Design of a utility scanning testing ground on the UTwente campus

The Dutch infrastructure sector uses various GPR types and brands for detection of buried infrastructure. Most of these require specialist knowledge and can be used for distinctive types of soil investigation. There are, however, also ongoing developments on a radarsystem that is tailored to utility detection. Since the quality testing of GPR systems currently takes place implicitly ‘on the job’ while utility surveyors experience the real operating conditions of a GPR, it is more difficult for GPR-developers to gaincredibility with potential end users. To increase the validity and reliability of the implicit testing processes, this study proposes the development of an outdoor testing facility on which various systems can be compared. This testing facility buried distinctive utility types in known locations. This allows researchers to test what under what conditions developed GPR systems can detect utilities. This article specifies the technical details of the designed testing facility of the University of Twente Campus. It elaborates the various utility types, soil types, and surface coverage that will be installed in this facility to systematically test and compare radar systems. We further outline the possible use cases and future extensions of the lab and argue that both the facility and the quality testing process eventually contribute to the adoption and effective use of the GPR in the field.