LEAD RISK GIS DATA BASE FOR NORTH CAROLINA

Not Available Once a cultural or archaeological resource site has been identified, it must be assessed in order to determine its significance and eligibility for National Registry of Historic Places (Executive Order 11593). Currently, there is no reliable, non-invasive method for determining the number of buried artifacts, or their characteristics. Thus, the significance of the archeological resource cannot be determined. The objective of the proposed research program is to demonstrate the feasibility for detecting and imaging subsurface cultural artifacts using acoustic energy. Recent studies have indicated the potential of low frequency acoustics as a modality suitable for finding and imaging buried objects in soil. In the proposed Phase I program, we develop acoustic transmitting and receiving sensors, which are optimized for imaging in soil. Using these sensors, acoustic echo data is collected in soils containing buried metallic and nonmetallic test objects. By exploiting existing processing methods developed for radar ranging and medical imaging, images of the buried objects are reconstructed and evaluated. BENEFITS: Pavement inspection, tunnel inspection, location of underground pipes, cables, commercial archeological assessment, and detection of unexploded ordinance.