Technical map of the Middle Franconia administrative district showing Ansbach for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Erlangen

Tree pits, new paths and ecological compensation measures can also require ground works. FONTANA-EOD works with project owners, designers and site managers in Erlangen to compare earlier investigation results with the proposed ground disturbance. Send the landscape plan, depths and complete final documentation so usable results and specialist services still needed can be identified before construction.

External areas

Record ground works outside buildings.

Results

Consider the completed investigation status.

Planned works

State the locations and depths of the new works.

Discuss the project's technical requirementsExplosive ordnance investigation in Bavaria
Assess the construction project

How are earlier results used for new external works in Erlangen?

Show tree pits, paths, drainage and other ground works with their locations and depths. Compare the complete earlier results with these. Read an earlier outstanding investigation task together with later final documentation. Agree additional investigations for the question that actually remains, taking local access conditions into account.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Map of Bavaria with a blue-and-white lozenge shield and crown, a tablet, white FONTANA-EOD helmet and notebook.

Organise Erlangen's documents by procedure and task

The notices on Exerzierplatz show an early investigation status and a later completion. The complete associated results matter for new works. Building records from the city archives may supplement the plans of existing structures; their contents and access rights are clarified through the city's stated procedures. Erlangen is an independent city in Middle Franconia and belongs to the Free State of Bavaria. Building records for incorporated localities such as Bruck, Büchenbach, Eltersdorf, Frauenaurach and Tennenlohe are allocated through the city's stated procedure. For a property outside Erlangen, for example in the rural district of Erlangen-Höchstadt, the city identifies the municipality where the project is located as the first contact for building records. State the address, cadastral plot and documents needed. Further areas are listed in the regional overview; the specialist commission and responsible parties are clarified for the actual location.

Bavaria
Local context

Exerzierplatz: military use and documented completion

Place the earlier investigation task in its time context

Erlangen's notice on Universität Staudtstraße from November 2012 describes investigations on parts of the Exerzierplatz ecological compensation area. These also concerned preparation for ecological compensation measures. Following finds at that time, the needs for the remaining areas were to be clarified. This early notice is not, however, the latest status.

The city proposal for the clearance project in 2014 attributes the suspicion at that time to use by the Wehrmacht, wartime events including bombing in the immediate vicinity, and later use by the US Army. This local history of use explains the investigations at that time; the completion reported in June 2015 forms part of the subsequent status. For a new project, bring both stages together with the associated specialist reports and current ground works. The historical reason for a measure and its later results remain distinct.

Consider the later completion when planning new projects

In June 2015, the city reported completed investigations and clearance. It described removal of munitions from Exerzierplatz as having been carried out across the whole area. Anyone planning a new project there should therefore use the associated final documentation. An old investigation task must not be treated as still outstanding; conversely, a result must fit the ground works planned today.

The Erlangen City Archive describes the city's surrender without fighting on 16 April 1945, with buildings and infrastructure largely preserved. For explosive ordnance assessment, relate such city history to the specific land use and existing investigation results. For Exerzierplatz, include the records of military use and subsequent clearance. What matters is the evidence for the precise ground volume where disturbance is now planned.

Working together

Roles and responsibilities at the location

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.

In Bavaria, municipalities generally provide local hazard response as public safety authorities; where urgent action is needed, the police take the necessary measures. The explosive ordnance disposal service commissioned by the Interior Ministry supports response to specific hazards from legacy ordnance that has been found. The Nürnberg disposal unit is responsible for Middle Franconia, among other areas. Historical research, property assessment and planned investigation are prepared and commissioned as separate specialist tasks. The project location determines which municipal and other bodies need to be involved.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

First identify the conclusions still needed

Compare existing results with the location and depth of the planned work. This determines whether further work is needed and for what purpose. Then select the method according to the investigation objective and actual conditions. Planning takes account of questions already answered sufficiently.

