Technical map view of the Tübingen administrative district showing Tübingen as a location for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Friedrichshafen

Planning ground investigations, utilities or an excavation in Friedrichshafen? FONTANA-EOD helps project owners, designers and site managers clarify the explosive ordnance requirements for these works. Send existing assessments and the site plan showing points, areas and depths so that the necessary specialist services can be coordinated with the investigation in good time.

Design status

Distinguish outstanding tasks from results.

Ground investigation points

Describe the planned ground disturbance.

Sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction preparation.

Assess the construction project

What needs to be clarified before ground investigations in Friedrichshafen?

An explosive ordnance assessment before construction in Friedrichshafen also considers preparatory drilling and other ground investigations, including their locations, methods and depths. The knowledge required for these specific works is established before they begin. Existing results are taken into account; outstanding questions determine the additional commission. A later excavation is checked against its own scope.

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustrated map of Baden-Württemberg with its three-lion coat of arms, a tablet, white FONTANA-EOD hard hat and notebook.

Read the Kluftern Nord documents in the context of their planning stage

The explanatory statement of 8 April 2025 and the preliminary environmental assessment of 24 March 2025 identify matters still to be addressed. For a current construction task, ask for the actual reports to establish the progress made since then. Contaminated land information and explosive ordnance remain separate technical issues; preparatory ground investigations are included in the planning. According to the official municipality directory Friedrichshafen is a major district town in the Bodenseekreis district, Tübingen administrative district, in Baden-Württemberg. Identify the project using its address and cadastral plots. For works outside the town boundary, the local contact depends on the actual municipality. The explosive ordnance disposal service at the Stuttgart regional authority is responsible throughout the state. Further locations are listed in the regional overview.

Local context

Friedrichshafen's wartime history and the planning stage in Kluftern

Aerial warfare and the documents available today

The city's account of the air raids, dated 26 April 2024, describes Friedrichshafen's importance for the production of tank engines, gearboxes and aircraft. It documents raids between 1943 and 1945, including the British night raid of 27–28 April 1944 and the US daylight raid of 20 July 1944. The local military background also includes the anti-aircraft garrison expanded at Fallenbrunnen from 1937. For a current investigation, past land uses and raid information are compared with suitable aerial photographs, records and the location of the specific project. Whether this establishes grounds for suspicion in particular areas of ground disturbance is a question for that site-specific assessment.

The preliminary explanatory statement for development plan No. 747, Kluftern Nord, dated 8 April 2025 requires contaminated land and explosive ordnance to be examined more closely as the procedure progresses. It describes a suspected contaminated site or historic waste deposit. This is not a confirmed explosive ordnance find. Both matters appear in the same section but require separate specialist investigation.

Ask separately about the current investigation status

The preliminary environmental assessment, dated 24 March 2025, lists ground investigation reports and explosive ordnance surveying among the required specialist assessments. It therefore describes investigations still to be undertaken. For a current project, establish separately whether results are now available and which ground disturbance they cover. The task list establishes neither a completed survey nor clearance.

A current investigation programme requires the spatial boundaries covered by these planning documents. The preliminary draft addresses a defined area in northern Kluftern. Its stage of progress is considered alongside later assessments and the current design. A statement about this area is retained with its appendices. For a different project location in Friedrichshafen, obtain the relevant local records. The town's history provides a basis for specialist research; each investigation result relates to the area actually assessed and the construction task described.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation work. Requirements and decisions of public authorities are addressed with the responsible bodies. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the work carried out, including its documented area, depth and scope. Decisions reserved for public authorities are made by those authorities.

For Friedrichshafen, the Baden-Württemberg explosive ordnance disposal service based at the Stuttgart regional authority is the state specialist body. The city's service information describes the commission for aerial photograph assessment, including an application and a precisely bounded site plan. Advice, searches and recovery are handled under the conditions stated there; private specialist commissions are agreed with their specific scope. The project owner obtains the existing documents and identifies those responsible for the project. Designers and contractors bring the results together with the current construction design. Official requirements are coordinated with the responsible authorities.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

First establish the question that remains open

Investigation needs identified in the preliminary draft are compared with the current stage of progress. Existing usable results inform the assessment. This determines the additional work needed for the next ground disturbance. Method selection follows the specific task, rather than simply the wording of an older list.

