Ground Penetrating Radar: Techniques, Applications and Future Prospects – A Comprehensive Review

Authors

  • Soumit Barate
  • Apurva Naik
  • Sampurna De
  • A. A. Bazil Raj

Keywords:

Antenna design, Electromagnetic waves, Frequency bands, GPR applications, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Signal processing

Abstract

This paper provides a detailed overview of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology, focusing on its basic principles, system designs, and wide range of applications. It explains the core ideas behind GPR operation and the different types of waveforms used, including pulsed, stepped-frequency, and continuous waveforms. GPR systems are grouped based on the technology they use, the frequencies they operate on, and their specific uses, with a look at how well they work for different types of geophysical studies. The paper also classifies GPR antennas, such as dipole, bowtie, and horn antennas and discusses how they affect system performance.

References

Skolnik, M. I., "Introduction to Radar Systems," McGraw-Hill Education, 2001. https://soaneemrana.org/onewebmedia/INTRODUCATION%20TO%20RADAR%20SYSTEM%20BY%20MERRIL%2C%20I%20SKLOINK%20%284%29.pdf

D. J. Daniels, Ed., Ground Penetrating Radar. Institution of Engineering and Technology, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1049/pbra015e.

H. M. Jo, “Ground Penetrating Radar Theory and Applications,” Science Direct, 2009. https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780444533487/ground-penetrating-radar-theory-and-applications

S. Soni, M. Chakraborty and A. A. B. Raj, "AI based Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (SUAV) Targets Detection and Tracking Techniques," 2022 International Conference on Augmented Intelligence and Sustainable Systems (ICAISS), Trichy, India, 2022, pp. 43-49, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICAISS55157.2022.10010718.

Y. Dong and F. Ansari, “Ground-Penetrating Radar - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics,” Sciencedirect.com, 2011. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/ground-penetrating-radar

J. M. Reynolds, "An Introduction to Applied and Environmental Geophysics," Wiley, 2011.

A. Neal, “Ground-penetrating radar and its use in sedimentology: principles, problems and progress,” Earth-Science Reviews, vol. 66, no. 3–4, pp. 261–330, Aug. 2004, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2004.01.004.

M. Ambrosanio, M. T. Bevacqua, T. Isernia and V. Pascazio, "Performance Analysis of Tomographic Methods Against Experimental Contactless Multistatic Ground Penetrating Radar," in IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, vol. 14, pp. 1171-1183, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/JSTARS.2020.3034996.

X. Gao, F. J. W. Podd, W. Van Verre, D. J. Daniels, and A. J. Peyton, “Investigating the Performance of Bi-Static GPR Antennas for Near-Surface Object Detection,” Sensors, vol. 19, no. 1, p. 170, Jan. 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/s19010170.

A. Iswandy, A. Serma, and H. Setan, “Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) For Subsurface Mapping: Preliminary Result,” Pfg – Journal Of Photogrammetry Remote Sensing And Geoinformation Science, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 45–62, Jan. 2009, Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351097790_ground_penetrating_radar_gpr_for_subsurface_mapping_preliminary_result

M. Cheney, “Problems in synthetic-aperture radar imaging,” Inverse Problems, vol. 25, no. 12, p. 123005, 2009, Accessed: Apr. 09, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.academia.edu/10981504/Problems_in_synthetic_aperture_radar_imaging

H. C. Kumawat and A. B. Raj, “Approaching/Receding Target Detection using CW Radar,” 2022 7th International Conference on Communication and Electronics Systems (ICCES), pp. 136–141, Jun. 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/icces48766.2020.9137863.

B. Schleicher, I. Nasr, A. Trasser and H. Schumacher, "IR-UWB Radar Demonstrator for Ultra-Fine Movement Detection and Vital-Sign Monitoring," in IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 2076-2085, May 2013, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/TMTT.2013.2252185.

P. Rawool, S. De and A. A. B. Raj, "A DDS-Based SFCW Ground Penetrating Radar System for Subsurface Object Detection," 2024 Third International Conference on Trends in Electrical, Electronics, and Computer Engineering (TEECCON), Bangalore, India, 2024, pp. 204-209, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/TEECCON64024.2024.10939276

M. Chakraborty, H. C. Kumawat, S. V. Dhavale and A. A. B. Raj, "DIAT-μ RadHAR (Micro-Doppler Signature Dataset) & μ RadNet (A Lightweight DCNN)—For Human Suspicious Activity Recognition," in IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 22, no. 7, pp. 6851-6858, 1 April1, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2022.3151943.

