Ground Scan: Home

The Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science Department at the University of Tennessee as part of the Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station has been involved in numerous external consulting projects that involve near-surface mapping and environmental exploration. Below is a selection of our projects that have been carried out in association with private companies, governmental agencies, and non-profit organizations. Contact Dr. Robert S. Freeland (Click here)

Engineering & Environmental »

TWRA Wildlife Management Units — Dyer County, Tennessee

The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency maintains 500-acre water-holding compounds for migratory ducks in West Tennessee. This project employs ground-penetrating radar and electromagnetic induction sensing to map near-subsurface aberrations caused by seismic activities that have caused sand blows within the Mississippi River Alluvium.
<Bogota Map> <More about Sand Blows >

Ames Plantation Water Quality— Fayette & Hardeman Counties, Tennessee

Since 1991, our multidisciplinary research team has conducted a long-term, field-scale research effort to map the subsurface lateral movement of water in southwestern Tennessee. Successfully applied technologies include ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic induction (EMI). The research resides on land holdings of 7,500 ha that are held in trust by the Trustees of the Hobart Ames Foundation.

Archaeological & Historical »

Hermitage Springs Site — Davidson County, Tennessee

Archaic-period burial site of a 5000-year old village located in Hermitage, Tennessee. The Alliance For Native American Indian Rights of Tennessee is assisting in protecting the remains. # 40DV5S1.
<Springs Map> Restricted Site

Ames Plantation — Fayette County, Tennessee

Subsurface mapping of slave quarters site. The Ames History map link shows an example of overlaying a Civil War-era map over a modern aerial photo and 1940's era aerial photography. The GIS overlay method (RECTIFY) allowed location of a community of slave cabins.

<Ames History Map> <More about Ames Plantation>

Mount Olive Cemetery — Montgomery County, Tennessee

Providing surveying expertise for mapping unmarked graves within this historic African-American cemetery, working with the volunteers of the Mount Olive Cemetery Historical Preservation Society .
... more »

<Mount Olive Map> Contact Dr. Robert S. Freeland (Click here)

Technology »

Ground-Penetrating Radar — GPR

<More Technologies>

GPR surveying involves either towing or pulling a radar antenna across the surface that is continuously transmitting radar pulses into the ground. The radar waves reflect off electrical changes in the subsurface, typically boundaries of soil and bedrock, or sharp contrasts in wetter and drier soil. ...