Training data augmentations for improving hyperbola recognition in ground penetrating radar B-scan image for tree roots detection

Abstract

Improving the detection accuracy of hyperbola in B-scan images has been a considerable challenge for ground penetrating radar (GPR) to detect tree roots. In this paper, a method for data enhancement and target detection, both based on deep learning was proposed to identify hyperbolas in GPR B-scan images. First, the authors used a cyclic consistent adversarial network (CycleGAN) to augment the original data. In this procedure, the hyperbolic features of the images were preserved and created a wider variety of training samples. Then, the authors could apply the enhanced dataset to the YOLOv5 detection model to evaluate the effectiveness of their method. Meanwhile, the detection effects of Yolov3, Yolov5, Faster R-CNN, and CenterNet detection models on the enhanced dataset were compared. The results showed that applying the enhanced dataset to the Yolov5 detection model exhibited better detection accuracy compared to other combinations of datasets and detection models. The authors demonstrate that the proposed method increases data diversity and the number of samples, improving the precision and recall of hyperbolic curves. These results provide a new method for tree root localization with important effects.