Illustration of a map of Germany marking Wesseling and Gersheim in front of a construction area, with construction plans and a hard hat beside it.

Explosive ordnance surveying by region

FONTANA-EOD tailors explosive ordnance assessments for project owners, designers and construction managers to the project location in Germany or Luxembourg. Before excavation, drilling, utility construction or site development, historical evidence, ground disturbance depth, survey feasibility and the records needed are considered together. Select the region and send the site plan, planned ground disturbance and existing documents for technical coordination.

Region

Assess the project location.

History

Review suspected contamination and land use.

Documentation

Prepare a sound basis for procurement.

Submit the project location Assess the suspected hazard

Why the project location matters for an explosive ordnance assessment

A regional explosive ordnance assessment becomes relevant when excavation, drilling, utility trenches, routes, site development or demolition affect a potentially contaminated area. Historical air warfare, former military use, armaments or transport infrastructure, filled bomb craters and found ammunition are related to the specific volume of ground affected using the documents available. Post-war fill and existing utilities influence investigation conditions. This provides the basis for agreeing which method is suitable and which records are needed before procurement or construction begins.

Send the location and construction documents

Documented location references

Reference projects in Germany and Luxembourg

Select a project location on the map or in the location list. The associated entries lead to the protected reference overview.

277 locations · 905 assigned reference entries

Reference projects in Germany and LuxembourgGeographical outline with confirmed location references from the project records. No precise ordnance find or site coordinates. Neuss – 6 reference entriesPlattling – 5 reference entriesLeverkusen – 6 reference entriesNistertal – 1 reference entryAachen – 27 reference entriesPassau – 14 reference entriesKaiserslautern – 44 reference entriesDüsseldorf – 44 reference entriesBottrop – 1 reference entryOffenburg – 3 reference entriesNettetal – 8 reference entriesLahnstein – 6 reference entriesWesseling – 2 reference entriesWiesbaden – 13 reference entriesGütersloh – 1 reference entrySaarbrücken – 7 reference entriesDülmen – 1 reference entryCoesfeld – 1 reference entryDortmund – 15 reference entriesOffenbach am Main – 1 reference entryTroisdorf – 7 reference entriesKoblenz – 11 reference entriesMönchengladbach – 8 reference entriesWuppertal – 10 reference entriesSiegen – 3 reference entriesAugsburg – 7 reference entriesHomburg – 8 reference entriesZweibrücken – 13 reference entriesPegnitz – 1 reference entrySchnabelwaid – 1 reference entryKarlsruhe – 10 reference entriesWindeck – 1 reference entryÖhringen – 1 reference entryKupferzell – 3 reference entriesHückelhoven – 1 reference entryStraubing – 4 reference entriesPforzheim – 1 reference entryMühlacker – 2 reference entriesSarstedt – 1 reference entryErftstadt – 1 reference entryDuisburg – 15 reference entriesMintraching – 4 reference entriesIngelheim am Rhein – 1 reference entryLägerdorf – 1 reference entryWolgast – 1 reference entryMünchen – 13 reference entriesFrankfurt am Main – 17 reference entriesKöln – 101 reference entriesKrefeld – 3 reference entriesAltenahr – 2 reference entriesWeidenthal – 2 reference entriesLanglingen – 1 reference entryFreiburg im Breisgau – 1 reference entryFichtenberg – 2 reference entriesLandstuhl – 28 reference entriesKönigswinter – 1 reference entryBannberscheid – 1 reference entryGaildorf – 2 reference entriesDonauwörth – 2 reference entriesBacknang – 1 reference entryRüdesheim am Rhein – 2 reference entriesVorra – 1 reference entryUnna – 3 reference entriesBerlin – 6 reference entriesBonn – 14 reference entriesAschaffenburg – 2 reference entriesBaunatal – 2 reference entriesKassel – 3 reference entriesGeldern – 4 reference entriesWilhelmshaven – 2 reference entriesReutlingen – 4 reference entriesMetzingen – 3 reference entriesHeilbronn – 1 reference entryLehrte – 1 reference entryGera – 1 reference entryErlangen – 1 reference entryBiebelried – 1 reference entryVölklingen – 5 reference entriesNeuwied – 8 reference entriesGladbeck – 1 reference entryObertraubling – 3 reference entriesHaan – 5 reference entriesHannover – 7 reference entriesOsnabrück – 2 reference entriesViersen – 2 reference entriesBad Bentheim – 1 reference entryTübingen – 1 reference entrySchenkenzell – 2 reference entriesPappenheim – 3 reference entriesBremerhaven – 1 reference entryDinslaken – 1 reference entrySankt Goar – 1 reference entryOberwesel – 1 reference entryBretten – 2 reference entriesEppingen – 2 reference entriesSiegburg – 1 reference entryHanau – 5 reference entriesTrier – 6 reference entriesSchwetzingen – 1 reference entryDarmstadt – 7 reference entriesBielefeld – 8 reference entriesBad Camberg – 1 reference entryBeckum – 4 reference entriesHürth – 5 reference entriesDippach – 1 reference