Fiber Optic Location

Using GPR for Fiber Optic Location

Fiber optic location is done by using Ground Penetrating Radar Systems that can "see" beneath the surface using specialized equipment. This allows professionals in the fields of engineering, mining, geology, and construction, just to name a few, to know exactly where subsurface utilities are located in a targeted area. This means that before any actual digging, coring, or drilling is done, workers know exactly which areas contain rebar, tension cables, voids, and conduit, thus they can avoid making any unnecessary contact with them.

This is an important point, as not knowing where such utilities are located can pose a huge safety hazard. If digging is in place, and a piece of machinery or a person cuts into electrical wires or conduit by accident, the consequences can be as serious as a fire, electrocution, or a flood. Obviously, any of these outcomes could be fatal and therefore must be avoided at all costs.

How Subsurface Radar Helps

Subsurface radar works as a system to detect and locate rebar, conduit, cables, voids, and other utilities in concrete and other non-conductive materials. To map large areas or to locate target free regions for coring, GPR is a valuable inspection system that operates with access to a single surface allowing slabs on grade to be analyzed as well as roof, floor, or wall structures. This allows workers to view below the surface using non-destructive testing.

When passed across inspection areas, the GPR antenna emits radio pulses that are reflected by embedded structures. From a series of scans, target depth and spacing can be accurately determined and laid out on the surface for trouble free coring, cutting, and structural analysis. Fiber optic location is just one of the utilities that subsurface imaging finds.