Open source | Finite-Difference Time-Domain
Electromagnetic simulation software

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Contacts

Where to get in touch

• GitHub Discussions — questions, ideas, and general discussion on gprMax, GPR, and FDTD modelling. This is where the developers and the community answer.
• GitHub Issues — bug reports. Include your input file and the version you are running.
• Zulip — informal chat with the developers and other users. Our thanks to Zulip for sponsoring us.
• Google Group — closed to new posts, but a decade of answered questions remains readable there.

Authors/developers

gprMax is developed and maintained by Professor Antonis Giannopoulos, who created the original version in 1996, and Dr Craig Warren, who re-developed the software from scratch in 2015 to give gprMax its current form. They are joined by Dr Iraklis Giannakis, whose advanced algorithmic work underpins the dispersive material modelling, the fractal soil models and the landmine toolboxes.

Version 4 was shaped by two further principal authors and a core contributor:

Dr John Hartley University of Edinburgh

Initiated the version 4 codebase; subgridding and dispersive-material averaging

Nathan Mannall Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre

Major architectural refactoring; MPI domain-decomposition solver

Qifeng Shen University of Edinburgh

2D FDFD eigensolver, waveports and impedance boundaries; leads antenna and RF modelling

Many others have contributed code, research, and ideas over the years — among them Dr Ourania Patsia, Dr Nectaria Diamanti, Sam Stadler, and a decade of Google Summer of Code students. The authors and contributors record describes these contributions in full, alongside the wider community of contributors on GitHub.

PhD theses of the team

• Patsia, O. (2022). Deep learning processing and interpretation of ground penetrating radar data using a numerical equivalent of a real GPR transducer. The University of Edinburgh.
• Hartley, J. M. (2020). On finite-difference time-domain sub-gridding algorithms for efficient modelling of ground-penetrating radar. The University of Edinburgh.
• Giannakis, I. (2016). Realistic numerical modelling of Ground Penetrating Radar for landmine detection. The University of Edinburgh.
• Warren, C. (2009). Numerical modelling of high-frequency ground-penetrating radar antennas. The University of Edinburgh.
• Diamanti, N. (2008). An efficient ground penetrating radar finite-difference time-domain subgridding scheme and its application to the non-descructive testing of masonry arch bridges. The University of Edinburgh.
• Giannopoulos, A. (1997). The investigation of transmission-line matrix and finite-difference time-domain methods for the forward problem of ground probing radar. The University of York.

Consultancy & training services

We are able to offer consultancy services and expert advice on GPR, and in particular the numerical modelling of GPR, for a wide range of different applications.

We also offer training workshops on the numerical modelling of GPR using gprMax. Our workshops are interactive and will typically include sessions on:

• background and theory of the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method;
• an overview of gprMax, covering basic and more advanced features;
• installing gprMax and running your first simulation;
• detailed examples of different GPR simulations including: antenna modelling, soil mixing models, and dispersive materials;
• how gprMax can be used for modelling other EM applications.

We can also tailor our workshops towards your specific modelling requirements.

If you are interested please get in touch by contacting either Professor Antonis Giannopoulos or Dr Craig Warren to discuss your requirements.