Schematic regional map with an Ansbach marker, alongside a tablet, white safety helmet, pen and notebook.

Explosive ordnance surveying in Middle Franconia by construction phase

For project owners, planners and site managers in Middle Franconia, track, utility and road works are coordinated with the respective ground disturbance. FONTANA-EOD assigns the explosive ordnance investigation needed to the working areas, depths and available access. Send the construction phasing plan showing the actual earthworks, together with existing reports, maps and restrictions.

Compare construction phases

Read the schedule alongside the actual working areas.

Assign depths

Describe tracks, utilities and foundations individually.

Hand over results

Identify investigated areas before the next trade starts.

Enquire about a projectExplosive ordnance investigation in Bavaria
Assess the construction project

What findings are needed for the next construction phase?

Describe the next ground disturbance with its area, depth and working level. Alongside this, show when the area will actually be accessible and what preliminary work is pending. The investigation is coordinated with these conditions. At handover, the documented investigation scope is what matters; naming a construction section does not replace its relation to the following ground disturbance.

Documented location references

Reference projects in the administrative region of Middle Franconia

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

5 locations · 7 associated reference entries

Reference projects in the administrative region of Middle FranconiaGeographical outline with confirmed location references from the project records. No precise ordnance find or site coordinates. Vorra – 1 reference entryErlangen – 1 reference entryPappenheim – 3 reference entriesNürnberg – 1 reference entryHersbruck – 1 reference entry

The markers indicate locations associated with documented references, rather than exact find or construction site coordinates. Several entries may relate to one project. References without a reliable location assignment are available in the complete reference overview.

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

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Schematic map of Bavaria with a blue-and-white lozenge shield and crown, alongside a tablet, white safety helmet, pen and notebook.

Identify the project location and construction section in Middle Franconia

The official document list for the Stadtparkschleife distinguishes construction phases, overhead lines and utilities. For your project, the actual ground disturbance of the trades involved is similarly brought together. Specialist planning considers access and the findings needed for each section. The list for another project serves as an example of organisation; your own documents and conditions remain decisive.

Middle Franconia is an administrative region in the Free State of Bavaria, Germany. The regional government, district and municipality are different administrative levels. For projects in the independent cities of Nuremberg, Fürth and Erlangen the relevant location within the city is identified. For other municipalities, the project address remains decisive; a broad route or construction section name does not replace this local assignment.

Bavaria
Local context

Prepare tracks, utilities and road areas together

The plan list for Nuremberg's Stadtparkschleife

Track refurbishment at Nuremberg's Stadtparkschleife provides a published example from Middle Franconia. The Government of Middle Franconia lists a construction phasing plan, an overhead line site plan and several utility plans. These documents address different parts of the same project. Their publication alone establishes neither particular explosive ordnance contamination nor investigation findings.

Bring together the locations of different trades' work

These different plan versions must be consistent to prepare your investigation. An area may appear as a completed traffic surface in one plan while another trade needs a trench or excavation there beforehand. The ground disturbance actually planned is decisive, including preliminary and temporary work.

A documented historical location within Middle Franconia is described by the Reconstruction Atlas of the House of Bavarian History for Ansbach. It identifies air raids on 22 and 23 February 1945 and damage to the station, Bahnhofstraße and along the railway. Historical assessment relates this specific context to the actual investigation area. It does not establish current contamination of all transport areas in Middle Franconia.

Coordinate access and operational duties

The explosive ordnance specialist carries out its agreed commission. Traffic management, operational permissions and utility information are coordinated with the relevant operators and specialists responsible. If these requirements determine access to the survey area, they should be known early. A date in the construction schedule alone does not establish whether the area can be investigated then.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The project owner describes the proposed work and provides the available project documents. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact makes cooperation easier but does not automatically take on every other party's duties. Before commissioning, record clearly which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is intended to support.

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 scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent authorities concerned. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist service performed; its conclusions are not presented unchecked as general authorisation for further groundworks or as an authority's decision.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Assess measurement conditions and construction phases separately

Whether an area is available is initially an organisational question. Whether the required findings can be obtained there also depends on technical conditions. Existing structures, metal features and the investigation objective are considered. Selecting the approach combines both assessments, without automatically deriving a particular survey method from the planned construction phase.

For a proposed time window, identify known structures and preliminary work still pending. The specialist contractor assesses the investigation service needed. Communicate any planned surface change that may affect measurement or use of results. The agreed scope remains tied to the volume of ground actually to be investigated.

Compare suitable specialist services

Assign operational permissions and specialist evidence appropriately

Traffic management, utility operation and other prerequisites for execution retain their own responsible parties. The explosive ordnance investigation is coordinated with these duties. Identify the handovers and contacts needed. An operational access date is not an investigation finding, just as an explosive ordnance report alone does not authorise work on an operating facility.