entryReckange-sur-Mess – 1 reference entrySaarlouis – 2 reference entriesRösrath – 2 reference entriesDresden – 1 reference entryAhlen – 1 reference entryMainz – 7 reference entriesGroßkrotzenburg – 2 reference entriesHaltern am See – 3 reference entriesRemagen – 2 reference entriesSchwandorf – 1 reference entryGießen – 13 reference entriesZeitlofs – 1 reference entryRatingen – 1 reference entryWiebelsheim – 2 reference entriesKisselbach – 2 reference entriesBochum – 6 reference entriesHochspeyer – 31 reference entriesSankt Augustin – 4 reference entriesHerford – 2 reference entriesRheine – 1 reference entryNeu-Isenburg – 2 reference entriesSt. Ingbert – 1 reference entryBetzdorf – 3 reference entriesWeil am Rhein – 1 reference entryRaunheim – 3 reference entriesRadevormwald – 1 reference entryRhens – 2 reference entriesBoppard – 2 reference entriesHilden – 1 reference entryLeipzig – 4 reference entriesDinklage – 1 reference entryBramsche – 1 reference entryIserlohn – 1 reference entryWesel – 2 reference entriesSinzig – 3 reference entriesWürzburg – 2 reference entriesBremen – 1 reference entryLeinfelden-Echterdingen – 1 reference entryAndernach – 2 reference entriesLangenlonsheim – 1 reference entryStromberg – 1 reference entrySchkeuditz – 1 reference entryMülheim an der Ruhr – 1 reference entrySchwerte – 2 reference entriesWolfsburg – 1 reference entryMannheim – 4 reference entriesSickte – 1 reference entryMoers – 1 reference entryGelsenkirchen – 3 reference entriesStuttgart – 1 reference entryWorms – 1 reference entryLudwigshafen am Rhein – 4 reference entriesEschweiler – 1 reference entryHeidelberg – 3 reference entriesBergisch Gladbach – 1 reference entryEssen – 4 reference entriesOberhausen – 3 reference entriesNürnberg – 1 reference entryHamm – 1 reference entryRecklinghausen – 1 reference entryHagen – 1 reference entryBöhne – 1 reference entryBergheim – 1 reference entryAssmannshausen – 2 reference entriesKaldenkirchen – 5 reference entriesHachen – 1 reference entryUnterrath – 2 reference entriesMarkröhlitz – 1 reference entryWaldhölzbach – 1 reference entryBienen – 2 reference entriesNieukerk – 3 reference entriesHangelar – 7 reference entriesGruiten – 1 reference entryBeltershausen – 1 reference entryGrefrath – 2 reference entriesMödrath – 2 reference entriesNievenheim – 1 reference entryNeubeckum – 2 reference entriesHeddernheim – 1 reference entryHerbede – 1 reference entryLauda – 1 reference entryKönigshofen – 1 reference entryGravenbruch – 1 reference entryGodorf – 1 reference entryImmendorf – 1 reference entryMinderoffingen – 1 reference entryDerkum – 1 reference entryWellaune – 1 reference entrySprendlingen – 1 reference entryDurlach – 1 reference entryMündling – 1 reference entrySchalke – 1 reference entryFlensungen – 1 reference entrySechtem – 1 reference entryPostlin – 1 reference entryBubenhausen – 1 reference entryRimschweiler – 1 reference entryFreienbrink – 1 reference entryNennig – 1 reference entryNeukirchen-Vluyn – 1 reference entryHeppingen – 1 reference entryNonnweiler – 1 reference entryRheinberg – 1 reference entryTwistringen – 2 reference entriesBad Honnef – 1 reference entryWetter (Ruhr) – 2 reference entriesRenchen – 3 reference entriesGeisenheim – 4 reference entriesWillich – 2 reference entriesNeuenrade – 1 reference entryHalle (Saale) – 4 reference entriesMenden (Sauerland) – 2 reference entriesSpaichingen – 1 reference entryGevelsberg – 2 reference entriesMechernich – 1 reference entryMettmann – 3 reference entriesBergkamen – 2 reference entriesHövels – 2 reference entriesErkelenz – 2 reference entriesLinnich – 1 reference entryHeusenstamm – 1 reference entryUrmitz – 1 reference entryOsterburken – 1 reference entryFremdingen – 1 reference entryHersbruck – 1 reference entryRheinbrohl – 1 reference entryKamp-Bornhofen – 1 reference entrySchwaigern – 1 reference entryEmlichheim – 1 reference entryHoogstede – 1 reference entrySteinefrenz – 1 reference entrySoest – 1 reference entryDaxweiler – 1 reference entryBernstadt a.d.Eigen – 1 reference entryBitburg – 1 reference entryAttendorn – 1 reference entryBüchenbeuren – 1 reference entryOberstadtfeld – 1 reference entryDatteln – 1 reference entryKyllburg – 4 reference entriesDorsheim – 1 reference entryHamburg – 1 reference entryKaltenkirchen – 1 reference entryLampertheim – 4 reference entriesRheinbach – 1 reference entryFlieden – 1 reference entryGelnhausen – 4 reference entriesWegberg – 1 reference entryKarlstadt – 1 reference entrySchifferstadt – 1 reference entryHamminkeln – 1 reference entryBad Breisig – 1 reference entryBürstadt – 1 reference entryHorb am Neckar – 1 reference entryGensingen – 1 reference entryXanten – 1 reference entryHennef (Sieg) – 1 reference entryMünster – 3 reference entriesMarl – 1 reference entryLage – 1 reference entryHerdecke – 2 reference entriesFröndenberg/Ruhr – 3 reference entriesBischofsheim – 1 reference entryLimburg a.d.Lahn – 2 reference entriesBebra – 1 reference entryMudersbach – 1 reference entryDiez – 2 reference entriesBad Dürkheim – 1 reference entryBiberach – 1 reference entryVilshofen an der Donau – 1 reference entryGemünden a.Main – 4 reference entriesLuxembourg – 5 reference entries

