TABLE OF CONTENTS In this Section a very brief overview of the various national humanitarian and military programmes that relate to GPR technology is provided.
Dr Alan Rye
Head, Countermine Technologies, Weapons Systems Division DSTO Edinburgh Australia
The Australian national programme comprises hand-held and vehicle mounted developments. The HILDA Dual Sensor Hand-Held Mine Detection System is based on the pairing of a Minelab F1A4 metal detector with a developmental GPR designed and fabricated by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Integration and software development has been managed by DSTO. The system was originally developed in 1996, and has shown promising performance. A recent software and hardware upgrade has been carried out. This GPR is an impulse GPR of unique design, using CSIRO's proprietary technology, which is adapted to produce a uniquely low-noise and low-cost GPR. The GPR is designed with interchangeable antennas with centre frequencies of 800 MHz, 1.2 and 1.6 GHz. Bandwidth is approximately 80% of centre frequency. The GPR has been used in conventional, differential and bistatic modes. The system transfers its sensor data to a separately carried laptop PC, where basic processing is carried out with visual output to an LCD VGA display or to a commercial HUD. No further fusion is implemented. The system has not been evolved beyond its developmental status. Plans exist to upgrade the metal detection element to the current Minelab F3 model, and to improve data acquisition, detection and display performance, as well as...
