Question 1

How Accurate Are the Results of Ground Penetrating Radar?

Accepted Answer

Ground-penetrating radar is highly accurate. Under typical cemetery conditions, Sentry Mapping’s GPR pinpoints a burial center within about ±6 inches and estimates depth within ±10 percent. Results depend on soil, moisture and grave materials, but high-frequency antennas and precision GPS let us document virtually every grave without disturbing the ground.

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is one of the most accurate, non-invasive tools for cemetery mapping. In controlled field tests and hundreds of Sentry Mapping projects, our 400–900 MHz antennas routinely locate the center of a casket, vault or soil disturbance to within ±6 in horizontally and predict depth within ±10 percent.

Accuracy ultimately depends on site conditions. Dry, sandy or loamy soils transmit signals best, while heavy clay, high moisture or dense roots can attenuate them. Even when wood coffins have collapsed, the back-filled trench and any metal hardware still produce a distinctive hyperbola pattern. Our technicians adjust antenna frequency, line spacing and survey speed to suit each cemetery’s soil, topography and burial construction, extracting the clearest data possible.

After scanning, every subsurface hit is tied to centimeter-level GPS and imported into our cemetery GIS mapping workflow. You receive a printed master map and an interactive, searchable web map on Chronicle cemetery management software, so staff and visitors can locate graves instantly with a phone.

Question 2

How can a churchyard with limited resources modernize its cemetery record-keeping?

Accepted Answer

Even on a tight budget, a churchyard can convert paper documents to digital records by outsourcing one turnkey survey. Sentry Mapping uses ground-penetrating radar, precision GPS and free web-map delivery to capture every marked or unmarked burial, then loads the data into Chronicle cemetery management software so volunteers can update records online.

Start with a professional cemetery mapping survey that respects tight budgets. Sentry Mapping offers a free estimate and can usually complete a small churchyard in less than a week. High-frequency ground penetrating radar cemetery equipment sweeps the entire site without digging, locating every headstone, footstone and hidden burial. Precision GPS fixes each plot, and our team reconciles old notebooks, ledgers and memory with the new data to prevent duplicate sales or accidental disturbances.

Within weeks you receive a printed master map plus an interactive cemetery GIS mapping portal that anyone can open on a phone, tablet, or computer. Volunteers simply type a name to see a grave’s exact coordinates, photos and available space nearby. Because the map lives in the cloud, the church avoids servers, licenses or IT headaches. Two complimentary years of Chronicle cemetery management software let you keep adding deeds, obituaries and maintenance notes.

The result is sustainable digitizing of cemetery records at a fraction of the cost of hiring surveyors or buying standalone cemetery mapping software. Accurate burial plot mapping today safeguards heritage, streamlines grave locating for families tomorrow and gives congregational leaders confidence that every future interment is in the right place.

Question 3

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Ground Penetrating Radar?

Accepted Answer

Ground penetrating radar lets you see every burial without digging, saving time, money, and heritage. It is quick, non-destructive, and pairs with GPS to build precise digital cemetery maps. Downsides: clay or water-logged soils weaken the signal and careless reading can mislead, so its vital to hire trained experts like the technicians at Sentry Mapping.

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is the core tool behind Sentry Mapping’s professional cemetery mapping service. Rolling a low-power antenna cart across the turf, the system sends radio pulses into the soil and records reflections from disturbed layers, vault fragments or voids—ideal for grave locating, unmarked grave detection and utility avoidance.

Key advantages include:

Non-invasive scanning that protects fragile monuments and heritage
High coverage—two technicians can scan several acres a day, turning decades of paper records into accurate digital cemetery mapping and a burial plot map tied to centimeter-level GPS
Immediate insights—real-time profiles show occupied versus open plots, supporting smart space planning and revenue protection.
Seamless integration—each radar hit flows straight into our cemetery management software, giving staff and visitors a searchable, web-based cemetery GIS map.

Disadvantages, and how Sentry Mapping manages them: heavy clay or saturated soils can weaken the signal, so surveys are timed for drier spells and antenna frequency adjusted; raw hyperbolas can mislead the untrained, so GPR-certified technicians cross-check results with GPS and drone imagery to ±6-inch accuracy; and standard 400–900 MHz antennas read best to about eight to ten feet—if a target sits deeper, alternate methods are recommended.

With the right expertise provided by Sentry Mapping’s experts, GPR delivers a fast, respectful and verifiable map of every marked and unmarked grave.

Question 4

What is the average cost per acre for a cemetery mapping project using ground‑penetrating radar?

Accepted Answer

Sentry Mapping provides a free, no-obligation estimate for each project. Every property is unique and the exact cost varies with soil type, terrain, tree cover, and record condition. Quotes include full GPR coverage, high-precision GPS positioning, drone imagery, and the conversion of raw scans into a color-coded digital cemetery map with printed and interactive deliverables.

On a typical project, Sentry Mapping prices cemetery mapping on a per-acre basis, adjusting the rate only when unusual features demand extra field time. Smaller, wooded, or hilly sites sit near the upper end because thick roots, uneven ground, and heavy clay slow data collection. Flat, open acreage with sandy soil processes faster and often lands closer to the lower figure. Per-acre pricing also drops when you survey several adjoining acres at once, because crew travel and equipment set-up are spread over more ground.

The quoted rate covers far more than a quick sweep. Sentry Mapping’s team grids every square foot with high-frequency GPR and sub-inch GPS to detect marked and unmarked graves. Drone imaging captures a current orthomosaic. Our GIS specialists then turn raw scans into a color-coded digital cemetery map that pinpoints each burial plot, labels ownership, and links photos or documents. You receive a printed master map, an interactive web map with no annual subscription fees, and two years of complimentary access to Chronicle cemetery-management software so staff can update records in real time.

Because every property is unique, Sentry offers a free, no-obligation estimate. Most managers find the service pays for itself by preventing lost plots, avoiding costly digging errors, and opening up sellable space revealed during the survey. Click here to contact us today to discuss your site and receive a customized quote.

Question 5

Will the scanning equipment or radar carts leave any ruts, tread marks, or permanent damage on the delicate cemetery turf?

Accepted Answer

Sentry Mapping’s ground penetrating radar cemetery surveys use a light, walk-behind GPR cart that rolls over the grass. Because the work is non-invasive and requires no digging, it typically leaves no ruts, tread marks, or permanent damage. On very soft, wet turf, faint temporary tracks can occur

With Sentry Mapping, cemetery mapping is designed to protect delicate grounds. Our process is non-invasive: technicians roll a high-frequency GPR cart across each walkway and row to capture subsurface reflections for unmarked grave detection and burial plot mapping, without digging, trenching, or cutting turf.

In normal conditions, you should not see ruts, tread marks, or lasting turf damage. The cart simply rolls across the surface while the radar reads what is below, so the soil and grass are left undisturbed. If your cemetery turf is saturated, freshly graded, or otherwise fragile, we can adjust the field plan with you (for example, work a different section first or return after the ground firms up) to keep the surface looking clean.

This low-impact approach is part of our Cemetery Survey & Drafting and Grave Locating services, and it feeds directly into digital cemetery mapping and cemetery GIS mapping deliverables. You receive a printed master map and a searchable web map. If you want ongoing record control, you can also manage the map in our optional cemetery management software.

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