The points indicate locations associated with documented references, not precise ordnance find or site coordinates. Several entries may belong to one project. References without a confirmed location assignment are available in the complete reference overview.

Map data: © BKG (2026), VG250 / GN250, Data licence Germany – attribution 2.0. Luxembourg: ACT / data.public.lu, CC0. Area outline projected for display. Selection and project assignment: FONTANA-EOD.

Project references

Selected project examples

Select the region for your construction project

Select the region of your construction project. You will find information on regional responsibilities, historical evidence of suspected contamination and local conditions relevant to assessing your plot or construction area.

Start with the country or German federal state where the ground disturbance will take place. For a project on an administrative boundary, it may be useful to show the affected sections separately. A district boundary does not change the physical conditions of a measurement, but it may affect which authority provides information or receives a report. Project management across several areas should therefore record responsibility for each section on the same site plan. Technical documents can then be brought together without mixing different local procedures.

Also describe the actual working area. A site's postal address often identifies only the entrance, not the full area of ground disturbance. For a utility, the route and working pits matter; for a building, the excavation, including retaining works and adjoining areas. A site plan with a clearly identified revision helps everyone consider the same area. Earlier investigations are then assigned spatially. Their maps and elevation information are just as important for this as the summary assessment.

Illustration of a map with the North Rhine-Westphalia coat of arms, alongside a tablet, hard hat and documents.

North Rhine-Westphalia

Dense settlements, industrial corridors, railway facilities, ports, utility networks and municipal construction programmes need a clear distinction between clarifying suspected contamination, technical surveying and project documentation.

Assess a project in North Rhine-Westphalia
Illustration of a map with the Rhineland-Palatinate coat of arms, alongside a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Rhineland-Palatinate

Urban areas, Rhine-side sites, routes, commercial land and municipal civil engineering are assessed by their history, ground disturbance depth, requirements and construction sequence.

Assess a project in Rhineland-Palatinate
Illustration of a map with the Saarland coat of arms, alongside a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Saarland

Border areas, former industry, transport corridors, housing and municipal sites need a clear assessment of history, terrain, construction stage and the evidence required.

Discuss a project in Saarland
Illustration of a map with the Hesse coat of arms, alongside a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Hesse

In the Rhine-Main area, central Hesse and northern Hesse, access, existing utilities, evidence of bombing and excavation depth need to be clarified early.

Assess the context in Hesse
Illustration of a map with the Baden-Württemberg coat of arms, alongside a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Baden-Württemberg

Urban development, railway and road areas, commercial land, utility construction and ground investigation projects are considered by administrative district, history and ground disturbance depth.

Assess a project in Baden-Württemberg
Illustration of a map with the Bavarian coat of arms, alongside a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Bavaria

For Bavaria's administrative districts, the urban setting, former use, transport and armaments connections, borehole positions, excavations and required evidence all matter.

Prepare a project in Bavaria
Illustration of a map with the Lower Saxony coat of arms, a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Lower Saxony

Existing aerial photograph assessments, municipal documents and coordination with the competent authorities are brought together for the specific construction project.

Explore Lower Saxony
Illustration of a map with the Bremen coat of arms, alongside a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Bremen and Bremerhaven

Port areas, logistics, utilities, transport infrastructure, fill and urban construction sites require a clear assessment of the suspected area and construction sequence.

Assess a project in Bremen
Illustration of a map with the Luxembourg coat of arms, alongside a tablet, hard hat and documents.

