Technical map of the Lower Bavaria administrative district showing Landshut for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Straubing: interpreting measurement anomalies

For project owners, developers and site managers in Straubing, measurement anomalies, their investigation and the documented final outcome are distinct. FONTANA-EOD checks which results can be used for new groundworks and which specialist tasks remain outstanding. Send the full report with its maps and the current plans for ground disturbance. Suitable work already completed is considered when defining the service required.

Measurement

Distinguish anomalies from results.

Completion

Read the report and site plan together.

Groundworks

Compare the results with the planned ground disturbance.

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

What does a measurement anomaly mean for further planning?

A measurement anomaly is initially a signal that needs interpretation. Construction planning requires the documented outcome of the specialist investigation and its spatial extent. Provide the complete report and the current plans for ground disturbance. These allow a check of the findings already available and whether additional areas or depths need further clarification.

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.

Relate the Straubing results to the current ground disturbance

The planning statement for Eglseer Breite describes the investigation of anomalies, the discovery of scrap metal and subsequent clearance. Work there must be assessed against the relevant final report. Other sites require a review of their own circumstances. Plans unavailable online can be requested from the city planning department; their availability online says nothing about whether an investigation has taken place.

Straubing is an independent city in the administrative region of Lower Bavaria in Bavaria. For a project in the surrounding area, identify the municipality and project address; the Straubing-Bogen district is separate from the city. The head office in Gersheim coordinates the enquiry. Existing documents are related to the actual site and ground disturbance so that local responsibilities and the scope of specialist investigation remain clear.

Bavaria
Local context

Measurement anomalies were investigated at Eglseer Breite

The documented outcome at Eglseer Breite

The explanatory statement for Straubing development plan No. 217, “GE Eglseer Breite”, dated 25 October 2024, describes a completed investigation: in April 2021, 225 anomalies were investigated. Only scrap metal and no explosive ordnance was found; according to the planning statement, clearance was subsequently granted for the area. It cites the final report by Tauber DeDeComp GmbH dated 26 April 2021 as its basis.

Relate the final report to the current ground disturbance

The case shows why the number of measurement anomalies must not be presented as the number of explosive ordnance finds. Further works in an area already investigated need to be assessed against the final report and its appendices. Compare the spatial extent and technical scope of its findings with the current ground disturbance. The documented result remains limited to the area investigated.

The reconstruction atlas published by the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte identifies the railway station as a target of the air raid on 18 April 1945. Damage is described along the tracks, in the south of the city and in the old town around St. Peter, among other locations. This local wartime context is assessed using the documents for the specific property. The documented outcome at Eglseer Breite retains its own separate geographical scope. Neither the city's history nor a completed investigation elsewhere replaces an assessment of the new ground disturbance.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The project owner describes the works and provides the existing project documents. The operator adds requirements for use, access and scheduling. A coordinating contact brings together the information and the parties responsible. Their specialist, contractual and official duties are defined for the specific project. Before commissioning, record what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the results are 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 work. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent bodies. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the site and project. The technical report records the specialist work completed, its scope and its limits. In Bavaria, local hazard prevention is generally the municipality's responsibility; actual finds must be reported to the police immediately. The state explosive ordnance disposal service performs its duties in relation to found munitions. Private preliminary investigation and commissioned technical work are planned separately.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Choose the method according to the outstanding question

The choice of specialist service takes account of existing findings and the actual investigation conditions. The key is the additional information needed for the planned ground disturbance. A method used earlier in the project is therefore not automatically suitable for every later task. Its suitability and achievable limits are defined clearly for the particular scope of work.

Compare suitable specialist services

Review the results before repeating work without a specific reason

If a final report exists, further coordination starts with its scope and the current plans. Mark new areas, changed depths and additional connections. The comparison shows which results can be reused. Any further investigations required are described specifically; neither the report date nor an unchanged address alone answers the technical question.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Bring together the measurements, investigation and outcome clearly

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

Read the background together with the results

Historical documents and existing investigations may show different stages of the work. Check later results as well as the initial assessment. An older description of suspected contamination should not replace a documented final outcome unchanged. The complete file makes it possible to distinguish areas already clarified from questions still outstanding for the current task.

State the date and extent of the appendices for each file. Mark the new work areas on the current plans in relation to the area covered by the results.

