Groundradar has designed a 100 MHz drone GPR system for
specific applications where rapid, non-contact, near-surface scanning is
required. The system is currently being
tested in South America, but preliminary tests have shown that penetration to
10 m is feasible in suitable soil conditions.
In frozen environments, penetration to beyond 100 m should be
possible. The entire system is designed
to be mounted on a low-cost DJI-type drone, and weights 500 g, including RTK
GPS rover, antenna and on-board data storage.
The battery will last approximately 4 hours continuously.
Groundradar recently visited Haiti to examine
the use of radar technologies for possible mineral resources on the
island. Visits were made to the
south-west of the country to test UltraGPR on various terrains, with encouraging
results.
Groundradar has released Groundradar Studio software, which enables
users and clients of UltraGPR technology to view and manipulate their
data. Radar profiles and interpretations,
provided in a encrypted file from Groundradar, can be opened in Studio for
viewing. The software allows users to
modify, delete and add interpretation. Most
importantly, the software allows users to ensure that tie-lines match perfectly
using an interpretation mis-match algorithm which highlights where issues
occur. Users can also add new
interpretations as required. Maps are
linked to Google, Bing, Yandex and OSM on-line map sources, showing results
overlain satellite images or vector maps.
All interpretations may be exported as ASCII files or DXF
surfaces. In addition, the radar data may
be exported as point cloud data (Leapfrog), SEGY (Gocad, Surpac, Datamine, etc)
and other radar formats. Finally,
sections can be created automatically, with scales, inset maps, logos, etc in
PDF or BMP format at the click of a button.
Dr. Francke has taught workshops on the present state and
future of ground penetrating radar technology at UVic and UofA to groups of
undergraduate and graduate students, as well as teaching staff. The UofA lecture was particularly well
attended due to their large geophysics department. Further talks on GPR are planned for 2019.
The latest generation of UltraGPR now includes an RTK GPS
receiver and helical antenna for adequate satellite reception from ground level. The incorporation of an on-board GPS
simplifies the design of the system and facilities faster use.
Dr. Francke visited Cairo to discuss possible deep GPR
applications with the Egyptian Military and Armament Authority in Cairo. Ground based, drone and borehole radar
solutions were discussed for various security and border control issues.
Groundradar’s Indonesian partner, PT Geosearch, has been
conducting on-going GPR surveys throughout Indonesia for nickel laterite,
bauxite, alluvial tin, and coal applications.
Due to increased demand and the commissioning of local processing facilities,
the demand for Indonesian nickel laterite has grown dramatically in the last
year. A user has uploaded an UltraGPR
system being used on a laterite deposit on Sulawesi Island to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KrHjhZ5t7k
Groundradar attended a commercial meeting in Mumbai, India this week as a guest of the US State Department. The purpose of the discussions was to bring modern geophysical methods to Afghanistan, both for mineral prospecting and geotechnical investigations. Groundradar has signed an MOU with Afghanite of Kabul and Global Venture of Florida to provide radar technology to Afghanistan’s private sector, as well as geophysical training workshops in Kabul in the near future.
Groundradar continues to survey new and re-worked wellpads as
part of the PNG LNG project, with three visits to Papua New Guinea between June
– September, 2018. The UltraGPR systems
being employed for these projects are continually improving with deeper
penetration through faster real-time sampling ADC chips, more precise
positioning with RTK DGPS systems and better data processing and presentation
software, all developed in-house.