Luxembourg

For projects in Luxembourg, the location, ground disturbance and competent authorities are established under the requirements applicable there. Existing German documents must be checked for what they establish about the specific project.

Assess a project in Luxembourg

Historical contamination and local conditions

A place's wartime history alone is not enough to assess a specific plot. The available wartime aerial photographs, former military use, armaments or transport infrastructure, post-war infilling, earlier construction and planned ground disturbance are decisive.

Aerial warfare and unexploded bombs

In heavily affected cities and transport areas, unexploded bombs, filled impact sites, bomb craters, fragmentation areas and suspected points from aerial photograph assessments may be relevant. Any conclusion must always relate to the plot, route or excavation concerned.

Arrange specialist aerial photograph assessment

Military use and found ammunition

Former barracks, training areas, ammunition stores, armaments sites, battle areas or transport corridors may suggest different legacy explosive ordnance from areas affected only by bombing. Depending on the location, possible items include shells, cartridges, fuzes, ammunition parts, rocket remnants, mines or other found ammunition.

Understand the find situation safely

Destruction, reconstruction and interfering objects

Substantially altered construction sites often contain fill, rubble, old utilities, reinforcement, sealed surfaces and metallic interference. These factors can affect measurement methods and help determine whether surveying, borehole surveying or excavation supervision is appropriate.

Check survey feasibility

Bring together the people involved at the specific location

A project spanning several regions needs a shared technical brief and clear assignment to each location. Project management assigns documents, queries and decisions to the relevant construction section and contact.

Project sponsors

Define the subject of the enquiry

Identify the plot, construction section and forthcoming decision. Is historical information to be obtained, an investigation planned or the reach of an existing report clarified? These tasks need different initial data. The project owner brings the existing documents together and clarifies access to the affected areas. Services already commissioned also belong in the discussion, so that an area is not accidentally investigated twice or a gap between two commissions overlooked. Where there are several landowners, also record which area each enquiry concerns.

Design

Describe the ground disturbance spatially

The design shows where and how deeply the ground will be disturbed. For inclined drilling, deep retaining works or structures extending sideways, a line on a plan is often insufficient to identify the full working volume. Also describe advance investigation works and temporary facilities where they affect the ground. Communicate changes with a date and clear drawing identifier. The specialist contractor can then check whether a previously defined investigation area still fits without rejecting the earlier report as a whole.

Technical assessment

Compare documents with site conditions

FONTANA-EOD assesses the commissioned explosive ordnance question using the information available. This includes investigated areas and areas still outstanding. Where a technical investigation is planned, its objective and site conditions are considered together. Installed structures, fill and restricted access can influence method selection. The agreed scope should show which question is to be answered and which information is still missing for a sound decision. New findings are passed on with their implications for the next step.

Execution

Work with the relevant drawing revision

Construction managers and contractors need the documents that relate to their actual section of work. An older overview is not automatically wrong, but its scope must be identifiable. Agree who receives design changes and arranges their technical review. When the contractor changes, the areas already clarified and remaining limitations should be handed over too. This preserves the meaning of an investigation result when contacts or construction stages change. Each company's safety duties remain part of execution planning.

Local coordination

Keep contact with authorities separate from commissioning technical services

Information from an authority and a privately commissioned investigation report do not necessarily answer the same question. Record which body issued a communication, which application it concerns and which further action it requires. If a letter refers to a plan or appendix, that document belongs in the technical review. For cross-border projects, responsibilities are clarified for each country. A German service or record name must not be assumed to describe an identical procedural step in Luxembourg.

In Germany, the states' explosive ordnance disposal services, also known as KBD, KMBD or KRD, and locally competent authorities carry out public safety and ordnance find duties. The federal state, district or independent city, and responsible point of contact are established for the project location. The public order authority and, where relevant, building control are involved according to their duties. Luxembourg has its own responsibilities and reporting routes. The private specialist contractor carries out the commissioned investigation and its documentation.

Which specialist services may suit your construction project

Regional assessment does not lead to one standard service. Depending on history, surface, depth, construction stage and the evidence required, any of the core specialist services may be relevant.

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical aerial photograph analysis

Wartime aerial photographs, maps, historical records and land-use history are compared with the construction area, route and ground disturbance depth.

Assess the site history
Illustration: a person beside a survey trolley; drawn waves and an object underground explain the measurement principle.

Surface survey

Near-surface suspected areas are assessed according to interfering objects, access and measurement conditions.

Survey the surface
Illustration: a person at a ground-penetrating radar trolley; waves and survey lines are shown below the ground surface.

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable ground and surface conditions, GPR can additionally record structural differences, interfering objects and suspected areas. Highly conductive ground can limit its range; ground structure, moisture and interference are considered at the project location.