Identify the assessment stage and final report
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Base further services on the actual need

The number of marked measurement points alone determines neither the type of objects nor the work needed for a new task. Specialist planning takes account of existing findings, the current construction geometry and the conclusions that can be reached. Usable results already available are included. Additional services address the specific questions that remain unanswered.

Describe additional areas and depths affected and access to them. Missing appendices and necessary preliminary work are included in the quotation alongside the expected documentation of results.

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

Keep the final report and its appendices available

Results should be passed on with the corresponding map, investigation scope and any restrictions. This also applies when a planning statement already summarises the outcome. For execution, the site management team needs to relate it to its own ground disturbance. A brief mention in another document cannot always replace the full report.

Assign a supplementary report to the relevant part of the commission. If the contractor changes, pass on the complete documents. For individual construction sections, keep identified objects linked to their final assessment.

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
Tasks at the site

What makes investigation results understandable

01

Recognise measurement anomalies as the starting point

A geophysical measurement anomaly is initially a signal requiring interpretation. It is not the same as a confirmed explosive ordnance find. A reliable assessment needs specialist interpretation and, where necessary, further investigation. Use the terminology of the results report in construction communications and explicitly identify points still unresolved.

If several lists exist, state their origin and processing status. A point may be marked as anomalous on an early survey map but already have a final classification in a later report. Use the corresponding current result.

02

Trace the completed investigation

A plan showing marked anomalies may be an interim record. Ask for the later final report and which points were actually investigated. A report on resolved points should be available together with its maps. Further planning needs the final findings and their limits, rather than only an earlier list of anomalous readings.

A measurement field added later or a separately investigated subarea needs its own reference. If appendices are missing, identify the information still needed to establish the spatial extent. Obtaining documents may initially be sufficient before the need for further investigation is assessed.

03

Identify the scope of clearance

Check the area, depth and objective to which the result applies, and the restrictions documented. An area description in a development plan may abbreviate the original report. Compare its maps with the planned works. A neighbouring property or an additional deeper intervention is not covered merely because it is nearby.

Show additional working spaces and new connection points on the current plan. Bring elevation data onto the same datum so that depths thought to be unchanged can be compared reliably. Show preliminary trial pits and boreholes with their own spatial extent and timing. Specialist planning assesses which findings apply and where supplementary investigation is needed before ground disturbance.

04

Distinguish new areas from those already assessed

An extension may include both investigated areas and areas not yet assessed. Mark these differences on the site plan. This provides a basis for assessing where existing results are sufficient and where a question remains. Any additional investigation should follow from that need rather than a general reference to the new construction project.

For adjacent areas, describe the available evidence separately. Pass on a changed design with its actual working spaces and depths so that any necessary additional investigation can be agreed before the affected ground disturbance.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

State the number of points separately from the types of objects

An overview may contain many measurement anomalies without describing explosive ordnance finds. Use the terminology from the complete results in project communications. Points investigated, objects identified and outstanding tasks should remain distinguishable. This prevents an investigation list from becoming an unsupported report of finds or an oversimplified account of the final outcome.

If scrap metal is documented as a finding, use that term when passing on the information. Link a shortened overview to the corresponding maps and stated scope. For commissioned clearance works, a clearance record documents the areas addressed, position and depth references, methods and results. The report and plan appendices make the limits of the specialist work and outstanding tasks clear.

Take account of later stages of work

A project file may contain preliminary investigation, measurements, further investigation and the final outcome. Arrange these documents by date and geographical scope. Compare a new construction section with the relevant results. If maps or appendices are unavailable, identify and resolve that information gap before making a general statement about coverage of the new ground disturbance.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Send the complete file for the initial comparison

Include the final report with all available appendices and identify any missing parts. Add the current plan showing the boundaries and depths of ground disturbance. The specialist review can then identify applicable findings and the further information needed. A site plan without results, or a statement of results without a location reference, often leaves this relationship unclear.

Add the current construction status and any groundworks carried out since the report. State the planned formation levels for new foundations, utilities and ancillary ground disturbance. The report date and corresponding area identify the earlier commission.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

Pass on the agreed document versions to the construction team

After coordination, record which reports and plan versions will be used for the next work stage. Clearly update any additional or changed ground disturbance. The site management team also needs to know about unresolved areas and restrictions. This preserves the documented findings if a project is later divided into construction sections or separate commissions.

