How can we locate all unmarked graves in a historic cemetery without excavation?
Sentry Mapping uses non-invasive high-frequency Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to scan every square foot of the site. This allows us to detect soil disturbances that mark burials, GPS-tag each hit, then publish the results on an interactive GIS cemetery map. The entire survey is completed without any form of excavation, preserving the historic grounds.
Ground Penetrating Radar cemetery mapping is the gold-standard for unmarked grave detection because it reads disturbed soil and voids instead of headstones. Sentry Mapping’s process is four simple, non-destructive steps:
1. Field survey – technicians push a high-frequency GPR antenna cart across a pre-marked grid, logging every signal that indicates a burial.
2. GPS tagging – each anomaly is captured within ±6-inch accuracy, then merged with drone photography for precise burial plot mapping.
3. GIS drafting – engineers transform the raw data into a digital cemetery map that separates occupied, vacant and questionable plots, ready for import into any municipal GIS.
4. Delivery – you receive a printed master map plus a free, searchable web map and two years of Chronicle cemetery management software, so you can locate graves instantly.
Because no digging is required, the historic landscape, headstones and artifacts remain untouched, and the survey usually finishes in days, not months. The same method has helped 150-year-old cemeteries uncover dozens of lost graves and avoid costly double-sold lots. With Sentry Mapping you get professional cemetery mapping, grave locating, and cemetery GIS mapping in one turnkey package—no recurring web-map fees, just permanent, accurate records that safeguard heritage and prevent future mistakes.