Understand ground-penetrating radar
Illustration: a person pushes a wide survey trolley with several vertical probes across open ground.

Magnetometry

Geomagnetic measurements are relevant to ferromagnetic objects and require careful assessment in the presence of utilities, reinforcement and interfering fields.

Assess magnetometry
Illustration: a quad bike pulls a wide survey frame across a marked construction area.

TDEM

Time-domain electromagnetics can detect metallic objects in suitable investigation areas and adds to the choice of methods in certain interference and depth conditions. It records the time-dependent electromagnetic responses of electrically conductive bodies. Measurement conditions and assessment of findings determine what can be concluded about the investigated area.

Discuss TDEM
Illustration: a person with survey equipment in a marked construction area; an excavator with a drilling attachment stands on the right.

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

Borehole positions, piled foundations, shafts and deep excavations need an assessment that matches the actual depth of ground disturbance. Starting elevation, borehole path and final depth are compared with the ground volume required. Measurement grids, borehole positions and investigations before drilling begins depend on the specific task.

Survey at depth
Illustration: a person wearing a hard hat and holding a tablet beside a cordoned-off excavation with an excavator.

Excavation supervision

Where surveying is limited or earthworks need controlled supervision, the technical investigation is integrated into excavation. Where the method is suitable, each working layer is technically surveyed and assessed before removal. Visual inspection supplements controlled excavation in layers. This continues to the agreed excavation base and, where required, at walls or slopes; the stop signal, authority to issue instructions and reporting routes are agreed before work starts.

Supervise excavation
Illustration: two people with equipment in a marked work area, with an excavator behind them.

Area clearance

Suspected areas are professionally prepared, opened, investigated and documented where the project situation and method require it.

Clarify area clearance
Illustration: three people beside a cordoned-off pit containing an exposed elongated object.

Ordnance recovery

For confirmed findings, the find location, responsibilities, safeguarding, recovery and documentation are incorporated into the project workflow in an organised way. Where recovery has been carried out, the clearance record documents location, depth and result, and remains linked to the finding and spatial appendices.

Prepare for recovery
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Clearance documentation

The document basis, methods, findings, limitations and subsequent decision are recorded clearly for project records, procurement and construction management.

Secure the evidence trail

From assessment of suspicion to documentation

The technical decision follows from the region, project type and ground disturbance. Survey methods, documentation scope and construction sequences differ considerably between housing, civil engineering, utilities and excavations.

Unclear history before design

For land purchases, feasibility, land-use planning or initial procurement preparation, historical assessment is the technical starting point.

Review the site history

Excavation, route or borehole position

Once the position and depth of ground disturbance are defined, the appropriate surface survey, deep investigation or borehole survey is considered.

Coordinate survey work

Ongoing work or a constrained construction sequence

For earthworks, demolition, utility trenches or disturbed sites, explosive ordnance assessment can be integrated into excavation.

Provide specialist excavation supervision

Procurement and documentation

Methods, limitations, findings and next steps must be described clearly for tendering and construction management.

Prepare documentation

Regional explosive ordnance assessment by project type

Every sector and application is considered in its regional context. The same suspected contamination may call for different methods, records and construction steps depending on the project type.

Road construction and civil engineering

Two people with a survey trolley on a road construction site beside an existing carriageway.

Carriageways, sewers, shafts, retaining walls, excavations and traffic areas need an assessment that follows the actual depth of ground disturbance.

Assess a civil engineering project

Industry and commercial sites

Person wearing a hard hat and holding a tablet in front of a marked-out construction area and industrial buildings.

Commercial sites, production areas, former industrial sites and expansion areas are assessed according to their land-use history, interference and construction stages.

Assess commercial land

Local authority projects

Specialist personnel with a tablet at a marked-out construction site in front of a building complex.

Roads, squares, schools, sewers and public buildings need clear documents for tendering, committees, construction management and coordination with public safety authorities.

Assess a municipal project

Housing and site development

Specialist personnel with a plan and survey trolley on a construction site in front of homes under construction.

Plots, new housing areas, site roads, service connections, utility trenches and excavations are considered as a connected volume of ground disturbance.

Prepare a housing project

Rail and track corridors

Person with a tablet beside an open cable duct along a railway.

Track surroundings, cable trenches, crossings, ancillary railway land and linear sections require section-by-section assessment of suspected contamination, access and the construction sequence.

Assess a railway route

Utility construction and energy

Person in high-visibility clothing beside a utility trench, with solar panels and wind turbines in the background.

Routes, joint bays, boreholes, crossings, wind farms, solar farms and substation areas need an assessment decision for each section.

Discuss a utility project

Critical infrastructure

Person wearing a hard hat beside a vehicle on a marked-out construction area in front of a cooling tower and industrial installations.

Utilities, energy, transport, water, communications and security infrastructure require sound evidence and clear responsibilities between work stages.

