Ground penetrating radar (GPR) hahttps://enhancedscanning.com/1177/gpr-scanning-technologies/s long been the go-to tool for locating buried utility lines and other underground items that need finding (like tanks, fossils, and even buried evidence from crimes), but it’s not the one-size-fits-all tool that some make it out to be. Yes, it is an amazing technology that allows a skilled technician to “see” underground without disturbing the ground’s surface, but unfortunately, there are circumstances when GPR isn’t the right tool for the job, or when other tools should be brought in to confirm a scan that was completed using GPR.
Unless you know your scanning project is straightforward, you should look to work with a GPR scanning company that has different types of non-destructive tools in its toolbox, just in case they are needed to get you thorough and accurate results. But more often than not, you don’t know if your scanning project is one of the straightforward ones.
There are some situations where a scanning technician could show up at your property and know right away if they will need tools other than GPR. For example, if you have extremely rocky or wet ground, GPR can struggle to deliver accurate results, and a technician would use different tools from the start. But in other cases, a technician may not know until they get into the scanning process whether or not they will need to bring in other tools.
Here are some other types of tools that may be needed on complex locating projects, in addition to GPR:
- Pulse wave generators
- Sewer push cameras
- Electromagnetic locators
- Magnetometers
- Other non-destructive locating tools
You might have to pay a little bit extra to hire a locating company with all of these types of tools, but if accurate results are what you’re after, spending a little bit more will be well worth it. It certainly beats having to call in a second locating company after the first one was unable to give you definitive information about what is located underground!
A company that only uses GPR will try to convince you that GPR is all they will need to deliver accurate results to you, but anyone in the subsurface investigation industry will tell you that there is no one tool that can deliver accurate results in every circumstance. As amazing as GPR is at finding buried items, it can’t find everything and it doesn’t work in all environments. Anyone who tells you otherwise is not being completely honest.
In most metropolitan areas, there will be multiple companies offering underground scanning. While it can be tempting to go with the one that offers you the cheapest price, it’s wiser to hire a company that has multiple tools at their disposal.
