Final answer:
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is the technology that sends short radio pulses through soil to create three-dimensional subsurface maps. It is instrumental in various industries, providing an efficient method to study subsurface conditions without excavation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The technology that sends short radio pulses through the soil and reports back changes in the soil conditions, allowing the creation of three-dimensional maps from this data, is known as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). This method is distinguished by its ability to detect and map the tiny variations in the subsurface, which contributes to various fields such as archaeology, geology, and engineering. GPR is particularly valuable in that it can produce detailed imagery of subsurface features without the need for physical excavation.
LiDAR also provides detailed images, but it uses light detection and ranging to assess topographical features. Unlike GPR, it is more commonly applied above the surface and is susceptible to interference from vegetation and sediment changes. While SONAR and Infrared Imaging have their applications in different contexts, they aren't used primarily for mapping soil conditions in the same way as GPR.
Radar technology is instrumental in remote sensing, significantly contributing to our understanding of geographic features and processes. It operates on microwaves and can detect objects by timing microwave echoes, which is fundamental to many radar applications. Sophisticated radar systems, like GPR, have revolutionized the way we collect subsurface data, providing critical information without invasive methods.