Assess a critical infrastructure site

Environment, contaminated land and geotechnics

Two people wearing safety helmets, with a tablet and a plan, on a marked construction area in front of a drilling rig.

Contaminated sites, ground investigations, landfills, fill and geotechnical investigations need close coordination of borehole positions, site history and occupational safety.

Coordinate a ground investigation assessment

Insurers and risk management

Three people discuss a site plan on a construction site in front of a scaffolded building.

Transactions, insurance coverage questions, major projects and risk reports need a clear assessment of suspected contamination, the limits of evidence and the next investigation step.

Arrange a specialist risk assessment

Records for project files, tendering and construction management

Document basis

The address, coordinates, land parcel, site plan, construction area, route, borehole positions, ground disturbance depth and existing requirements provide the starting point.

Send project documents

A site plan should distinguish the proposed work from neighbouring areas. Also mark temporary working areas if ground disturbance is planned there. A contact who can explain design changes helps with queries. Missing documents are identified specifically so that obtaining them or adding the necessary technical information can be commissioned directly.

Historical assessment

Aerial photographs, maps, known wartime effects, former use and regional suspected contamination data are related to the specific ground disturbance.

Commission an assessment

When using an existing assessment, check which document version it is based on. A report may concern an earlier construction stage and still contain useful findings. Comparison with today's project is decisive. A finding that data is missing must be distinguished from a finding of specific contamination.

Technical findings

Survey data, anomalies, interfering objects, measurement limits and assessment of findings are documented so that designers and construction managers can use them.

Prepare survey work

A measurement finding is considered with its location, method and measurement conditions. In an area with limited interpretability, the recipient must be able to identify that the conclusion is limited there. A mapped anomaly and an identified object are different results and are described accordingly.

Results and next steps

The evidence leads to the next technical decision: further investigation, excavation supervision, clearance, recovery or continuation of construction.

Define the purpose of the documentation

For construction managers, it is particularly important to know which next work step the result covers. This may be a clearly identified excavation, utility section or group of borehole positions. Conditions for further work and areas not yet addressed should be passed on with the result so that the conclusion is used correctly during construction.

01

Record the project location

The region, address, site plan, land parcel, route and construction objective are clearly described.

For linear projects, add chainage or clearly identified section boundaries. Individual ground investigations or foundations require the planned positions and depths. A shared drawing revision prevents an enquiry to an authority from concerning a different area from the subsequent survey. Existing investigations are included as a separate drawing layer or clearly assigned appendix. This step is based on a spatially defined task, not a blanket classification of an entire city.

02

Assess the site history

Aerial photographs, maps, historical records and known information on suspected contamination are reviewed for the project.

The available information is checked to establish whether it concerns the specific area and how reliable its spatial assignment is. A historical map, aerial photograph assessment and ordnance find report each provide different information. If an appendix is missing or a suspected point has been transferred only approximately, that uncertainty is considered in further planning. Field investigation follows from the technical need. Neither a region's general wartime history nor the mere absence of an entry replaces assessment of the project.

03

Determine the method

Surveying, deep investigation, excavation supervision or clearance are selected according to the area and ground disturbance.

Before commissioning, define which area and depth are to be investigated and what conclusion is needed. Site conditions and the sequence of construction work are considered. Preparatory works can themselves disturb the ground and must therefore be included in coordination. If existing structures restrict investigation of an area, the design needs a corresponding statement and a reasoned next step. A general equipment name does not sufficiently describe this scope of services.

04

Carry out the investigation on site

The specialist contractor carries out the commissioned survey or investigation during construction within the agreed area. Access, existing utilities, surfaces and the order of preparatory ground disturbance are coordinated with construction management. Measurement data and findings are assigned position, elevation and depth references. Inaccessible areas and restricted measurement conditions are recorded.

05

Assess findings and agree subsequent measures

The results are compared with the investigation objective and planned ground disturbance. Anomalies, identified objects and outstanding areas are described separately. Required further investigations or work on confirmed findings are agreed with the responsible parties. Remaining tasks and conditions are stated for the following construction section.

06

Provide supporting records

Results, limitations and subsequent decisions are documented for project records, procurement and construction management.

Results are handed over with their spatial reference and the conditions essential to their use. For a later construction section, it must remain identifiable whether it lies within the investigated area. New plans or changed reference elevations are therefore compared with earlier documents. A report does not gain a wider scope merely by being copied into a new project file. A clear summary refers to the relevant appendices and identifies outstanding tasks for the next ground disturbance.

Clarify responsibilities at the project location

For construction sites with an unclear history, the relevant regional level, authority and document basis are established.

Have the site assessed

Clarify suspected contamination before procurement

Before tendering, historical evidence, ground disturbance depth and the scope of services are brought together in a verifiable description.

Prepare procurement documents

Typical assessment tasks

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Define suspected areas through specialist assessment

Aerial photographs and historical records indicate where technical investigation should usefully be directed.

