Accurate and efficient measurement of subterranean infrastructure location remains a significant technical
challenge, particularly for non-metallic polyethylene (PE) gas distribution pipelines embedded in heterogeneous
urban and industrial environments. This study introduces a novel adaptive vibro-acoustic measurement meth
odology designed to achieve robust localization with a minimized sensor configuration. The core innovation lies
in utilizing a single, commercially available geophone in a roving configuration to sequentially capture ground
vibrations at multiple locations, combined with an adaptive measuring method. An active acoustic source
transmits controlled signals into the pipeline, and the resulting ground vibrations are measured point by point
using the roving geophone. The measured raw signals subsequently undergo several processes to remove existing
noise and are then analyzed using a specialized magnitude-domain vibro-signal processing technique. An initial
investigation employing numerical simulations informs the system design, followed by the development of
dedicated experimental equipment and the establishment of a controlled test field for validation. The method
ology consists of two primary measurement stages: (1) Parameter Identification, where the optimal wave
characteristics for reliable signal acquisition are determined based on the physical properties of the test envi
ronment; and (2) Localization, where these selected parameters are applied to accurately map the pipeline path.
Experimental results demonstrate that this minimal-sensor measurement approach successfully determines the
pipeline location with a high degree of precision, achieving a maximum localization error margin of 20 cm. This
system presents an advancement in non-destructive testing and measurement science for utility mapping by
leveraging simplified instrumentation and tailored signal analysis.