DATA2LINE® Automated Procedure for the Detection of Unexploded Bombs as part of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal

The reliable identification of metallic objects on the basis of magnetic field measurement data is an essential part of the explosive ordnance disposal, especially the removal of unexploded bombs from past wars. Every 30 minutes a person gets hurt or killed by a mine or unexploded bomb around the world. More than 60 countries are fighting against the explosive heritage of armed conflicts. In Germany every year thousands of tons of ammunition and bombs from both world wars are being discovered.

For the localization of explosive ordnance high-resolution magnetic field measurement methods are used amongst others. That way the underground in relevant areas is examined for every construction project.

The institute Dr. Foerster is one of the leading companies for the acquisition, evaluation and analysis of magnetic field measurement data and offers a globally acknowledged instrument for the acquisition of this data, the FEREX®-Magnetometer. Until now the signatures of the suspicious objects have been selected manually in the magnetic field data and then evaluated individually.

Through the algorithm which was developed together with STASA Steinbeis Angewandte Systemanalyse GmbH the reliability of detection of unexploded bombs has significantly improved and has largely been automated. Thus the danger of overlooking a dangerous object is significantly decreasing. With the geo-referenced measurement data the specialists can identify the exact position with the depth data and orientation angle as well as a volume classification of the unexploded bombs. In order to achieve that different filter processes were combined with a physical dipole model. A new pattern recognition algorithm which has been particularly developed for this task provides a reliable identification of objects that are very close to another.

With the developed software DATA2LINE® the specialists in charge are able to analyse and document the contamination of lager areas much more effectively and exactly. This helps to increase profitability, but also to reduce the risk potential when realising construction projects. The developed procedure is also used in archaeology in the future and currently extended for this purpose.

Our project partner: Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG, Reutlingen

This project has been awarded with the Löhn Award 2011.