Automated ground penetrating radar B-scan detection enhanced by data augmentation techniques

This research investigates the effectiveness of data augmentation techniques in the automated analysis of B-scan images from ground-penetrating radar (GPR) using deep learning. In spite of the growing interest in automating GPR data analysis and advancements in deep learning for image classification and object detection, many deep learning-based GPR data analysis studies have been limited by the availability of large, diverse GPR datasets. Data augmentation techniques are widely used in deep learning to improve model performance. In this study, we applied four data augmentation techniques (geometric transformation, color-space transformation, noise injection, and applying kernel filter) to the GPR datasets obtained from a testbed. A deep learning model for GPR data analysis was developed using three models (Faster R-CNN ResNet, SSD ResNet, and EfficientDet) based on transfer learning. It was found that data augmentation significantly enhances model performance across all cases, with the mAP and AR for the Faster R-CNN ResNet model increasing by approximately 4%, achieving a maximum mAP (Intersection over Union = 0.5:1.0) of 87.5% and maximum AR of 90.5%. These results highlight the importance of data augmentation in improving the robustness and accuracy of deep learning models for GPR B-scan analysis. The enhanced detection capabilities achieved through these techniques contribute to more reliable subsurface investigations in geotechnical engineering.