Subsurface object detection using UWB Ground Penetrating Radar

Ultra wideband (UWB) ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been widely used in the detection of buried unexploded ordnance (UXO), particularly for small and/or shallow objects. Detecting subsurface objects from a weak reflection signal against strong clutter from GPR data is an important problem. A detection method which employs principal component analysis (PCA) and digital image processing techniques is proposed in this paper for clutter reduction in underground object location. The proposed method can robustly indicate not only the regular hyperbolas but also the perturbed slant lines as a result of buried objects. Experimental data collected using an UWB GPR system is used to demonstrate that the proposed methods are effective in reducing clutter and detecting subsurface targets.