Tree defect detection via radar measurements

Abstract

This paper is the final report for the final year project titled ‘Tree Defect Detection via Radar Measurement’. Singapore has been known as a “garden city” and trees are seen everywhere. Trees play an important role in the ecosystem and help to reduce the rate of global warming. A certified arborist is also known as a tree doctor usually uses Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for its non-invasive, non-destructive, accurate devices that use electromagnetic (EM) waves that penetrate deep into the ground to obtain details of the roots, soil, and man-made objects underneath the ground. Research has shown that GPR is able to determine decay and cavities in the roots. However, the healthiness of the tree does not solely rely on the roots. The main purpose of this project is to use these non-invasive techniques to study the healthiness of the tree trunk. This will assist the arborist to identify any unhealthy trees in advance to prevent them from falling causing severe consequences to both properties and lives. The main purpose of this report is to discuss all relevant studies that have been performed throughout this one year of laboratory and field experiments. The progress, achievement, and problem(s) faced in this project will also be documented in the report. There will be a conclusion as well as recommendation in future work at the end of this report, to sum up, the work completed and self-reflection on the project. This report will analyse tree samples that have different conditions such as healthy, decay and cavities with different antennas. Programs have been written in MATLAB to collect and process the data received from different antennas to a B-Scan that can be easily interpreted and analysed. Circular B-Scan and Straight B-Scan of the tree trunk will also be discussed in this report to determine the condition of the tree trunk.