Determine additional specialist services for the specific question

State which investigation conclusions can be achieved

Restricted access or structures may limit the investigation. Specialist planning describes the conclusions possible under the conditions available. Areas still unresolved remain documented. Agree further steps for the remaining need before proposed ground works there rely on conclusions that do not exist.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Bring completed investigations together with new landscape plans

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

Understand the sequence of documents

Historical indications, interim reports and later results may describe different stages of work. Organise them by date and area. A need identified earlier may since have been addressed. The technical assessment uses the complete available record and identifies which documents or conclusions your own project still needs.

Provide the original assessment, later additions and final report together. A procedure may involve several areas or owners; the individual appendices then show which result belongs to which area. Record differing area names and plan versions. Compare a completion note with the ground volume actually investigated or cleared. Request missing evidence specifically. This retains usable results and lets the next commission describe the unresolved question for the present construction project.

Assign the reports' sequence and scope of conclusions
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Show the proposed earthworks individually

Tree pits, drainage pipes and paths may each affect different depths and areas. Show them on the current plan. Include preparatory works where they disturb the ground. Calling an area open space does not replace this specific description of the investigation.

The ground works plan may include utility connections, foundations for site fittings, path construction or ground lowering alongside tree positions. The proposed extent and depth and the reference elevation matter for each area. Record any later relocation clearly on the plan. The specialist assessment compares these details with the earlier investigation and its limits. If further work is needed, agree access, sequence and the required results before the affected ground works. Contractors receive the corresponding investigation status.

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

Pass on the usable results

Contractors need the relevant reports and their spatial limits. Assign later additions clearly. Record which design the comparison concerns. If a planting position moves or a path changes, check whether the earlier conclusions still cover the new ground disturbance.

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.

For an external works project, prepare investigation needs and protection requirements together. Describe existing vegetation, hard-surfaced access, utilities and working spaces that can actually be reached. Agree necessary changes with the responsible parties. Even a site already cleared may have conditions affecting access and equipment use. In the tender, assign documents to be provided, preparatory services and the expected results handover to the respective tasks. This keeps the agreed scope clear to the project owner, designers, specialist contractor and construction trade.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A reliable programme distinguishes tasks already technically resolved from prerequisites still outstanding. If an area will be only partly accessible, account for this when commissioning work. Results handover and assessment also need time in the construction programme. Once scope, access, documents and construction conditions are clarified, agree the programme and work required in relation to the date a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

External areas belong in ground works planning

01

Distinguish maintenance from earthworks

Existing surface use does not establish how later ground disturbance should be assessed. Describe whether the work is maintenance alone or involves excavation, foundations or changes to ground levels. The work sequence matters more than calling the area green space. Treating every activity as equivalent leads to unclear commissions.

02

Draw planting areas and new paths

Include proposed tree pits, path construction, drainage and any edging in the location plan. In a landscape design, these ground works often lie away from the buildings themselves. For specialist assessment, show their locations, dimensions and depths, and known changes from earlier plans. Areas not yet settled can be identified as design options.

03

Follow the documents through to completion

A decision, interim report and final documentation serve different purposes. Organise the documents by date and area concerned. Obtain missing appendices before deriving conclusions for construction from a brief administrative text. Work already completed must be considered in further planning.

04

Coordinate access and protection requirements

For any necessary investigation, clarify which areas can be entered and reached with suitable equipment. Include existing vegetation and protection conditions in this coordination. An investigation does not automatically authorise changes to protected vegetation or other protected features. Agree necessary preparatory works with the responsible parties in advance.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Consider completion of an earlier task

A later notice may close a previously outstanding procedure. Obtain the complete specialist documents where available. Comparison with the current project remains a separate task. A general completion note does not automatically describe every depth and condition needed for a new design. Where earlier clearance work is reported completed, include the associated clearance record in the comparison. It describes areas addressed, methods, findings and outstanding tasks; compare its spatial conclusions with the current ground works plan.

