Teaching and training
GPR lab exercises without a radar: real data and free software
Why use GPRbase in class
A radar per student is rare. A real, documented and validated survey is rarer still. GPRbase brings together the two ingredients of a lab session: raw GSSI data acquired on real cases, described with their ground truth when available, and GPRviewer, an online viewer with nothing to install, whose free version is enough to learn how to read a radargram.
The data is free for teaching (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence): simply cite GPRbase in your course material.
In three steps
- Choose a dataset in the catalogue, filtering by application and level.
- Open the files in GPRviewer, free version, directly in the browser: nothing to install on the lab computers.
- Follow a lab sheet: objectives, timed outline, graded questions. The answer key is reserved for teachers.
Browse the catalogue GPRviewer, free version
Lab sheets
Each sheet states its objectives, duration, preparation and questions. More sheets will follow new datasets.
Three levels, meaningful in every country
Datasets and lab sheets carry a level defined by the expected skills rather than by a national qualification, since GPRbase is used in many countries. The common reference is the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
- Beginner: first contact with GPR. Reading a radargram, recognising the direct wave and a hyperbola. EQF 4 to 5, for example technician training or an introductory professional course.
- Intermediate: principles acquired. Linking a hyperbola to its target, estimating a depth, understanding the role of permittivity, comparing profiles. EQF 5 to 6, for example a bachelor's degree, an engineering school or an experienced technician.
- Advanced: processing and interpretation. Migration, frequency analysis, 3D grids, choosing a survey strategy. EQF 7, for example a master's degree, a PhD or an experienced engineer.
What the free version of GPRviewer can do
The free version covers reading and first interpretation, which is the core of an introductory session:
- opening DZT files;
- twelve colour palettes and zoom from x0.25 to x4;
- real-time A-scan;
- depth calibration and dielectric constant adjustment;
- background removal and depth cropping;
- dual-frequency compatibility and PNG export.
Analysis tools (rebar picking, hyperbola fitting, measurements), advanced processing (gains, filters, migration) and plan and 3D views belong to the Pro version. A session can rely on the free version and end with a Pro demonstration or a video.
No Internet access in the lab?
On request, we provide an offline edition of the catalogue that runs from a USB drive, together with the dataset archives. GPRviewer itself runs online: the lab needs Internet access for the analysis. Write to info@gprbase.com.
Equipping a lab
To go beyond the free version (GPRviewer Pro licences for a lab, demonstration or rental of a GSSI radar, training of teaching staff at MDSLab), contact MDS – Le Matériel de Sondage, exclusive GSSI distributor in France: info@gprbase.com.