Underground radar locates post-Katrina damage

“At that time, Louisiana Tech’s radar technology was still in the developmental stages, but the research team said that if the innovation proved useful in lab tests, Slidell would be used as a Beta site in actual field studies.”

Following successful testing and development, Jaganathan and other researchers came to Slidell in the summer of 2013 to pinpoint the spots in the city that would be most beneficial for using the UWB, and to test and investigate the underground infrastructure issues. As had been predicted by the group in their initial research, compromised infrastructure was able to be seen using the UWB technology and, most importantly, became provable.

“While we were aware of the depth and breadth of the problems that plagued our underground utilities and we knew surrounding communities had experienced similar problems, I believe it wasn’t until we made the trip to Ruston in 2010 and then saw the results of the UWB investigation that we actually realized we could have quantifiable evidence of the scope of that damage,” said Newcomb.

As a result of the work of Jaganathan, Simicevic and the Louisiana Tech researcher team, and consultations with other engineering firms, the City of Slidell was able to secure $75 million in funding from FEMA to begin the underground utility restoration process.

“Our FY2017 total budget for the City of Slidell is just under $43 million,” said Newcomb. “We have almost two whole budgets to spend on streets, drainage, and sewer thanks to the collective efforts of many, beginning with the research conducted by Louisiana Tech University.”

“This technology is unique in its capability to generate high resolution images which allow engineers to inspect a particular spot in detail,” Jaganathan said. “Unlike many other radars, our system does have to be in contact with the pipe wall and this provides capability for rapid inspection to finish scanning a long pipe in a timely manner.”

Jaganathan says this project demonstrates the value of academic research at Louisiana Tech.

“What started as an academic research ultimately led to the development of a practical tool that our municipal engineers can use on a daily basis for the betterment of our infrastructure and society, as a whole,” says Jaganathan.  “The sophistication and complexity of electronics involved in this system speaks to the capability of Louisiana Tech researchers to design and develop advanced sensing technologies.”

“As for the State of Louisiana, I think they would be wise to look closely at what is going on at such a dynamic institution as Louisiana Tech and its dynamic leadership team,” Newcomb says.  “I truly believe that far too municipalities’ first response to problems is, ‘Who do we hire to consult/fix this?’, instead of asking, ‘I wonder if any of our public universities have researched this topic or have any prior experience dealing with a similar situation?’”

“I am glad the City of Slidell asked for help from Louisiana Tech.  All we had to do was just ask!”