Efficient, large-scale archaeological prospection using a true 3D GPR array system

Trinks, Immo; Gustafsson, Jaana; Emilsson, Jesper; Gustafsson, Christer; Johansson, Bernth; Nissen, Johan

doi:10.4000/archeosciences.1857

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…According to Hyenstrand (1991) While the here demonstrated technology and methodology represented the state-of-the-art in 2006, the discipline evolves further and future surveys can now permit even denser sample spacing, more sensitive, faster instruments (Trinks et al, 2010;Booth et al, 2008), or the recording of a greater variety of physical parameters, such as different GPR frequencies (Linford et al, 2010), magnetic susceptibilities, soil resistance, or the consideration of the micro-topographical relief through topographic data correction, resulting in improved images showing subsurface structures of archaeological interest in greater detail and clarity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First High‐resolution GPR and Magnetic Archaeological Prospection at the Viking Age Settlement of Birka in Sweden

Trinks

Neubauer

Hinterleitner

2014

Archaeological Prospection

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In May 2006 high-resolution measurements using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic gradiometer systems conducted over selected areas at the site of the Viking Age settlement and trading place Birka in central Sweden demonstrated the suitability of these methods for archaeological prospection of Scandinavian proto-urban settlements.The non-invasive geophysical surveys revealed numerous structural details of the settlement: houses, property boundaries, track-ways, buried remains of the town ramparts dating from different building periods, including a gate, were mapped with a manually operated single-channel GPR system and a four-channel magnetometer array. The combination of these two prospection methods, state-of-the-art data processing and visualization and archaeological interpretation within a geographical information system resulted in valuable new information about the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site Birka-Hovgården. We present methodology and results of this first archaeological prospection case study conducted in 2006.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First High‐resolution GPR and Magnetic Archaeological Prospection at the Viking Age Settlement of Birka in Sweden

Trinks

Neubauer

Hinterleitner

2014

Archaeological Prospection

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“…The motorized CART system was used for an archaeological survey at Uppsala cathedral by Gustafsson and Alkarp (). While the CART system was not commercialized, in 2008 the 16‐channel 400 MHz MALÅ Imaging Radar Array (MIRA) became available and the head of research and development of MALÅ Geoscience, Bernth Johansson, kindly agreed to demonstrate (Figure ) the potential of this system over the course of a five‐day test survey at the site of the Viking Age settlement and trading place Birka on the island of Björkö near Stockholm (Trinks et al, ). During this pilot study GPR data was acquired with 8 cm cross‐line and 4 cm in‐line trace spacing, using a trace stacking factor of four and vehicle speeds between 10 and 15 km/h.…”

Section: Multi‐channel Gpr Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While it has been common for the LBI ArchPro and its partner Archeo Prospections ® to automatically generate by default sets of GPR depth‐slices of 50 cm, 40 cm, 30 cm, 20 cm, 10 cm and 5 cm thickness (Table ), averaging the GPR amplitudes after Hilbert transformation over a defined, non‐overlapping depth interval, the thinnest possible slices that can be generated are single sample slices (Trinks et al, ). By generating GPR depth‐slices for each sample of the recorded and interpolated 3D data volume without the need for Hilbert transformation or envelope trace calculation, the highest vertical imaging resolution is maintained in the depth‐slice visualization (Figure ).…”

Section: Processing Of Large‐scale Gpr Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This step is a prerequisite if iso‐surface or volume renderings of the data are to be generated (Trinks, ); however, it diminishes the vertical imaging resolution of the resulting data. GPR time‐ or depth‐slices can be averaged over a certain time‐ or depth‐range, enhancing coherent structures such as walls that occur within a wider depth‐range, compared to slices of only one vertical sample thickness (Trinks et al, ). However, very thin structures and layers can be best imaged when displaying such single‐sample slices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Large‐area high‐resolution ground‐penetrating radar measurements for archaeological prospection

Trinks

Hinterleitner

Neubauer

et al. 2018

Archaeological Prospection

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Traditionally, ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) measurements for near‐surface geophysical archaeological prospection are conducted with single‐channel systems using GPR antennae mounted in a cart similar to a pushchair, or towed like a sledge behind the operator. The spatial data sampling of such GPR devices for the non‐invasive detection and investigation of buried cultural heritage was, with very few exceptions, at best 25 cm in cross‐line direction of the measurement. With two or three persons participating in the fieldwork, coverage rates between a quarter hectare and half a hectare per day are common, while frequently considerably smaller survey areas at often coarse measurement spacing have been reported. Over the past years, the advent of novel multi‐channel GPR antenna array systems has permitted an enormous increase in survey efficiency and spatial sampling resolution. Using GPR antenna arrays with up to 16 channels operating in parallel, in combination with automatic positioning solutions based on real‐time kinematic global navigation satellite systems or robotic total‐stations, it has become possible to map several hectares per day with as little as 8 cm cross‐line and 4 cm in‐line GPR trace spacing. While this dramatic increase in coverage rate has a positive effect on the reduction of costs of GPR surveys, and thus its more widespread use in archaeology, the increased spatial sampling for the first time allows for the high‐resolution imaging of relatively small archaeological structures, such as for example 25 cm wide post‐holes of Iron Age buildings or the brick pillars of Roman floor heating systems, permitting much improved archaeological interpretations of the collected data. We present the state‐of‐the‐art in large‐scale high‐resolution archaeological GPR prospection, covering hardware and software technology and fieldwork methodology as well as the closely related issues of processing and interpretation of the huge data sets. Application examples from selected European archaeological sites illustrate the progress made.

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“…Further promising applications are the detection of people buried under debris and avalanches [3] and the management of water resources [4]. Moreover, GPR is most convenient and quickly solution to classify on large archaeological areas ancient artifacts and ruins that are buried, by revealing their presence and by fixing localization without performing excavations [5] [6]. In other word, it is an essential support for all activities devoted to the final realization of layered maps of the same archaeological sites.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Realization of a cheap Ground Penetrating Radar Prototype @ 2.45 GHz

Ferrara

Troiani

Frezza

et al. 2016

2016 10th European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP)

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This article aims at describing our design of Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) GroundPenetrating Radar (GPR) design, that works at 2.4 GHz. Inspired from a similar radar design built by MIT Lincoln Laboratory [1], our radar maintains the same characteristic of cheapness, but it allows to choose and switch toward a larger number of modulation patterns for obtaining modulations such as saw tooth, triangular, Frequency-Shift Keying (FSK), and Stepped Frequency Continuous Wave (SFCW). In order to control the modulation pattern, and to receive the synchronization pulse together with the detected signal, the transceiver is connected to a laptop by means of Universal Serial Bus (USB), and audio port. Data elaboration can so make use of a custom software code, based on commercial software libraries, specific for data and image treatment. Moreover, the design of the antenna should be treated with care so that the signal reaches a larger depth even if it uses a higher frequency than usually.

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Efficient, large-scale archaeological prospection using a true 3D GPR array system

Cited by 9 publications

References 10 publications

First High‐resolution GPR and Magnetic Archaeological Prospection at the Viking Age Settlement of Birka in Sweden

First High‐resolution GPR and Magnetic Archaeological Prospection at the Viking Age Settlement of Birka in Sweden

Large‐area high‐resolution ground‐penetrating radar measurements for archaeological prospection

Design and Realization of a cheap Ground Penetrating Radar Prototype @ 2.45 GHz

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