Identify who confirms accessibility and who brings together the specialist reports. Prerequisites still outstanding remain visible with their status. Execution takes account of the specialist and operational decisions needed. If dates or working areas change, give the same current plan version to the parties responsible.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Link specialist services to construction phases and section handovers

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

Assign existing findings to each section

Historical indications and earlier investigations are read alongside the current plans for ground disturbance. Each construction section should show which information is actually available. Advance work and temporary installations are also considered. Specialist planning can then identify outstanding questions specifically, rather than infer continuous investigation of every subarea from a shared project name.

Show an earlier utility trench beneath a later track layout with both work stages. Clearly distinguish areas already exposed from those still occupied. Assign available results to the actual volumes of ground. Locations not yet covered remain identified as outstanding specialist tasks for the section affected.

Relate existing reports to the ground disturbance
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Fit suitable investigations into the sequence

The investigation scope follows the required findings and actual conditions. Access, existing installations and possible interference are considered. The necessary services are coordinated so that their prerequisites are clarified before each ground disturbance. An available time window alone does not establish whether the planned investigation is technically possible during that phase.

Also identify ancillary pits, working spaces and preliminary exploratory works. Clarify investigation needs and necessary protective measures before the affected ground disturbance. Agree the next steps for areas not yet available. Specialist planning describes which findings are actually needed at what time and which prerequisites must be met.

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

Hand over results clearly to the next trade

The documents show the area addressed, depths and remaining limits. The next trade receives the reference to its planned works. Changes to position or execution are compared again. A shared handover may cover several tasks if the documented findings actually cover them and the individual assignments remain clear.

The handover identifies the report version used and corresponding plan appendix. Outstanding areas remain identifiable by location. Findings needed for subsequent deeper work are assessed separately. A result that already applies remains available without being extended to additional areas still unresolved.

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 sound workflow distinguishes work already clarified technically from outstanding prerequisites. If an area will be accessible only in part, commissioning must take this into account. Handover and assessment of results also need time in the construction sequence. An enquiry therefore does not imply a blanket commitment on dates or cost. Specific coordination connects the described scope with access, documents, execution conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Prepare the construction project

Establish clarity before the next construction section

01

Identify the area actually available

Mark the subarea intended to be accessible for investigation. Distinguish already exposed areas from those still occupied, paved or closed for operational reasons. Describe necessary preliminary work so that the survey scope is not based on assumed accessibility.

Identify known restrictions on use and existing above-ground obstacles. Necessary preliminary work is agreed with the parties responsible. An enquiry does not require you to remove unknown structures or expose the ground yourself. Available as-built documents and photographs initially help describe the circumstances actually known.

02

State depths for each trade

Record planned trenches, shafts, foundations and other ground disturbance separately. Add the corresponding elevations and plan version. An investigation for a particular depth cannot be used as evidence for later deeper ground disturbance without comparison.

Record the elevation datum with each depth. If ground has subsequently been excavated or filled, inform specialist planning of that change. Explicitly identify any unresolved elevation reference. Compare the volume of ground needed for the next works with the findings actually documented.

03

Include temporary ground disturbance

Temporary connections or construction diversions may also require earthworks. Include them in your enquiry if they form part of the project. Investigation needs are assessed for these works rather than considering only the installations' final positions.

Mark the timing of this preliminary work in the construction phasing plan. Completed final designs may show earlier working spaces only partly. Send available interim plans with the known areas and depths too. The specialist review relates these tasks to their respective initial conditions before coordinating them with subsequent works.

04

Pass changes on to everyone involved

If a trench is moved or a construction section divided differently, communicate the change. Planners, site management and the specialist contractor must be able to identify which results apply to the new works. Keep the investigated area distinct from remaining areas still requiring clarification.

Keep the earlier version available. The new version clearly shows the area affected. Agree the scope and prerequisites of any supplementary specialist service. The next report remains tied to the volume of ground actually addressed, allowing the change to be traced back to the original investigation later.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Show shared areas with different ground disturbance

A utility trench, a foundation and later road construction may overlap spatially. Record their respective depths and sequence. This shows which investigation is intended to cover which task. Uniform colouring in the construction phasing plan should not obscure technically different ground disturbance where it determines the investigation scope.

Reuse a shared point or area label in the plans involved. Different tasks nevertheless retain their own depth and elevation references. The site management team can then assign each specialist contribution. Compare different working spaces and later plan changes with existing results before the next ground disturbance.

