. Serkan Artagan, S. Fontul, V. Marecos, and S. Lambot, "GPR system performance compliance according to COST Action TU1208 guidelines,"  Ground Penetrating Radar, Volume 1, Issue 2, Article ID GPR-1-2-1, July 2018, pp. 2-36, doi.org/10.26376/GPR2018007.</p>

Use of COST networking tools to achieve the objectives of a COST Action, enhance its impact, and maximize the benefits of its Members – challenges and lessons learnt in COST Action TU1208

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Ristic ◽  
Lara Pajewski ◽  
Miro Govedarica ◽  
Milan Vrtunski
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Host Institution ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Cost Action ◽  
Lessons Learnt ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ground Penetrating

<p>Scientists and experts participating in COST Actions can benefit from a wide range of COST networking tools. Meetings, workshops, conferences and training schools can be organized. Short-term scientific missions (STSM) can be funded: these are exchange visits where an Action Member spends five days up to six months abroad, in a host institution; the aim of STSMs is to foster collaboration between institutions and sharing of new techniques that may not be available in a participant’s home institution. COST also funds dissemination and communication of Action’s outcomes within research communities and beyond. Finally, conference grants for early-career researchers from Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC) aim at helping participants from ITC to attend international science and technology related conferences that are not organised by COST Actions.</p><p>In this presentation, we discuss the challenges and lessons learnt in COST Action TU1208 “Civil engineering applications of ground penetrating radar” [1] while using COST networking tools to fulfill the objectives of the Action, enhance its impact, and maximize the benefits of its Members. We consider one tool at a time focusing on the obstacles that we encountered and how we overcame them, as well as giving hints on how the Action and its Members made the most from the use of the tool. We describe how the use of the tools changed during the Action’s lifetime. </p><p>COST networking tools can of course be used in a customary way and they are all extremely frutiful. More creative solutions can be implemented too, to keep Members engaged or achieve particular goals. Therefore, this presentation continues with examples of less-common exploitations of the tools in TU1208. For instance, we used the “Meeting” tool for the organization of a series of science communication initiatives aimed at increasing public awareness about ground penetrating radar capabilities and applications and at establishing a dialogue with policymakers, stakeholders and end-users of our research (TU1208 GPR RoadShow [2]); the Roadshow included non-scientific workshops, practical demonstrations, and a series of educational activities with children and citizens. We repeatedly exploited the “Meeting” tool also for one week gatherings with a small number of Members, where we worked full-time together at bringing forward specific Action’s activities, one of the challenges of COST Actions being the lack of funds to finance research and the difficulty to “make Members work” for the Action when they are at their home institutions.</p><p>We hope that recently started Actions can build upon our experience.</p><p> </p><p>[1] L. Pajewski, A. Benedetto, X. Dérobert, A. Giannopoulos, A. Loizos, G. Manacorda, M. Marciniak, C. Plati, G. Schettini, I. Trinks, "Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar in Civil Engineering – COST Action TU1208," Proc. 7th IWAGPR, 2013, Nantes, France, pp. 1-6, doi.org/10.1109/IWAGPR.2013.6601528</p><p>[2] L. Pajewski, H. Tõnisson, K. Orviku, M. Govedarica, A. Ristić, V. Borecky, S. S. Artagan, S. Fontul, and K. Dimitriadis, “TU1208 GPR Roadshow: Educational and promotional activities carried out by Members of COST Action TU1208 to increase public awareness on the potential and capabilities of the GPR technique,” Ground Penetrating Radar, Volume 2(1), March 2019, pp. 67-109, doi.org/10.26376/GPR2019004</p>

Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar in civil engineering — COST action TU1208

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Pajewski ◽  
Andrea Benedetto ◽  
Xavier Derobert ◽  
Antonis Giannopoulos ◽  
Andreas Loizos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Cost Action ◽  
Ground Penetrating

scholarly journals SPOT-GPR: A Freeware Tool for Target Detection and Localizationin GPR Data Developed within the COST Action TU1208

2017 ◽  
pp. 43-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Meschino ◽  
Lara Pajewski
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Matched Filter ◽  
Doa Estimation ◽  
Music Algorithm ◽  
Multiple Signal Classification ◽  
Cost Action ◽  
Filter Technique ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Noisy Background

