TU1208 Open Database of Radargrams: The Dataset of the IFSTTAR Geophysical Test Site

Abstract

This paper aims to present a wide dataset of ground penetrating radar (GPR) profiles recorded on a full-size geophysical test site, in Nantes (France). The geophysical test site was conceived to reproduce objects and obstacles commonly met in the urban subsurface, in a completely controlled environment; since the design phase, the site was especially adapted to the context of radar-based techniques. After a detailed description of the test site and its building process, the GPR profiles included in the dataset are presented and commented on. Overall, 67 profiles were recorded along eleven parallel lines crossing the test site in the transverse direction; three pulsed radar systems were used to perform the measurements, manufactured by different producers and equipped with various antennas having central frequencies from 200 MHz to 900 MHz. An archive containing all profiles (raw data) is enclosed to this paper as supplementary material. This dataset is the core part of the Open Database of Radargrams initiative of COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TU1208 "Civil engineering applications of Ground Penetrating Radar". The idea beyond such initiative is to share with the scientific community a selection of interesting and reliable GPR responses, to enable an effective benchmark for direct and inverse electromagnetic approaches, imaging methods and signal processing algorithms. We hope that the dataset presented in this paper will be enriched by the contributions of further users in the future, who will visit the test site and acquire new data with their GPR systems. Moreover, we hope that the dataset will be made alive by researchers who will perform advanced analyses of the profiles, measure the electromagnetic characteristics of the host materials, contribute with synthetic radargrams obtained by modeling the site with electromagnetic simulators, and more in general share results achieved by applying their techniques on the available profiles.

On the Introduction of Canny Operator in an Advanced Imaging Algorithm for Real-Time Detection of Hyperbolas in Ground-Penetrating Radar Data

“…The eight experimental radargrams presented in Figure 5 were obtained during real GPR surveys carried out in urban areas, in Belgrade, in the presence of different utilities. The two synthetic radargrams of Figure 6 belong to the Open Database of Radargrams of COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action TU1208 [6], namely Radargram #9 is obtained by scanning Concrete Cell 1.1 proposed in [60], whereas Radargram #10 is obtained by scanning an enlarged version of the same structure [28]. .…”

“…The presence of a circular-section cylindrical target in the subsurface, with axis orthogonal to the acquisition line, generates a hyperbolic signature in a B-scan [1,6]. From the coordinates of the hyperbola vertex and from the slope of its asymptotes, the position and size of the target can be estimated [5,7].…”

Inversion of Ground Penetrating Radar Data Based on Neural Networks

“…In practical measurements, the targets' number N in (1) and 10is not obtained beforehand, which means that the input of the network cannot be determined either. Consider that in the discrete calculation, all the targets occur at discrete positions; if an extra input p m is appended to the network with a zero weight, nothing will change in the output.…”

“…Ground penetrating radar as a near-surface remote sensing technique is widely used in geophysical, environmental, and civil engineering applications. The information contained in GPR signal, such as the travel time, waveform, and amplitude, enable several approaches to non-invasively investigating and/or monitoring underground infrastructures [1], concrete [2], bridge decks [3], roads [4], etc. In recent years, the rapid development of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) provides new solutions for solving remote sensing problems.…”

Editorial for Special Issue “Recent Advances in GPR Imaging”

“…In Dérobert and Pajewski's study [5], a wide dataset of GPR data collected on a full-size geophysical test site in Nantes (France) is presented. The geophysical test site was built to reproduce an urban site (including pipes, cables, stones of various size, and masonry) in a completely controlled environment.…”