Coordinate investigation and protection requirements

Access, vegetation and applicable protection requirements affect preparation. Identify these conditions in the enquiry. Clarify necessary preparatory works with the responsible parties. A technical need for investigation does not by itself authorise arbitrary changes to the site or its vegetation.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Compile the landscape plan and final reports

Send the proposed ground works with their depths and the earlier results available. Include known access and protection conditions. The initial discussion identifies which information can be used for the commission. Identify missing plans or appendices before agreeing further services.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Add the work needed after a design change

If planting positions, paths or utilities move, mark the change on the plan. Supply the relevant earlier results too. The specialist assessment examines the newly affected ground volume. Define the scope and prerequisites of any necessary additional work, then document it clearly.

Coordinate the construction phase with us
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

Use existing findings and resolve outstanding areas specifically

Trace earlier use

A Historical aerial photograph analysis may form part of the preliminary investigation. Also consider available records of use and earlier investigations. These inform the question for your own project. A history of military use alone describes neither the present condition nor the scope of measures already completed.

If the underlying information is incomplete, analyse available historical maps, aerial photographs and records of earlier use. The Historical aerial photograph analysis is combined with the other findings for the same area. Include earlier survey reports and clearance records with their appendices and elevation references. If completion is already documented, check what its conclusions mean for the current ground works. Further research or investigation needs follow the questions still unresolved. Agree these as a defined additional commission.

Match the method to the area and ground disturbance

Whether Surveying is needed, and which method is suitable, follows from the specialist comparison. Factors include the investigation objective, ground conditions, existing structures and access. The equipment used must provide usable conclusions for the planned work. Identify limitations in the results.

Metal structures, utilities or made ground may affect measurement data. The choice of method also considers expected targets, ground composition and the required investigation depth. For the Surveying, determine the conclusions achievable in the actual working conditions. For deeper localised ground disturbance, check whether surface investigation is sufficient or an additional approach is needed. Consider known structures when planning investigation access. Specialist interpretation identifies the areas investigated and the limits resulting from measurement conditions.

Agree necessary services before construction begins

A Clearance plan can define the necessary measures, their sequence and associated documentation. Usable existing results are considered. Visual observation during excavation alone does not replace a necessary investigation. A clearance method during construction is considered only following specialist assessment and with the prerequisites it requires.

The agreed Excavation supervision connects suitable specialist work with the proposed sequence. The site management team and specialist contractor clarify when investigations take place and how findings are communicated to the parties involved. Any necessary area clearance receives a defined spatial and technical scope. For any necessary Ordnance recovery, agree the task, access and protective measures with the responsible parties. If a suspicious object is encountered, stop the affected works and notify the police immediately. Their instructions determine the next steps; then document specialist services performed with their scope.

Next steps

From landscape plans to an agreed commission

01

Describe the work as precisely as possible

Send a plan showing the proposed earthworks and sequence. Distinguish existing uses from new ground disturbance. Options still open can also be included for the initial comparison. What matters is making clear where ground will be moved or a structure installed. Record the project location, construction task and decision needed in the initial enquiry.

02

Obtain the relevant plans of existing structures

Erlangen City Archive holds records of completed municipal building procedures. The current information on inspecting building records lists plans and drainage documents among other records, and states the access rights required. Such documents may supplement plans of existing structures. Whether an explosive ordnance report is available must be clarified separately; a building file does not automatically provide explosive ordnance evidence. Document review includes complete explosive ordnance reports and their appendices. Where underlying information is missing, carry out historical research and aerial photograph analysis. For inspection, the city archive requires proof of ownership and, for representatives, written authorisation; this authorisation must also cover making reproductions.

03

Identify the conclusions still missing

Compare existing results with the current work area. If boundaries, reference elevations or appendices are missing, usability cannot be established from the report's title alone. The next commission should name the remaining question explicitly. This avoids both unnecessarily repeating work already resolved and overlooking a gap. Method selection considers targets, ground conditions, interference and required depth. The agreed surveying or suitable supervision addresses the defined areas; findings and measurement limitations receive specialist assessment.

