Estimation of relative permittivity of shallow soils by using the ground penetrating radar response from different buried targets

Combined ground penetrating radar and metal detector equipment are now available (e.g., MINEHOUND, ERA Technology-Vallon GmbH) for landmine detection. The performance of the radar detector is influenced by the electromagnetic characteristics of the soil. In this paper we present an experimental procedure that uses the same equipment for the detection and calibration by means of signal processing procedures for the estimation of the relative permittivity of the soil. The experimental uncertainties of this method are also reported.