Record temporary works early

Temporary utilities, connection pits or construction diversions may disturb the ground before the final installation is built. Identify these tasks with their timing and depth references. Compare them with existing findings. A later final-state plan often does not show them fully and is therefore insufficient on its own to prepare the preceding groundworks. Where clearance work is carried out, retain the corresponding clearance record in the project file with the areas and depths addressed.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Provide ground disturbance and time windows together

Send the construction phasing plan with position and depth details for the actual groundworks. Include existing explosive ordnance documents and known access restrictions. The initial discussion clarifies which findings are already available and how further specialist services fit the sequence. Explicitly identify missing information or details still subject to change for the next planning stage.

Identify the next decision needed and the person bringing the documents together. Label options not yet decided as such. Distinguish a planned investigation from a report already available. The commission can then address the question actually outstanding and the known prerequisites.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Relate section handover to the following work

Record which report will be used for the next ground disturbance. Provide its maps and restrictions with the current plan version. If a trade requires different depths or areas, reassess the needs. Results that already apply remain usable, while additional tasks receive a clear spatial reference and technical scope.

If clearance works are actually required and carried out, retain the corresponding clearance record with the areas addressed. Coordinate necessary area clearance, investigation of findings or emerging recovery needs with the competent parties. The results file identifies the specialist service actually completed and its limits for the following section.

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 analysis assigns suitable images and further findings to a defined investigation area. Existing results are compared with the ground disturbance in different construction phases. Where historical questions remain, the necessary research and supplementary analysis are carried out. The specialist assessment identifies the knowledge obtained and the findings still needed. An area becoming available later is treated according to its actual spatial reference. A construction section's name does not extend the scope of a historical assessment. Maps and documented restrictions remain available when coordinating further tasks.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Geomagnetic surveying measures the magnetic field passively. An object's magnetic effect determines its detectability; electrical conductivity alone is insufficient. Rails, utilities and other metal structures can affect measurements and interpretation. An available time window therefore does not establish adequate measurement conditions. Specialist planning considers the investigation objective and actual situation. Data collected and anomalies are assessed under those conditions. A signal alone does not identify explosive ordnance. The report and maps relate the findings to the area addressed and state limits for later use by the trades.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Transient electromagnetic methods, or TDEM, assess the electromagnetic response of conductive objects over time. Suitability is checked for the findings needed and actual conditions. Access and existing structures may differ across construction phases. These details are considered for the commissioned investigation scope. Interpretation describes data, findings and interference with their spatial reference. An area not yet investigated remains identifiable. For the next trade, the documented findings are compared with its planned position and depth.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can show structures and reflections in the ground. Water content, ground composition and existing structures affect the findings. Specialist planning determines what information is needed for each ground disturbance. Interpreting a structure does not automatically identify explosive ordnance. A result is related to its actual investigation volume and method. Changed trenches or additional working spaces are compared with it. Limits are documented together with the data used so that the next construction section uses findings appropriate to its task.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deep foundations, shafts or boreholes, state the position, planned depth and elevation datum. Specialist planning checks the findings available and whether suitable deep or borehole surveying is required. Clarify necessary prerequisites before the relevant ground disturbance. If a point is moved later, compare its new volume of ground with the investigation status again. An unchanged point number does not establish an unchanged position. The result remains assigned to the volume actually investigated and is handed over with its limits for further execution.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

Necessary explosive ordnance investigation during construction is planned by specialists alongside the affected construction work. Depending on the task, excavation in layers, specialist exposure of objects and additional surveying may be necessary. Mere visual observation of ordinary excavation does not replace required detection. Interruptions and reporting channels are clarified in advance. Areas actually addressed, findings and restrictions receive clear documentation. The next section is handed over with the available knowledge and remaining tasks. A changed sequence or design is reviewed with the parties responsible.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Coordinate survey methods and construction sequence

Use areas accessible in advance

The Surface survey may be suitable for appropriate open areas. Specialists assess whether existing utilities, rails or other metal structures affect the measurements. Suitability depends on the investigation objective and actual conditions; a construction phase does not determine it automatically.

Assess deep foundations separately

For deep interventions at individual points, a deep or borehole survey may need to be assessed. This requires the specific position and depth, rather than only a general layout plan. Foundations brought forward in the schedule are also compared with existing findings and possible restrictions.

Choose supervision only where technically suitable

The ordnance surveying during construction is not an automatic substitute for missing prior investigations. Its suitability is assessed for the planned ground disturbance and coordinated with the construction sequence. Merely watching excavation does not replace explosive ordnance surveying; interruptions and reporting channels must be clarified for the agreed service.

Next steps

From shared construction plans to handing over results

01

Bring the trades together

Show the earthworks of the trades involved on a shared plan. The initial discussion identifies the project location and the findings needed. Existing plans, statements and reports are checked for currency, spatial relevance, completeness and gaps.

