Jan Francke will be presenting a workshop on ground penetrating radar at the SAGA meeting in Drakensburg, South Africa on September 5, 2015.  Details of the course:

“Although the most recent addition to the geophysicist s toolbox, Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is now a well-established geophysical method in Southern Africa. With initial developments focussing on underground and borehole applications, modern systems are now deployed daily for civil infrastructure projects throughout the region. Aside from being one of the easiest geophysical tool to employ, it is also the easiest to mis-interpret and oversell.

The concept of radar imaging of the subsurface is not new, with the principles having been wellestablished over the last century. Technological advances in GPR technology have enabled deeper and faster imaging of larger areas with higher resolution, whilst adhering to the fundamental laws of electromagnetics.

The workshop will begin by introducing the history of GPR within the context of EM theory. The workshop will focus on real-world applications of GPR in Southern Africa. Rather than only show ideal examples, the reality of GPR in the region will be discussed. Many case studies of failed surveys will be shown, along with a discussion of why a large portion of the region is often unsuitable for GPR.

Recently, claims have been made of exceptional performance by devices which seemingly are outside of the bounds of physics. These technologies will be examined and example data discussed, within the context of scientific principles”