VISR

At VISR, we strive to provide our clients with accessible geophysical services that target their individual goals. Using noninvasive geophysical technologies and software, our team provides a variety of data acquiring methods, including ground penetrating radar (GPR), magnetometry, land survey, photogrammetry, and more. We provide geospatial modeling and analysis using open-source and proprietary software, as well as georeferencing and photogrammetry. Furthermore, we provide cartographic consultation and production for small- and large-scale projects. We tailor each project to the specific needs of the customer and are able to provide detailed summaries of findings, manuscript-ready cartographic renderings, and all intermediary and finalized geospatial datasets (GeoTIFF, .gpkg, .shp, or .gdb)

The Equipment

We use high-quality equipment to ensure excellence in our surveying, including the following:

• GSSI Ground Penetrating Radar Utility Scan
• Total Station with a Nikon camera, two prisms, poles, and a tripod
• Emlid Reach RS and RS2
• Bartington Grad601 Magnet Gradiometer (magnetometer)
• Polyga 3D Carbon Light Scanner
• DJI Phantom 4 Drone
• Primary Software:
  • Agisoft Metashape
  • ArchaeoFusion
  • AutoCAD
  • ESRI ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap, and ArcGIS Online (Survey 123, Experience Builder, Field Maps, ArcGIS Hub)
  • Google Earth Pro
  • GPRViewer
  • Mergin Maps
  • QGIS
  • R Studios
  • Radan7

See our Geophysical Survey page for more information on these services.

The Process

Please contact us for an initial site visit to determine suitability of geophysical survey and instrumentation for your field site. Based on this visit, we will develop a scope of work and quote for services, including a timeline for work.

Upon contracting with VISR, and depending on the unique features of the site, our team returns with the necessary geophysical survey equipment—GPR and/or magnetometer—and begin our surveys. Field survey typically lasts anywhere from a day to a few weeks. We collect data every 0.5m, with radar traces were collected every 1.6 centimeters along each transect, to a depth of approximately 3 meters (based on average transmissibility for middle-Tennessee soil types). After transects are complete and the grid is fully surveyed, we return to our lab and complete the post-processing of the data.

Each project produces a detailed report of finding, featuring background information on the site including historical context and historical maps when accessible, information on the scope and methods of the project, a detailed table of the grid extents, maps of the survey grids and their prospective GPR results, interpretations of the data, and recommendations for further action. We are careful to cite any sources utilized and collaborate with local historians and experts to interpret our data. At VISR, we also provide the client with all processed GPR depth slice rasters and a vector GIS file outlining anomalies of interest.

Why Choose VISR?

As an entity within Vanderbilt University, VISR has access to leading technologies, resources, and an expert team prepared to work hard to provide results. Our team relies on these resources and their individual skills to provide a sensible, thorough report of findings from geophysical survey otherwise inaccessible to the general public. Our team members are personable, dedicated researchers devoted to helping answer your research questions.