02

Address outstanding historical questions

Where historical questions remain open, necessary research and aerial photograph assessments are actually carried out within the commission agreed by specialists. Existing assessments are considered with their respective subareas and conclusions. Additional findings are assigned to the present area of ground disturbance and used in investigation planning.

03

Clarify access and time windows

Identify when each area is intended to be accessible and the conditions that apply.

04

Define the commission

We agree the investigation objective and approach with you using these details and the existing findings. A suitable method is selected according to the investigation objective, depth of ground disturbance, ground composition, existing structures and actual measurement conditions. Access and necessary prerequisites are clarified with the parties responsible.

05

Perform the agreed investigation

The agreed survey or appropriate investigation during construction is carried out on the defined areas and points. Measurement data and observations receive clear position and elevation references. Uninvestigated areas, restricted access and relevant interference are recorded.

06

Assess and document findings

The collected data and findings are assessed against the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions. The assessment takes account of interference and limitations. The report and plan appendices document the technical assessment, areas addressed and their position, elevation and depth references. Required further tasks follow from this.

07

Document handovers

Pass on results with area, depth and elevation references to the parties following.

Documentation

A result must cover the next work stage

Findings and their scope

A section handover depends on what was actually investigated and documented. Add the reference to the next planned work to the documents. If its ground disturbance lies outside the described area or the assignment is unclear, specialists clarify further investigation needs. A date confirmation or construction section name alone is insufficient evidence.

Project responsibilities

The Bavarian notice separates property investigation and research from duties in specific explosive ordnance hazards. If a suspicious object is found, protecting people and immediate reporting take priority. The normal coordination process for a planned project is then insufficient.

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

Link a handover record to the specialist documents

The organisational handover of a section should identify the corresponding investigation report clearly. Maps and limits remain available together. Check whether the position and depth of the next work stage are covered. A general confirmation that work on a section is complete often leaves this essential relationship unclear without the full documents.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Communicate plan changes to all affected parties

Mark relocated trenches or additional foundations on the new plan version. Specialist planning and site management receive the same change. Existing results are assessed specifically against it. This allows the findings that still apply and any supplementary service required to be recorded before changed ground disturbance proceeds on outdated evidence.

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 construction phases and section handovers

Does every trade need to commission its own investigation?

Not necessarily. A shared investigation can account for several planned ground disturbances if its agreed and documented scope actually covers them. Area, depth, elevation datum and the limits of the findings are decisive, rather than simply the number of trades involved.

Is the construction phasing plan enough for an enquiry?

It is helpful but does not always describe the individual ground disturbances sufficiently. Add position and depth details, existing explosive ordnance documents, utility information and actual access conditions. Missing information is clarified before the investigation commission is defined.

Can an area accessible only later simply be investigated during construction?

The suitability of explosive ordnance surveying during construction needs specialist assessment. Limited access alone does not determine this method. Possible preliminary investigations and the conditions of the planned ground disturbance must also be considered.

What happens if a utility trench moves after the investigation?

The new position and depth are compared with the documented investigation scope. If the existing result does not cover the change or its extent is unclear, further needs are agreed. This does not establish a general assurance for every later relocation.

What should I do if explosive ordnance is suspected during the works?

Stop the affected work. Do not touch, move or relocate the suspicious object, and do not uncover it further. Leave the danger area, keep others away and call the police on 110 from a safe distance. Do not take the object to a police station. Follow the competent authorities' instructions.

Which cost factors matter across several construction phases?

The work required depends on existing and still needed evidence, historical findings, areas, depths, actual access, existing structures and interference, necessary preliminary work, suitable methods, interpretation and documentation. Usable results are considered. Changed sections, additional foundations or temporary utilities may require a different investigation scope. Specialist services and their prerequisites are agreed for the planned groundworks.

Does an available time window establish suitable measurement conditions?

No. Access, existing structures, interference and the investigation objective needed also require specialist assessment.

What should a section handover identify?

The corresponding report and plan version, the scope investigated, its relationship to the next work and remaining restrictions.

Project enquiry

Coordinate the next construction section with us

Link construction phases and ground disturbance

Show time windows with the actual areas, depths and preliminary work.

Also mark work brought forward or temporary work. State the known access conditions for each area. Time windows still open remain distinct from the confirmed investigation status. The site plan links the respective ground disturbance with available findings so that further coordination addresses a specific task.

Hand over complete reports

Assign results and maps to the next trade.

Include the versions used and their plan appendices. Explain changes made to areas and elevations since then. Identify missing parts for further coordination. Compare the next works with existing results before work on additional or changed volumes of ground. State the project location in Bavaria or the different federal state concerned.

GPR on a construction site
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.

Send a project enquiry Call now Send documents Select services