Identify the commission and area addressed clearly in any supplementary work. Before the next groundworks, clarify outstanding investigations or missing documents with the parties responsible. Retain the earlier final report with its original appendices.

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 combines suitable images, maps and land-use records with a defined investigation question. Dates and gaps in knowledge remain clear. Where historical questions remain, the necessary research and interpretation are actually carried out. A later completed technical investigation is included with its results. For Eglseer Breite, the planning statement identifies both the aerial photographs examined and the subsequent investigation of measurement anomalies. In a new enquiry, these stages are linked to their respective original documents. The historical initial suspicion therefore remains distinct from the documented findings.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Geomagnetic surveying measures the magnetic field passively and uses the magnetic effect of objects. Electrical conductivity alone does not make an object detectable by geomagnetic surveying. An anomalous signal can have different causes. A further commission depends on its specialist assessment and the investigation status already documented. Existing utilities, structures and other interference sources can affect the measurements. Specialist planning relates suitable earlier data to the volume of ground still requiring investigation. Measurement points, investigated areas and outstanding tasks are described so that a list of anomalies is not mistaken for a list of confirmed explosive ordnance.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Transient electromagnetic methods, or TDEM, assess the electromagnetic response of conductive objects over time. Their suitability is assessed for the outstanding investigation question and actual conditions. Existing measurements may initially identify anomalies. Construction planning also considers their interpretation, any further investigation already undertaken and the final outcome. Data that can already be used retain their spatial reference. Additional investigations target subareas or depths still unresolved. Existing structures and interference remain part of the interpretation; an individual signal does not conclusively identify an object.

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 measurements. An anomaly does not automatically identify explosive ordnance. When taking over an investigation, check the original commission and the actual limits of its findings. New utilities or excavations may affect a different volume of ground from the earlier survey. Specialist planning determines what additional information is needed and whether ground-penetrating radar can contribute under the existing conditions. Different methods remain identifiable in the documentation with their respective purposes.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

An additional excavation formation level, a deeper connection or a relocated foundation may fall outside the documented scope of an earlier commission. Specialist planning compares the new working spaces with the final report and its appendices. Where required, an agreed deep or borehole survey may be appropriate. Position, elevation and the required investigation depth are defined; utilities and suitable investigation access form part of preparation. A result for an individual point, or borehole clearance, relates to the work actually completed. For a change, clarify which findings can be reused and what task is being added.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

A specialist approach during construction is agreed where investigation is needed and conditions are suitable. It may combine excavation in layers, specialist exposure of objects and additional surveying in the work area. Visual observation during excavation alone is insufficient for detection. Existing final reports are compared with the areas and depths now affected. Anomalies still unresolved are clearly identified. Interpretation, necessary interruptions and communication of findings form part of the sequence. Areas actually addressed, results and restrictions are documented so that a subsequent commission starts from the correct investigation status.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

From existing results to the appropriate next commission

Consider the earlier evidence too

The Historical aerial photograph analysis and other background information can supplement the specialist assessment. Completed technical investigations are included with their results. Together, the documents should show which questions have been answered for the construction area. A summary replaces neither the original report nor its maps and restrictions.

Address outstanding investigation questions specifically

The Surveying depends on the required investigation objective and site conditions. Existing structures or interfering materials can affect interpretation. Where further services are needed, the commission should clearly describe the areas affected and the objective. The specialist assessment determines how unresolved anomalies are to be addressed.

Fit the necessary services into the construction sequence

A Clearance plan can bring together existing results and the investigation and clearance work still required. For each planned ground disturbance, the necessary findings must be clear. Mere observation during excavation does not replace a necessary prior investigation. Special approaches during construction require separate assessment and suitable conditions.

Next steps

From results documents to the specialist task needed in Straubing

01

Obtain the complete final report

Where possible, send the report with maps, appendices and documented restrictions. A single sentence from a planning statement is often insufficient for an exact comparison. If appendices are missing, they should be requested from the project parties who hold them. State in your enquiry which documents are actually available and which are still missing. 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

Check the plan version and amendments with the city

The City of Straubing provides development plans and amendment sheets online. It states that, for technical reasons, not all legally binding plans are included. If the plan sought is missing, the city planning department can provide information. A missing online entry establishes neither the absence of planning provisions nor a particular explosive ordnance status. Specialist planning selects a suitable method 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.

