Utilities detection through the sum of orthogonal polarization in 3D georadar surveys

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is widely used in subsurface investigations for extracting the position and the route followed by the utility, an issue that gains more and more importance when considering the cost related to trench damage and disruptions. However, it has been noted that various targets of GPR surveys, especially linear and elongated targets, have polarization‐dependent scattering characteristics. This implies that the visibility of a subsurface scatterer in the acquired data depends on the used antenna configuration and its orientation with respect to the feature to be imaged. Furthermore, wave attributes could be modified by the surrounding soil anisotropy and heterogeneity degree. As the GPR antennas are composed of directional dipoles, any changes in the propagation plane of the returning wave affects the recording of GPR data. This work presents an approach based on a combination of mutually orthogonal GPR 3D data volumes through which polarization issues can be overcome, ensuring target detection even when the position and material are adverse. The strategy is evaluated through two field examples: in homogeneous soil this technique fully recovers the polarization mismatch, providing results that are closely similar to the ones that would be obtained with the optimal configuration; in heterogeneous environments it overcomes the wavelet alteration, depolarization included, strongly enhancing the signal to noise ratio and improving target reconstruction.