Comparative Study of GPR Acquisition Methods for Shallow Buried Object DetectionSmogavec, Primož (Avtor) Pongrac, Blaž (Avtor) Sarjaš, Andrej (Avtor) Kafedziski, Venceslav (Avtor) Dončov, Nabojša (Avtor) Gleich, Dušan (Avtor) GPRUAVSFCW radaracquisition methodsThis paper investigates the use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology for detecting shallow buried objects, utilizing an air-coupled stepped frequency continuous wave (SFCW) radar system that operates within a 2 GHz bandwidth starting at 500 MHz. Different GPR data acquisition methods for air-coupled systems are compared, specifically down-looking, side-looking, and circular acquisition strategies, employing the back projection algorithm to provide focusing of the acquired GPR data. Experimental results showed that the GPR can penetrate up to 0.6 m below the surface in a down-looking mode. The developed radar and the back projection focusing algorithm were used to acquire data in the side-looking and circular mode, providing focused images with a resolution of 0.1 m and detecting subsurface objects up to 0.3 m below the surface. The proposed approach transforms B-scans of the GPR-based data into 2D images. The provided approach has significant potential for advancing shallow object detection capabilities by transforming hyperbola-based features into point-like features.MDPI20242024-11-29 13:02:03Članek v reviji91223sl© 2024 by the authors.