Choose specialist services according to current investigation needs

Distinguish individual investigation points from wider areas

An investigation of individual ground investigation points differs in scope from preparation for an excavation. The respective areas, depths and objectives must be clear. Existing results are assessed by specialists as later planning progresses. Additional work addresses the remaining questions; applying the assessment of individual points to an entire plot would be too imprecise.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

From an early investigation need to a defined work brief

Two people discussing plans at a table beside a vehicle on a construction site.

Obtain the full historical basis

Provide existing assessments and relevant planning documents with their dates and appendices. An early task list may identify investigations still needed. It establishes neither their execution nor their results. Further planning therefore requires confirmation of which reports are now available and which questions still need to be addressed.

Match planning documents to completed investigations
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Clearly show the first ground disturbance

Mark the planned ground investigation points and other preparatory ground disturbance on a site plan. Add the intended depths and sequence. This information helps establish the necessary prerequisites for the investigation. A large excavation planned for a later stage does not replace a precise description of the preceding works.

Include preparatory ground disturbance as well as the drilling points themselves. This may involve creating a working platform, an investigation pit or a new utility connection. The specialists carrying out the work specify methods, necessary working space and depth references. Show equipment positions and ground investigation points separately on the plan. Existing surfaces, installed structures and known fill form part of the constraints. This information establishes the records needed before equipment arrives and the areas to be addressed only as later construction planning progresses.

Compare specialist services
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Confirm completion through the results

After an investigation, the report and appendices are handed over with their actual scope. Record which question they answer and which limitations remain. An entry in the programme cannot replace this information. For the next work step, compare the stage reached with the area of ground disturbance required.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A realistic programme distinguishes technically resolved work from prerequisites that are still outstanding. If only part of a site will be accessible, the commission must take this into account. Handover and assessment of the results also need time in the construction programme. The schedule and effort are agreed once the scope, access and prerequisites are clear. This coordination brings together the specified scope, access, documents, site conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Prepare the investigation before equipment arrives

01

Ask about the current stage of progress

Ask which investigations listed in the preliminary draft have since been commissioned or completed. The actual reports and appendices are needed. An older planning stage may still provide useful information, but it does not establish that a task is complete today. Explicitly identify outstanding points during coordination.

02

Describe the planned ground investigations precisely

Geotechnical investigations can themselves disturb the ground. Specialist comparison requires the planned positions, method and depths. Have the explosive ordnance requirements clarified before this ground disturbance. A later geotechnical report cannot retrospectively establish the prerequisites for its own investigations.

The investigation programme is handed over with its respective drawing revision. If points are moved after the quotation, the explosive ordnance specialist planner receives the new revision before work begins. A change in investigation method may also involve different preparatory ground disturbance or working space. The comparison therefore considers location, depth and procedure together. On the day of the work, site management must be able to identify the points covered by the documents available. Outstanding positions are handed over with the intended next step.

03

Assess contaminated land and explosive ordnance separately

An indication of fill or possible pollutants is not also evidence of explosive ordnance. Equally, an explosive ordnance report does not answer a question under soil protection legislation. Pass relevant findings to the specialists involved so the works can be coordinated. The respective investigation objectives and results should remain clearly identified.

To prepare investigations together, specialist planners describe the information they need from each other. Geotechnical investigation may provide knowledge of strata and fill; the explosive ordnance assessment addresses its own questions of suspicion and investigation. Both work programmes consider known utilities and former foundations. The risk assessment takes the respective planned activities into account. This enables access, equipment movements and work sequence to be coordinated. The specialist reports remain in the project file with their own investigation objectives and the areas actually addressed.

04

Account for later construction areas in the investigation scope

Individual investigation points and a later excavation occupy different parts of the ground. Record the ground disturbance an investigation is intended to support. As construction planning becomes more detailed, existing results are compared again with the area required. Assessing individual points does not produce a general conclusion for the entire area.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Bring the disciplines together during preparation

Ground conditions, possible pollutants and explosive ordnance are addressed according to their respective questions. Describe the planned investigations and their ground disturbance to those involved. Establish together which results are needed before each step. The reports remain separately traceable even when their execution is coordinated in time. The initial file includes the site plan showing cadastral plots, the construction area or route, and historical records. Measurement data and survey results are linked to the assessment of findings. The conclusion identifies the knowledge gained and the further steps needed for the affected groundworks.