04

Locate the new ground disturbance on the results map

Provide a current site plan showing the excavation, foundations, utilities and planned depths. Also mark preliminary exploratory works. The comparison with the earlier investigation should use the same spatial reference points. This shows which works fall within the documented scope and which differ.

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

Pass the final findings on to the construction team

The site management team should receive the relevant results together with the cleared scope of work. Outstanding points must remain clear. If position or depth changes later, assess the significance before the affected ground disturbance. Retain the original reports so that the conclusion remains traceable after a change of project parties. The results are handed over with the documented areas and limits. On that basis, site management and the competent parties agree any further steps required before the next ground disturbance.

Documentation

Specialist contractors and authorities have different duties

Findings and their scope

The Bavarian notice distinguishes preliminary investigation for a construction project from state disposal of explosive ordnance that has been found. A general precautionary search of construction sites is not a duty of the state service. Municipalities are generally responsible for local hazard prevention. If actual explosive ordnance is found, the police must be informed immediately.

Project responsibilities

FONTANA-EOD helps coordinate the specialist services needed for your Straubing project. The BFR KMR set out principles for planning, execution and documentation. Their direct scope applies to federal properties. For a private project, scope and requirements must be determined from the specific circumstances; the BFR do not create a general duty to carry out additional investigation.

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

Describe a measurement anomaly precisely

In handovers, make clear whether a signal has only been detected, has already received specialist assessment or has been fully investigated. The results documents show the relevant status. Use terms such as explosive ordnance find only where supported by the actual finding. This precision helps coordination between the client, planners and contractors.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Compare the final report with the construction plans

Check the stated areas and depths, the elevation datum and the limits given. Show the current plans clearly alongside them. Any differences require specialist clarification of further needs. This allows existing results to remain useful without extending their findings to an undocumented volume of ground.

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 measurement anomalies and final reports

Is an anomaly in a survey report already an explosive ordnance find?

No. An anomaly is an unusual measurement whose significance needs specialist assessment. Other metal objects can also cause anomalous signals. The number of marked points alone must not be used to infer the actual presence of explosive ordnance.

What was documented for Eglseer Breite?

The planning statement from 2024 reports that the anomalies detected were investigated in April 2021. Only scrap metal, and no explosive ordnance, was found. It records subsequent clearance and refers to the final report dated 26 April 2021.

Is the clearance statement in the development plan sufficient for new works?

The original report and its appendices should be consulted to establish the exact spatial extent and technical scope. Compare its findings with the position and depth of the new works. A brief summary does not establish unlimited coverage of other properties or ground disturbance.

What does a missing development plan on the city's website mean?

The city states that not all legally binding plans are available online. Enquire with the city planning department about the property concerned. A gap in the online overview says nothing about whether an explosive ordnance investigation has taken place.

What should I do if a suspicious object is found 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 where measurement anomalies have already been investigated?

The work required depends on the investigation questions that actually remain. Suitable preliminary work and documented final outcomes are taken into account. Missing historical evidence, additional areas or depths affected, access, existing structures and interference, necessary preliminary work, methods, interpretation and documentation determine the further scope. The number of anomalies marked earlier alone describes neither a new investigation commission nor its cost. Identify existing results reports so that necessary additions can be defined on technical grounds.

Must a completed investigation always be repeated for a new construction section?

Not as a general rule. First check whether its documented scope covers the new works and which specific question, if any, remains unanswered.

How are changes handled after the initial comparison?

The changed areas and depths are marked on the current plan and compared again with the results being used.

Project enquiry

Prepare the first technical discussion

Send the complete results documents

Provide the final report, appendices and maps together.

Identify the investigation status documented and include the corresponding maps. For an earlier list of anomalies, also request the later final report. Explicitly identify missing parts. The plan version used shows the areas, depths and dates to which the documents apply. For separate partial commissions, assign each report clearly.

Show the current ground disturbance

Mark new areas, depths and connections on the current plan.

Identify additional working spaces, connection points and options still open. Formation levels need a clear elevation datum. Add any intervening groundworks and changed surfaces. Report the position and depth of preliminary trial pits or boreholes too. The specialist review can then distinguish current needs from the results already documented. 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.

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