Notice to the Reader:
This a rather wordy page.
But if you want to know what makes Sidekick LLC’s signature approach…well, signature,
beyond our people and our standards,
this is the core technical stuff.
Our High-Res, 3D GPR Surveys are discussed first,
then our High-Precision GIS Maps & Directories afterwards.
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is an incredible tool that lets us “see” through the ground in much the same way that a thermal scanner lets firefighters “see” through smoke. Firefighters are interested in finding people behind the smoke; we’re interested in finding all sorts of things–technically, “targets”–under the ground, things like unmarked graves, utility lines, construction debris, and tree roots. To find these targets, a GPR is run over the surface of the ground while scanning into it, creating a 2D “slice” of the subsurface.
However, 2D GPR shares an unfortunate similarly to 2D thermal scans: neither results in clear images, only vague outlines. More unfortunately, the vague, the outlines of unmarked graves, utility lines, construction debris, and tree roots all actually look pretty remarkably similar in 2D. This means that any interpretations made using just 2D data are generally little better than guesses.
You don’t pay us to make guesses though. You can do that for yourself for free. You pay us to make science-based interpretations to get you worry-free results.
To get you science-based interpretations of the subsurface, we need high-quality data, and for our purposes, high-quality has three core aspects, specifically that it is 3D (not 2D), high density (not low, or technically, “sparse”), and filtered (not cluttered with static).
OUR HIGH-RES 3D GPR SURVEYS
3D Data
Imagine watching a 5 second clip from a random moment in a movie you’ve never seen. You see a cop sitting at a bar talking to a bartender. From that clip could you identify the main characters or describe the overall plot? No, of course not.
It’s the same with GPR. A single 2D GPR scan simply doesn’t provide enough data to make any actually scientific interpretations.
HOWEVER, if we collect a bunch of nearby 2D GPR scans and then do some computer magic to merge those 2D scans into a 3D block…suddenly vague shapes combine into much clearer images. One 2D series of upside-down arcs (technically called “hyperbolas”) turns into a sinuous line that varies in depth and ends at a tree. It’s probably a root. Another 2D series of hyperbolas turn into a rectangular disturbance that’s 3ft wide, 7ft long, and 4ft deep. It’s probably an unmarked grave.
For this reason, Sidekick LLC deploys 3D GPR surveys to identify subsurface targets.
High Density Data (High-Resolution Pt. 1)
Now imagine watching two 5 second clips from that movie. In the first, the cop is sitting at the bar talking with the bartender. In the second, which takes place a half hour later into the film, the cop is also at the bar, talking with the bartender.
Question: Were they talking at the bar for that whole half hour of movie time?
Obviously, you don’t know. Maybe they did. Maybe a week’s worth of story took place in that half hour of movie time and the cop is back in this bar because it’s where he goes on Tuesday nights. Or a hundred other options. The only way you’d know is if you watched a bunch of closely spaced 5 second clips throughout that half hour.
It’s the same with GPR. Haphazardly run 2D GPR scans that are too far apart don’t generate any useful 3D data, just more guesses.
For this reason Sidekick LLC deploys 3D GPR surveys within precisely measured grids and running closely-spaced, parallel 2D GPR scans.
(NOTE: besides the size of your site, this is the primary thing that affects the cost of a project because the smaller the target, the more scans we need to run.)
Filtered Data (High-Resolution Pt. 2)
One more time. Imagine watching a bunch of closely spaced 5 second clips from the movie. But… you’re watching it on an old-school television during a thunderstorm, and unfortunately a lot of static interference from the thunderstorm is ruining both the visual and the audio.
It’s the same with GPR. We can collect the finest 3D GPR data of perfectly parallel and closely spaced 2D GPR lines, and all of that data (technically called “raw data’) will be cluttered with static interference from all sorts of sources. FM radio. Broadcasting towers. Your cellphone. (Actually especially your cellphone.) Even power lines.
End result: a lot of static clutter in GPR data.
For this reason, Sidekick LLC deploys a large array of computational techniques to “filter out” (technically, “process”) unwanted static interference so the actual data stands out clearly.
OUR HIGH-PRECISION GIS MAPS & DIRECTORIES
High-Precision GIS (High-Precision Pt. 1)
You know it. We know it. And anyone who’s tried to find a loved one’s gravesite in your cemetery knows it, too. The arrangement of grave plots in your cemetery is…a mild nightmare. “Straight lines.” “Neat rows.” “Consistent spacing.” Your cemetery has only had occasional acquaintance with those terms.
Consequently, your grave plot documentation is also a mild nightmare and your ability to find (or help others find) specific graves is mostly dependent on your memory and not getting lost in the cemetery.
For this reason, Sidekick LLC precisely grids out your entire cemetery to get the precise geographic coordinates of every grave and uses them to create a geographic information system map.
Periodically Updated (High-Precision Pt. 2)
Unfortunately, creating a map with the precise geographic coordinates of every gravesite and plot only stays good for as long as nothing changes in your cemetery.
Consequently, the moment you bury someone or sell a plot, the map becomes inaccurate and will continue to become more so as more changes occur.
For this reason, Sidekick LLC provides the option to periodically Update your maps. At whatever interval is best for you, either every X number of months or years or X number of changes, you send us a list of those changes, and we’ll ship you updated maps for use and display.
Directories
But still, even a consistently updated map with the precise geographic coordinates of every grave isn’t actually that useful if you’re looking for your great uncle Norman Middleton in a sea of 1200 graves on a 3′ x 4′ map.
Consequently, while at least you don’t have to wander a cemetery in freezing or broiling weather, you still lack a straightforward and easy way to locate gravesites and plots.
For this reason, Sidekick LLC creates alphabetized Directories of every gravesite and plot and pairs those Directories with a straightforward and easy means of locating those gravesites and plots on the map..