GPRS Maps Prairie Dog Habitat for Smithsonian Research Project at Salisbury Zoo

Since our founding in 2001, we’ve been asked to locate a lot of “unusual” things – historical artifacts lost to time, unusual voids in buildings that may house secrets, and even the potential final resting places of Revolutionary War soldiers.

However, even in the realm of GPR’s “odd jobs,” mapping the underground labyrinth of a prairie dog habitat is a new one. Yet, that is just what Project Manager Vinnie Paul found himself doing at the Salisbury Zoo in Salisbury, Maryland, and the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

As reported by WMDT, the GPRS mapping was completed on site and the data collected from the field markings and digital uploads by Paul will be used by GPRS Mapping & Modeling Team to create a comprehensive 3D model of the animals’ underground habitat, which will then be used as the framework to track the prairie dogs as they move through their subterranean tunnels and rooms in real time.

Social media posts by the zoo and several news stories have appeared throughout the Northeast highlighting our work on this exciting project.

We’re pleased to have the opportunity to provide new tools for the researchers to use in their study of the “secret lives” of these unique creatures.

You can follow The Salisbury Zoo on Facebook for additional updates on the prairie dogs.