Request an assessment
Illustration: a person with survey equipment in a marked construction area; an excavator with a drilling attachment stands on the right.

Check borehole positions and excavation depth

Deep ground disturbance needs a different assessment from near-surface area investigation.

Discuss deep investigation
Illustration: a person wearing a hard hat and holding a tablet beside a cordoned-off excavation with an excavator.

Provide specialist supervision of earthworks

Where surveying is restricted, the investigation can be integrated into controlled excavation.

Consider excavation supervision
Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.
Person with a yellow survey cart on a footpath in front of a hedge.
Multiple project locations

Prepare investigations across property and administrative boundaries

For a route, expansion programme or several building plots, every technical conclusion must remain assigned to its geographical area. Shared project organisation makes coordination easier. It does not automatically make different document versions, site conditions and investigation tasks comparable.

Name project sections clearly

Give clear identifiers to the sections covered by enquiries and investigations. A section may include several land parcels or concern only part of a plot. What matters is showing the actual ground disturbance on the site plan. Use the same identifiers in the construction sequence, investigation concept and results documents. Queries can then be assigned to a particular section without redescribing the entire project.

At an administrative boundary, the section limits should be clear to everyone involved. If technical working areas overlap those boundaries, the necessary coordination is brought together accordingly. Different case references may concern the same construction work; the geographical meaning of each remains documented.

Send sections with a site plan

Present elevations and ground disturbance depths comparably

A depth needs an identifiable reference. Is it measured from the existing ground surface, a later formation level or an elevation marked on the drawing? Different construction sections may have different ground levels. Copying a number unchanged may then describe a different volume of ground. Always provide the vertical datum and associated drawing version.

For ground investigations, piles, retaining works and inclined drilling, the actual working volume forms part of the brief. The technical assessment compares this volume with the area already investigated. Missing details are clarified before the next affected work; a matching plot number or project name alone does not replace this comparison.

Assess the investigation for the planned depth

Review inherited reports with their appendices

When ownership or plans change, reports from earlier construction projects are often taken over. Their further use requires the original investigation brief, site plans, results and stated limitations to be considered together. A cover page or single concluding sentence will generally not identify the full spatial scope.

Also provide appendices and supplementary correspondence. The technical query should identify which new ground disturbance is to be compared with the earlier result. Useful findings can then continue to be used, while additional areas, new depths and different construction methods are identified specifically. Decisions on further investigation follow from this concrete comparison.

Bring reports and spatial references together

Show differing access conditions during construction stages

A traffic area may be accessible only at certain times while neighbouring construction areas can already be investigated. Surfacing, vegetation and existing facilities also change working conditions. Record which areas are accessible when and what preparatory works are planned to enable access.

Investigation planning can then proceed section by section. Results from an accessible area are not transferred unchecked to a section not yet addressed. Construction management can identify which work is next and which documents must be available for it. If the construction sequence changes, the technical sequence is compared again with the actual ground disturbance.

Coordinate assessment and earthworks in time

Keep investigation limits visible during handovers

When the designer, construction manager or contractor changes, results are often passed on in shortened form. Handover therefore includes a clear presentation of investigated areas and outstanding tasks. Inaccessible areas, restricted measurement zones and assessments still outstanding remain visible alongside the result.

The receiving party needs a clear connection between the plan, report and forthcoming work. The relevant document versions are identified and outstanding queries assigned to a responsible person. A project overview helps with orientation while the complete technical documents remain available for the actual work.

Prepare the results handover for construction management

Assign cross-border tasks separately

For projects with sections in Germany and Luxembourg, the project location, commissioned specialist service and competent authorities are clarified specifically for each country. A shared commission may need a consistent technical overview without making individual official steps or document names equivalent.

The project file therefore records which section and task a letter or report concerns. Existing investigation data can be assessed technically; its use for new work is matched to the actual ground disturbance planned. Translations should preserve the original conclusion and its limitations clearly. Similar terminology does not confer additional official or technical validity.

Describe cross-border project sections
Working together

A clear investigation task for every location

Connect a shared overview with local differences

FONTANA-EOD tailors the commissioned specialist service to the construction task described and the available documents. For several project locations, common requirements are brought together and site-specific differences stated explicitly. These include the specific investigation area, local working conditions and the conclusion needed for the next construction section. A consistent presentation helps clients compare without treating different investigation statuses as equivalent.

Technical coordination records which information is available and which queries remain unanswered. Changes to the drawing or working area are assigned to the relevant section. Project management can then communicate the status of individual sections without making a blanket statement about the whole project.

Coordinate locations and investigation tasks

The same information for comparable tasks

The project location, site plan, ground disturbance depth and decision sought are identified for each section. Differences in available documents remain visible. A shared enquiry format helps supply missing information directly and make sensible use of existing findings.

