Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is well established as a key method in the geophysicist’s toolbox for tackling near surface geophysics problems. GPR applications are broad and diverse, from classic near surface, or shallow depth, geophysics problems covering areas such as the natural environment, geotechnics, and archaeology, to urban geophysics, security, non-destructive testing, and more general infrastructure sensing. There are also specialised applications in extreme environments, and subsurface planetary exploration of Mars and the Moon using GPR systems fitted to autonomous rovers.
GPR data interpretation remains a challenging task for many applications, especially where quantitative information about the geophysical targets is required. Automatic interpretation approaches using full waveform inversion, or other more restrictive methodologies, are advancing but are not yet commonplace in GPR data analysis. Similarly, processing and imaging approaches, although continually improving, are still limited in the quantitative information they can provide.
The role of realistic GPR simulations is becoming pivotal in advancing the GPR interpretation approaches, for both academic research and practical uses. Increasing computational power is making modelling capability much more efficient and accessible, which is leading to the development of new algorithms, better methodological understanding and education, as well in development of new approaches, new system concepts, and survey modalities. It has particularly benefitted machine learning based approaches which have begun to offer some interesting and exciting possibilities for certain applications.
This Special Issue is an opportunity to reflect, review and report new advancements on the role of numerical modelling on GPR research and practice. It aims to showcase new research and current innovative practice where advanced numerical modelling, or analytical approaches of any kind, are contributing to advance any aspects of GPR.
We would like to invite papers that can thematically range from fundamental methodological research, in terms of the underlying numerical modelling techniques, to case studies showcasing innovative and useful contributions of numerical modelling to any of the diverse areas of GPR application, complementing and supporting practical GPR surveying and data interpretation.
Milestones
- Submission of expression of interest (10-15 lines abstract sent to the Guest Editors): December 15, 2022
- Submission deadline of the full manuscript 28 February 2023
- Final decision on accepted manuscripts: August 15, 2023
- Publication Special Issue: October 2023
Authors are invited to submit original manuscripts, prepared according to the ‘Author Guidelines’ published on the Near Surface Geophysics website. The online submission system for the journal can be found here.
All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed in accordance with the journal’s established policies and procedures. The final selection of papers will be based on the peer review process as well as reviews by Guest Editors and the Editor-in-Chief.
For specific questions, please contact the Special Issue editors:
- Antonios Giannopoulos (Chair of Applied Geophysics and Computational Electrodynamics, University of Edinburgh), A.Giannopoulos@ed.ac.uk
- Dr Craig Warren (Assistant Professor, Northumbria University), Craig.Warren@northumbria.ac.uk
- Dr Iraklis Giannakis (Lecturer, University of Aberdeen), iraklis.giannakis@abdn.ac.uk
For questions regarding the submission system and review process, contact the publications coordinator Harsha Ravi (hravi@wiley.com).