Communicate changes in the investigation programme

If a ground investigation point moves or is planned deeper, the preparation required may change. Identify the difference before work begins. The specialist planner checks whether the existing conclusions still apply. A rescheduled date or new point number alone does not show that the technical prerequisites have been met. Where clearance works have actually been carried out, the clearance record, including the area addressed and scope of services, belongs in the project file. The survey report documents measurement data, analysis and investigation limits; the conclusion states the stage reached and further steps for outstanding areas.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Record the prerequisites before the first ground investigation

Send the investigation programme plan and existing explosive ordnance documents. Identify the next work step and reports still missing. The specialists involved coordinate the necessary investigation scope and sequence. Those carrying out the work then receive a traceable statement of the prerequisites for the specific points planned.

Compare again when moving into construction planning

The investigations may create new requirements for foundations, the excavation or utilities. Compare the revised design with the scope investigated so far. Results that already apply are used. For additional areas, establish the further information or investigations needed before the planned groundworks there.

Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific decision.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Choose the appropriate approach for each outstanding task

Assess the information already available

The Historical aerial photograph analysis and other relevant documents may provide the basis for explosive ordnance assessment. First read their actual content. The additional investigation needed is derived from this and the planned ground disturbance. Simply mentioning a service in the preliminary draft does not establish the scope actually carried out.

Set measurement objectives before surveying

The Surveying must suit the area investigated, the depth required and local conditions. Existing structures and possible interference must inform method selection. The analysis must show what can be established and where limitations remain. An area that cannot be adequately assessed must not be treated as an area with no anomalies.

If you wish to have a suspected explosive ordnance area in Friedrichshafen assessed, first describe the specific grounds for suspicion and the investigation objective. Ground structure, suspected target objects, depth of ground disturbance and metal interference affect method selection. Existing utilities, reinforcement, foundations and fill can alter measurement conditions. Clearance for a borehole is assigned to its point location and documented depth range. For deep-ground surveying or area clearance, the volume of ground actually needed is defined. The specialist planner records the question the chosen method is intended to answer and how areas that cannot be adequately assessed will be addressed further. The Surveying is directed at this investigation objective.

Coordinate investigations and construction preparation

Any necessary Clearance plan describes the sequence of the work required. It also considers preparatory ground disturbance and cooperation with other disciplines. Merely watching an excavation does not replace a proper explosive ordnance investigation. Explosive ordnance clearance during construction must be planned on a basis appropriate to the respective task.

The selected working method is described in the tender as a specific specialist task. Areas and depths required, known sources of interference, access and available documents form the common basis for quotations. Separate the acquisition of missing knowledge from technical investigation and any subsequent examination of findings. Suitable excavation monitoring is agreed with its prerequisites, working areas and handover steps. Necessary protective measures and responsibilities are coordinated on site. If the design changes, the specialist contractor receives the revised brief before the affected groundworks. Any necessary Ordnance recovery is coordinated with the respective specialist task and responsibility.

Next steps

Follow outstanding investigations through to their results

01

Ask a specific question about the next ground disturbance

In the enquiry, identify the work planned next, such as particular ground investigation points. Add existing reports and the proposed layout plan. This allows the specialist commission to focus on the area immediately needed without treating a later, wider construction operation as already assessed. The initial contact records the project location, next groundworks and decision required. The document review relates drawings and previous explosive ordnance reports to the current investigation programme.

02

Clarify responsibilities between disciplines before commissioning

Agree which documents the specialists need from each other and the possible work sequence. Everyone affected should receive changes to the investigation programme. A general agreement on dates does not replace the technical prerequisites for each ground disturbance. Where adequate records are missing, historical research and aerial photograph assessment are carried out. Method selection considers the grounds for suspicion, target objects, depth range, interference and access.

03

Establish completion from the report

After an investigation, the documented result matters, including its spatial extent and remaining limitations. Marking a task as 'commissioned' or 'completed' in a list is insufficient for site management. The documents must apply to the planned work and be available before the affected ground disturbance begins. The agreed survey or suitable supervision addresses the defined areas. The assessment relates findings and measurement limits to the planned ground disturbance.