M. Chakraborty, H. C. Kumawat, S. V. Dhavale, and A. B. Raj A, “Application of DNN for radar micro-doppler signature-based human suspicious activity recognition,” Pattern Recognition Letters, vol. 162, pp. 1–6, Oct. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.patrec.2022.08.005.

T. Y. Gite, P. G. Pradeep and A. A. Bazil Raj, "Design and Evaluation of C-Band FMCW Radar System," 2018 2nd International Conference on Trends in Electronics and Informatics (ICOEI), Tirunelveli, India, 2018, pp. 1274-1276, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICOEI.2018.8553838

L. Liu and S. Liu, “Remote Detection of Human Vital Sign With Stepped-Frequency Continuous Wave Radar,” IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 775–782, Mar. 2014, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/jstars.2014.2306995.

Abhishek Rangole, S. De, Nilesh Kuchekar, and A. Bazil, “A Comprehensive Review of Ground Penetrating Radar: Techniques, Applications and Future Directions,” International Journal of Engineering Research and Reviews, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 30–53, Oct. 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13842586.

Harry M. Jol., "Ground Penetrating Radar: Theory and Applications," Elsevier, 2008

J. Mazumder and A. B. Raj, "Detection and Classification of UAV Using Propeller Doppler Profiles for Counter UAV Systems," 2020 5th International Conference on Communication and Electronics Systems (ICCES), Coimbatore, India, 2020, pp. 221-227, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCES48766.2020.9138077.

V. G. Sugak, "Stepped Frequency Continuous Wave Ground Penetrating Radar applications," 2016 9th International Kharkiv Symposium on Physics and Engineering of Microwaves, Millimeter and Submillimeter Waves (MSMW), Kharkiv, Ukraine, 2016, pp. 1-6, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/MSMW.2016.7538209

H. C. Kumawat, M. Chakraborty, A. A. B. Raj, and S. V. Dhavale, “DIAT-μSAT: Small Aerial Targets’ Micro-Doppler Signatures and Their Classification Using CNN,” IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, pp. 1–5, 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/lgrs.2021.3102039

C. Rajkumar and A. A. Bazil Raj, "Design and Development of DSP Interfaces and Algorithm for FMCW Radar Altimeter," 2019 4th International Conference on Recent Trends on Electronics, Information, Communication & Technology (RTEICT), Bangalore, India, 2019, pp. 720-725, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/RTEICT46194.2019.9016960.

S. Kumar and A. A. B. Raj, "Design of X-Band FMCW Radar Using Digital Doppler Processor," 2021 International Conference on System, Computation, Automation and Networking (ICSCAN), Puducherry, India, 2021, pp. 1-5, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSCAN53069.2021.9526461.

Abderrezak Khalfallaoui, Abdelhalim Chaabane, and Abdesselam Babouri, “Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Printed Monopole Antenna for GPR Applications,” International Journal of Electrical and Electronic Engineering & Telecommunications, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 405–410, Jan. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.18178/ijeetc.12.6.405-410.

M. S. Hendevari, A. Pourziad, and Saeid Nikmehr, “A novel ultra‐wideband monopole antenna for ground penetrating radar application,” Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, vol. 60, no. 9, pp. 2252–2256, Aug. 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/mop.31335.

F. ALtalqi, H. Mabchour, and A. Echchelh, “Design of a High Efficiency Monopole Antenna Array for GPR Application,” Journal of Nano- and Electronic Physics, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 02015-5, Jan. 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.21272/jnep.16(2).02015.

S. J. Radzevicius, “Dipole antenna properties and their effects of ground penetrating radar data,” Nov. 30, 2001. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234236396_Dipole_antenna_properties_and_their_effects_of_ground_penetrating_radar_data

S. KARAMZADEH, O. F. KILIÇ, A. S. HEPBİÇER, and F. DEMİRBAŞ, “Bow Tie Antenna Design for GPR Applications,” International Journal of Electronics, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 1187–1194, Sep. 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.17932/iau.ijemme.m.21460604.2016.6/2.1187-1194.

R. Nayak and S. Maiti, “A Review of Bow-Tie Antennas for GPR Applications,” IETE Technical Review, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 382–397, Jul. 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/02564602.2018.1492357.

H. Jamshidi-Zarmehri and M. H. Neshati, "Design and Development of High-Gain SIW 33. H-Plane Horn Antenna Loaded With Waveguide, Dipole Array, and Reflector Nails Using Thin Substrate," in IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 2813-2818, April 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/TAP.2019.2896445.

