Concrete scanning, also known as concrete x-ray, with ground penetrating radar (GPR) is used to locate and map the positions of metallic and nonmetallic materials such as rebar, post-tensioning cables, conduit, metal and plastic pipes, electrical cables, and other near-surface anomalies and objects in concrete.

The reliability of concrete scanning (or concrete x-ray) is greatly improved with the use of ground penetrating radar (GPR).  GPR is a radar-based technology that uses antennas to transmit and receive pulses of electromagnetic energy through a medium such as the ground or concrete. These reflected waves are then detected by the radar equipment and allow very accurate determination of the locations of objects within the concrete.