04

Give contractors the correct investigation status

Construction preparation includes the relevant results with location plans and limitations. If paths, utilities or planting positions are moved later, check the change again. Record which works each conclusion covers. This helps coordinate landscape designers, site managers and contractors. Reports and results plans document the scope completed. The next decision clarifies further specialist needs for unresolved areas before the affected subsequent ground works.

Documentation

Project assessment and reporting a find serve different purposes

Findings and their scope

The Bavarian notice on explosive ordnance disposal distinguishes project-specific preliminary investigation from state disposal of explosive ordnance actually found. Municipalities are generally responsible for local hazard response. Notify the police immediately if a find is made; a private investigation commission does not replace this report.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD agrees the specialist services for the Erlangen project with you. The BFR KMR provide principles for investigation and documentation. Their direct scope concerns federal properties and does not automatically create an additional duty for every private project. The specific area, planned ground disturbance and applicable requirements are decisive.

A survey report documents methods, areas, findings and their specialist assessment. A clearance record documents clearance work actually performed with its scope. The Clearance documentation remains tied to the associated areas, depths and services. For a new tree pit or changed path, compare this result with the current ground disturbance. Usable earlier conclusions remain valid; clarify additional tasks before the affected construction begins. The site management team receives the report and results plans together with outstanding points.

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

Request building records for a specific question

Identify which records of existing structures are missing for the design. The city's information explains the inspection procedure and access rights required. Whether a file also contains explosive ordnance reports must be clarified separately. Existing plans and technical results reports retain their respective purposes.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Compare the report with the new landscape plan

Draw the proposed ground works so they can be compared with the areas investigated. State the elevation reference too. An earlier investigation area nearby is insufficient for this allocation. Where boundaries remain unclear, usability requires specialist clarification.

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 external areas and earlier clearance results

Should clearance of Exerzierplatz still be treated as an outstanding measure?

The city's notice from June 2015 reports completion of the investigations and clearance. The remaining-area question from 2012 must therefore not be carried over unchanged as the current status. For new works, the associated final documents are the basis. The municipality is generally the local public safety authority. If a find is made, notify the police immediately; the public safety authorities and commissioned explosive ordnance disposal service perform their respective hazard response tasks.

Can planting works also require explosive ordnance assessment?

For tree pits or other ground disturbance, clarify the specific investigation need. Existing findings and the planned work are decisive. Calling an area green space or an ecological compensation area does not answer the question by itself. Agree the need before the proposed ground works.

Does an area previously investigated always need surveying again?

No. First check whether existing results can be used. Further investigations may be needed where the new ground disturbance lies outside the area covered or important questions remain. The process combines document review, necessary historical research and method selection with investigation or suitable supervision, assessment and documentation. Select the method for the targets and actual measurement conditions.

Does a building file replace an explosive ordnance report?

No. Building files contain documents for the relevant building procedure. Whether they also contain explosive ordnance documents, and what those documents establish, must be checked separately. The complete report and associated appendices are needed.

What should you do if a suspicious object is found?

Stop work, do not touch or move the object, and keep other people away. Notify the police immediately from a safe distance on 110 and follow their instructions.

Which factors affect the cost of explosive ordnance assessment?

Research needs, area and depth, access, structures and the appropriate method determine the work required. Interpretation, documentation and, where necessary, investigation of findings are additional factors. Usable existing final reports help define the additional commission. Private specialist commissions are considered separately from the commissioned explosive ordnance disposal service's activities involving legacy ordnance that are free of charge under the Bavarian notice.

What should I do if an appendix listed in the final documentation is missing?

Assign the missing appendix to the report and its version, and identify it in the request. Clarify who can provide the complete document set. Until it is available, make clear which conclusions could not yet be checked; a brief administrative text does not replace it.

Which conditions should be reported for an external area?

Access, existing structures, vegetation and known protection requirements may matter when preparing the investigation.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Show the external works

Show planting positions, paths and connections with ground disturbance depths. Add the address, municipality, cadastral plot and plan version. Show changes from the earlier design.

Collect final documentation

Attach earlier results, plans and known protection conditions. Send interim and final reports with maps and appendices. Identify missing documents and the contacts for design and site management.

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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