Preface

This Special Issue aims to compile a collection of scientific and technical papers related to applications and research in the field of geophysical site characterization for geotechnical studies. Several geophysical techniques are indeed nowadays available and diffusely adopted to aid geotechnical parameters estimation and help in imaging their spatial distribution at the site. These techniques are currently adopted providing specific parameters directly involved in geotechnical evaluations (e.g. shear wave velocity for earthquake engineering studies). However, in most cases, combined interpretation of geophysical and geotechnical test requires specific analyses and integration strategies. The idea for this Special Issue was launched during the 7th International Conference on Geotechnical and Geophysical Site Characterization – ISC’7 “Ground models, from big data to engineering judgement” held in Barcelona, Spain, in June 2024. On that occasion, a large number of papers regarding the current practices and future developments of geophysical site characterization for geotechnical studies were submitted to the conference by researchers from many countries, and Professor Marcos Arroyo, the Chair of the conference, together with Paola Montone, the Editor in Chief of Annal of Geophysics, supported the initiative to develop this Special Issue. The main idea was to collect in the Special Issue the best selected papers presented at the Conference in order to contribute to the definition of current practices and future developments of geophysical methods for site characterization and geotechnical studies. Contributions of this special issue were then collected both by inviting researchers who participated at ISC’7 and whose works were considered of high relevance and by opening a call for paper submission related to: the development of ground models for large and small projects through specific integration and combined interpretation of geophysical and geotechnical tests; the direct application of in situ geophysical and geotechnical tests for earthquake engineering and seismic microzonation studies; the development of new testing apparatus and procedures involving a combination of geophysical and geotechnical testing methodologies; the integration of geophysical and geotechnical monitoring techniques for time-lapse evaluations; the role of big data and machine learning in site characterization; and to the use of numerical simulation techniques as an aid to geotechnical and geophysical testing.