Record local limitations specifically

Utilities, installed structures, surfaces and access are considered at the location affected. A method that worked on another project is not adopted solely because the place name or building type is similar. Its suitability for the specific investigation question is decisive.

Direct queries to the correct section

An unknown depth, moved borehole position or missing plan concerns a particular task. The query identifies this connection. Project management can then respond directly while sections already clarified retain their documented status.

Hand over results with their supporting basis

The report includes the relevant plans and stated investigation limits. This connection is preserved when documents are passed to others. The summary provides orientation and leads to the appropriate complete document.

Terms for coordination

Distinguish regional context from a technical conclusion

For a clear enquiry, it helps to identify geographical responsibilities, historical findings and technical investigation separately. These terms describe different tasks within the same construction project.

Project location

The project location identifies the geographical context of the work. The investigation also needs the actual area and depth of ground disturbance. A postal address or municipal boundary does not fully describe this working volume.

Provide the location and working volume

Historical basis for suspicion

This refers to the information from which further technical assessment follows. Its spatial reference and evidential value are considered. A general historical description of a place does not replace an assessment related to the construction area.

Assess the historical documents

Investigation area

This means the spatially and technically defined scope of an investigation. Area, depth, method and limitations belong together. A conclusion for one section is not transferred to a neighbouring area solely because it is nearby.

Assign the investigation task to a service

Documented scope

It describes which task and areas the result concerns. If the design changes, the new ground disturbance is checked against that scope. The report and its appendices are used together for this purpose.

Read the conclusion with its supporting evidence

Questions about regional explosive ordnance assessment

What should we do if a suspicious item is found?

If you suspect an explosive ordnance find, immediately stop work at the find location. Do not touch, move or uncover the object further. Leave the immediate area, keep your distance and keep others away without putting yourself at risk. In Germany, immediately call the police on 110; outside Germany, use the local emergency reporting route. The competent authorities determine the next steps. Inform construction management and the client; internal communication must not delay the emergency call.

What types of legacy explosive ordnance may be relevant regionally?

Depending on the location, possible items include unexploded bombs, shells, ammunition parts, fuzes, cartridges, ammunition remnants, mines, rocket remnants or other found ammunition. A reliable conclusion requires assessment of the specific area.

When is a historical aerial photograph assessment useful?

It is useful when, before design, procurement, drilling, excavation or site development, it is necessary to establish whether wartime effects or suspected points affect the area.

Which documents help speed up the regional assessment?

Useful information includes the address, coordinates, land parcel, site plan, construction area boundaries, route, ground disturbance depths, utility plans, construction stage, requirements and existing earlier assessments.

Who decides on official measures following a find?

The competent authorities decide on public safety measures under the applicable regional procedures. Responsibilities for safeguarding, further handling and recovery are agreed with them. Commissioned specialist services depend on the commission and the authorisations applicable to it.

What determines the scope of services and costs?

The area, ground disturbance depth, available documents, ground structure, metallic interference and access define the investigation task. Required preparation, analysis, work on findings and documentation add to it. For several locations, the services actually needed and quantities still to be established are described separately. Send the site plan, construction objective, ground disturbance depth, construction stage, known requirements and evidence sought so that the quotation can be discussed.

Can a report from a neighbouring plot be used?

It may contain information relevant to technical preparation. Its investigation results, however, apply to the documented area and conditions described there. For your own project, the location, depth and document scope are compared. A neighbouring plot does not provide substitute evidence for an area not yet investigated.

How can several regions be included in one enquiry?

Send an overview and identify each construction section with its location, position and ground disturbance depth. Assign existing reports and official correspondence to the relevant section. Technical project coordination can be shared; local responsibilities and requirements are clarified separately for the locations concerned.

Start a regional project assessment

Documents we need for your regional enquiry

For a larger project, an initial enquiry can describe one time-critical section. Mark which other areas are intended to follow later. The current commission can then be limited spatially while the later extension remains in view. The boundaries of the first section also belong in the results documents; they must not be treated as the whole project area when passed on.

Location and area

The address, coordinates, land parcel, site plan, construction area boundaries, route and adjacent uses describe the spatial assessment area. For several locations, state the country, federal state or administrative area, and associated section identifiers.

Ground disturbance and construction stage

The excavation, excavation depth, borehole positions, utility trenches, foundations, retaining works, construction period and procurement status determine the technical assessment needed.

Identify the technical assessment for the project type

Documents and evidence requirements

Earlier assessments, requirements, aerial photograph assessments, utility plans and tender documents show which evidence is needed. Send complete reports with appendices and existing official correspondence. State contacts, access options and the date by which the technical conclusion is needed.

Prepare the regional assessment directly

Project location
Site plan
Intervention depth
Documentation objective
Send documents to FONTANA-EOD
Project enquiry

Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.

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