Workshop 2: Benchmarking GPR

Advancing GPR technologies, data processing, imaging and interpretation frequently relies on our ability to simulate the GPR transducer response as faithfully as possible, as allowed by the availability of computational resources. In addition, advanced GPR simulation can serve as a tool for developing and creating realistic GPR data sets to be used for benchmarking algorithms employed in GPR processing in a consistent way.

The aim of this workshop is two-fold: 

Firstly, to introduce the recently developed, during the 2019 Google summer of Code internship programme, new advanced modelling features of gprMax – a Finite-Difference Time-Domain Open Source electromagnetic wave simulator – which is a popular GPR modelling tool. Participants are encouraged to bring advanced modelling problems, questions and ideas to discuss and find ways to move them forward or adjust their expectations taking into account what is currently feasible. Topics will cover but do not have to be limited to GPR transducer modelling, advanced material simulation, truncation boundaries and how they can be tuned, and many more.

Secondly, a discussion will be held to plan and design a realistic 3D GPR benchmarking model to be created and run by the workshop organisers in order to provide the GPR community with a realistic synthetic data set to be used for benchmarking GPR data processing, imaging and inversion procedures. This follows a similar idea that has been available for some time for benchmarking seismic processing and imaging procedures using the well-known Marmousi seismic model data set. 

We hope that this will be an exciting and thought-provoking workshop for GPR researchers and practitioners that would like to be able to explore the use of modelling beyond the obvious clinical hyperbola generation and be part of creating and influencing the way forward in creating advanced GPR benchmarking tools. 

Preliminary schedule:

Please note that this programme may be subject to change.