M. Guo et al., “High‐gain antipodal Vivaldi antenna with metamaterial covers,” IET microwaves, antennas & propagation, vol. 13, no. 15, pp. 2654–2660, Sep. 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-map.2019.0449.

L. Daniyan, O. F.E, O. B. I, A. N, and A. K. O, “Horn Antenna Design: The Concepts and Considerations,” May 05, 2014. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326919284_horn_antenna_design_the_concepts_and_considerations

A. Khamzin, A. Varnavina, E. Torgashov, K. Abhishek, and N. Anderson, “Comparison of a Ground-Coupled and an Air-Launched Ground Penetrating Radar System for the Bridge Deck Evaluation,” Eegs Sageep 2015 (Environmental And Engineering Geophysical Society, The Symposium On The Application Of Geophysics To Engineering And Environmental Problems), Mar. 2015, Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277775475_comparison_of_a_ground-coupled_and_an_airlaunched_ground_penetrating_radar_system_for_the_bridge_deck_evaluation

L. Pajewski, F. Tosti, and Wolfgang Kusayanagi, “Antennas for GPR Systems,” Springer transactions in civil and environmental engineering, pp. 41–67, Jan. 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04813-0_2.

N. Akhter, S. Sarkar, S. De and A. A. B. Raj, "Opto-Electronic Oscillator Design for Photonic Radar System," 2023 IEEE Pune Section International Conference (PuneCon), Pune, India, 2023, pp. 1-6, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/PuneCon58714.2023.10450001.

X. Liu, X. Dong, and D. I. Leskovar, “Ground penetrating radar for underground sensing in agriculture: a review,” International Agrophysics, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 533–543, Oct. 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/intag-2016-0010.

S. De and A. A. Bazil Raj, “A survey on photonics technologies for radar applications,” Journal of Optics, Jun. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12596-022-00897-x.

J. Baili, S. Lahouar, M. Hergli, I. L. Al-Qadi, and K. Besbes, “GPR signal de-noising by discrete wavelet transform,” NDT & E International, vol. 42, no. 8, pp. 696–703, Dec. 2009, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ndteint.2009.06.003.

C. Warren, A. Giannopoulos, and I. Giannakis, “gprMax: Open source software to simulate electromagnetic wave propagation for Ground Penetrating Radar,” Computer Physics Communications, vol. 209, pp. 163–170, Dec. 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpc.2016.08.020.

S. Pathirana, S. Lambot, M. Krishnapillai, M. Cheema, C. Smeaton, and L. Galagedara, “Ground-Penetrating Radar and Electromagnetic Induction: Challenges and Opportunities in Agriculture,” Remote Sensing, vol. 15, no. 11, pp. 2932–2932, Jun. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15112932.

H. Liu, L. Zou, K. Takahashi, M. Sato, and J. Chen, “Development of an Array GPR System for Large-scale Archaeological Investigations,” Proceedings of the 11th SEGJ International Symposium, Yokohama, Japan, 18-21 November 2013, pp. 107–110, Nov. 2013, doi: https://doi.org/10.1190/segj112013-027.

. M. García-Fernández, G. Álvarez-Narciandi, Y. Álvarez López and F. Las-Heras, "Array-Based Ground Penetrating Synthetic Aperture Radar on Board an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Enhanced Buried Threats Detection," in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 61, pp. 1-18, 2023, Art no. 5104218, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2023.3272982

S. Liu, X. Zhou and H. Chen, "From Data to D3 Model: Adaptive Subsurface Anomaly Detection in GPR Data," in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 62, pp. 1-12, 2024, Art no. 5105412, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2024.3389009

F. Lombardi, F. Podd, and M. Solla, “From Its Core to the Niche: Insights from GPR Applications,” Remote Sensing, vol. 14, no. 13, p. 3033, Jun. 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14133033.

P. Boldrin, Giacomo Fornasari, and E. Rizzo, “Review of Ground Penetrating Radar Applications for Bridge Infrastructures,” NDT, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 53–75, Mar. 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ndt2010004.

T. Roackaway and J. A. Rivard, "Application of ground penetrating radar in the urban environment," Proceedings of the XIII Internarional Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, Lecce, Italy, 2010, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1109/ICGPR.2010.5550270.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5550270

Published

2025-04-19

How to Cite

Soumit Barate, Apurva Naik, Sampurna De, & A. A. Bazil Raj. (2025). Ground Penetrating Radar: Techniques, Applications and Future Prospects – A Comprehensive Review. Journal of VLSI Design and Signal Processing, 11(1), 1–21. Retrieved from https://matjournals.net/engineering/index.php/JOVDSP/article/view/1757

Issue

Section

Articles