A survey report brings together measurement methods, areas addressed, analysis and investigation limits. Where clearance works have actually been carried out, a clearance record adds details of the services and their spatial extent. Retain plans showing areas not yet fully addressed as well. Usable results and further steps still required are handed over to those responsible for the next construction phase. These documents remain available if the contractor changes. Later use depends on the documented area, depth and service scope, as well as the work planned at that time. The Clearance documentation provides a traceable record of the documented service scope.

04

Use the results in the next planning phase

When the investigations lead to a defined foundation or excavation design, compare the new design with the investigation scope to date. Usable results are taken into account. Additional work concerns the outstanding areas; it must neither be required automatically for the whole plot nor ruled out without specialist comparison. The report, location appendices and, where clearance works were carried out, the clearance record document the specialist services. The subsequent decision defines further investigations or coordination for outstanding areas.

Documentation

Statewide duties and the project-specific commission

Findings and their scope

The explosive ordnance disposal service at the Stuttgart regional authority is also responsible for Friedrichshafen. Subject to available capacity, it provides advice, searches and recovery against reimbursement of costs. If the service cannot perform this work, private specialist contractors must be commissioned. Render-safe operations and other state duties relating to recovered explosive ordnance remain separate. The city's procedural information explains the application documents for preliminary investigation.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD agrees the specialist services needed and the information required with you. The starting point is the actual stage of your project, rather than only the task list in an early planning draft. The BFR KMR guidelines may be used as technical guidance outside their federal scope; applying them does not replace locally required coordination with the authorities.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Distinguish the task list from the investigation result

Listing a required service initially describes a planning task. Whether it has been commissioned, carried out or analysed must be separately traceable. Keep the respective documents together. Site management needs the technical report and its scope, rather than only the organisational status of a task.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Retain the scope of each planning phase

The original investigation plan, execution report with appendices and later construction drawing revisions should be retained in their respective versions. This shows which ground disturbance underpinned the earlier assessment. Changes can be compared specifically with the scope investigated so far. The documentation thus supports the next step without turning an earlier partial commission into an unlimited conclusion.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

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

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
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.
Questions from planning

Questions about early investigations in Friedrichshafen

Does the Kluftern Nord preliminary draft establish an explosive ordnance find?

No. The explanatory statement of 8 April 2025 describes a suspected contaminated site or historic waste deposit and further examination required. This does not establish a confirmed explosive ordnance find.

Has the explosive ordnance survey mentioned already been completed?

This is not established by the preliminary environmental assessment of 24 March 2025. It lists specialist assessments required. To establish the current status, ask for the investigation reports now available.

Should explosive ordnance requirements be clarified before ground investigations?

Yes, these works can also disturb the ground. Tell the specialists involved the locations, methods and depths of the proposed investigations so that the necessary prerequisites can be clarified before work begins. Agree the investigation needed with the specialist contractor before the affected works, and official requirements with the responsible authority. The KMBD commission includes an application and a bounded site plan. The technical process connects document review, necessary historical assessment and method selection with investigation, assessment and documentation.

Will assessed investigation points later suffice for the entire excavation?

Not automatically. Individual ground disturbance and an excavation differ in scope. Existing results must be compared with the later design and supplemented where necessary.

What should be done if a suspicious object is found?

Stop work and keep your distance. Do not touch, move or expose it; keep other people away. Call the police on 110 from a safe distance and follow their instructions.

Can an area that cannot be adequately assessed be treated as having no anomalies?

No. The analysis must distinguish a technically usable result from a remaining investigation limitation. Mark the affected area and outstanding question. Any additional steps needed for the next ground disturbance are agreed by specialists.

Which documents establish the specialist services carried out?

The report and location appendices are needed, showing the areas and depths actually addressed, results and investigation limits. For clearance works carried out, the clearance record is included. The organisational status 'commissioned' describes the award of the work; technical documents record the results achieved.

Which factors determine the work involved in an explosive ordnance assessment?

Existing usable documents, research needs, required areas and depths, access and interference determine the work involved. Analysis, documentation and, where applicable, examination of findings are added. Services and costs of the state KMBD are considered separately from private specialist commissions.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Provide the investigation programme

Send points, methods and depths together with existing reports. Add the address, cadastral plots, existing aerial photograph assessments, official conditions and utility plans with their respective revisions.

State the stage of progress

Clearly distinguish outstanding, commissioned and already documented tasks. Identify the construction area, routes, drilling points, ground disturbance depths and construction dates, as well as the project status and decision required.

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.