SPOT-GPR (release 1.0) is a new freeware tool implementing an innovative Sub-Array Processing method, for the analysis of Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) data with the main purposes of detecting and localizing targets. The software is implemented in Matlab, it has a graphical user interface and a short manual. This work is the outcome of a series of three Short-Term Scientific Missions (STSMs) funded by European COoperation in Science and Technology (COST) and carried out in the framework of the COST Action TU1208 “Civil Engineering Applications of Ground Penetrating Radar” (www.GPRadar.eu). The input of the software is a GPR radargram (B-scan). The radargram is partitioned in subradargrams, composed of a few traces (A-scans) each. The multi-frequency information enclosed in each trace is exploited and a set of dominant Directions of Arrival (DoA) of the electromagnetic field is calculated for each sub-radargram. The estimated angles are triangulated, obtaining a pattern of crossings that are condensed around target locations. Such pattern is filtered, in order to remove a noisy background of unwanted crossings, and is then processed by applying a statistical procedure. Finally, the targets are detected and their positions are predicted. For DoA estimation, the MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm is employed, in combination with the matched filter technique. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time the matched filter technique is used for the processing of GPR data. The software has been tested on GPR synthetic radargrams, calculated by using the finite-difference time-domain simulator gprMax, with very good results.

Magnetometric and ground penetrating radar investigations in the Aegyssus archaeologic site

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sorin Anghel ◽  
Andrei Gabriel Dragos ◽  
Gabriel Iordache ◽  
Ioan Cornel Pop
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Vertical Direction ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Magnetic Sensors ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Geophysical Investigation ◽  
The North ◽  
Ground Penetrating

<p>The Aegyssus archaeological site is located on the Monument Hill in the North-Eastern section of Tulcea, the fortress was built at the end of the 4<sup>th</sup> century B.C. Its name, of Celtic origin, derived from a legendary founder, Caspios Aegyssos. At the beginning of 2<sup>nd</sup> century, the town was included in the Danubian limes (boundary). Then, starting with the 3<sup>rd</sup> century, it became an important military headquarters. The 6<sup>th</sup> century finds it as an episcopal residence. Urban life knows an end in the first quarter of the 7<sup>th</sup> century and a revival in the 10<sup>th</sup> and 11<sup>th</sup> centuries.</p><p>The geophysical investigation has been performed by means of the integrated use of three different high resolution and non invasive geophysical techniques: magnetic mapping, ground penetrating radar profiling (GPR) and magnetic susceptibility measurements.</p><p>Magnetic and ground penetrating radar methods are widely used for archaeological prospecting as very effective methods able to detect buried structures at small depths. These methods were applied for the investigation of two perimeters within the site of the ancient city of Aegyssus, an ancient Roman fortress from North Dobrudja, Romania, which was built in the first century. The primary objective was to determine the extension in the underground of a partially excavated wall. The maximum magnetic anomalies revealed the possible location of the buried wall.</p><p>The magnetometric investigation has been carried out using a protonic magnetometer G-856 GEOMETRICS in gradiometric mode, with the two magnetic sensors set in a vertical direction separated by a distance of 1 m.</p><p>A total of 20 ground penetrating radar profiles were acquired with 250 MHz antenna aiming in identifying geological and archaeological anomalies in order to assist archaeologists in an excavation program.</p><p>The GPR results indicated clear geophysical anomalies characterized by hyperbolic reflections. These anomalies were confirmed by the excavation of test units, allowing the identification anthropogenic features such as a fire-hearth structure and wooden artifact, and natural features.</p><p>The results showed the efficiency of GPR and magnetometric methods in identifying potential buried archaeological targets, and they are oriented towards reducing costs and increasing the probability of finding archaeological targets.</p><p>Our geophysical results helped to define spatial pattern of the buried remains, to define the geometry of the anthropogenic settlements and to obtain detailed information about the composition and the manufacturing processes of different building materials.</p><p>This work was supported by Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation through the Project “Fluvimar” (Program 1. Development of the National Research-Development System. Subprogram 1.2. Institutional Performance) and Core Programme PN 19 20 05 01. </p>

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