Southwest Geophysical Consulting, LLC

What Southwest Geophysical Consulting, LLC does

Southwest Geophysical Consulting, LLC is a privately held, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, founded in November 2015 by David Decker, PhD, a former US Naval Flight Officer and career cave and karst explorer. The firm provides subsurface geophysical consulting services to government agencies, oil and gas operators, environmental and engineering consultants, construction firms, film and television productions, ranchers, and homeowners across the American Southwest, with a niche specialization in karst and pseudo-karst terrain of the Delaware Basin. Its core service lines include Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) imaging to 40 meters depth, Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) with custom 1.2-meter electrodes, Infrared (IR) imaging, LIDAR-based 3D cave and abandoned mine mapping, magnetometry, and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) surveys for aerial karst mapping, with the firm being a Bureau of Land Management-approved Karst Vendor and a member of the ASTM Karst Standards Group (D18.27).

The technology backbone combines commercial instruments such as GSSi HyperStacking GPR systems, SuperSting WiFi R8 multi-channel resistivity meters, Leica GS18T GPS, and FAA-licensed drone operations, all operated by personnel trained in single-rope caving technique, underground mapping, and abandoned mine safety. Notable operational scale includes 316 geological studies with associated reports over four years, 650 karst features documented, 1,881 miles of pedestrian karst survey, 804,506 square meters of ERI survey area, and three international projects in the Bahamas and Qatar. The business model is professional services billed primarily under government contracting simplified acquisition thresholds (under $10,000 micro-purchase, under $25,000, and under $250,000 levels), supplemented by direct private-sector engagements, with go-to-market driven by SDVOSB set-aside access, the New Mexico Film Office Qualified Film Vendor listing, and referrals from professional networks including the National Cave and Karst Research Institute and the Karst Waters Institute.

Name

Southwest Geophysical Consulting, LLC

Legal name

Southwest Geophysical Consulting, LLC

Website

https://swgeophys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southwest Geophysical Consulting is a CVE-verified SDVOSB based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, providing Ground Penetrating Radar, Electrical Resistivity, LIDAR, and drone-based subsurface surveys for government agencies, oil and gas operators, environmental consultants, and film productions across the American Southwest's karst terrain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geophysical Consulting Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (541360)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389)

akta.pro primary industry

Mineral Exploration & Geoscience Services (Geology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Resource Modeling) (IMAKAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Geotechnical & Subsurface Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAB), Geotechnical Investigation & Site Characterization (Boreholes, In-situ Testing, Lab Testing) (IMAFAOAG), Remote Sensing & Earth Observation Analytics (Satellite/UAV/LiDAR, Image Processing) (EUAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Geophysical consulting
• Subsurface imaging
• Karst terrain analysis
• Cave mapping services
• Ground penetrating radar

Headquarters

HQ city

Albuquerque

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Geophysical Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for government agencies, construction industry, geology and archaeology research, law enforcement, and landowners including geologic and karst consulting, GPR surveys, resistivity imaging, void and sinkhole detection, cave location and mapping, abandoned mine mapping, and archaeological support services.
2. Project Management Services: Program and project management services for government entities providing early warning for sinkhole collapse, damage prevention to utilities, and buried resource location.
3. Film Industry Safety Consulting: Geological and geophysical investigations for set and personnel safety and geologically related consulting services for film and TV productions. Includes cave and mine safety consulting and training services.
4. Karst Monitoring Services: Long-term karst monitoring services for government agencies and private landowners including on-demand digital cartography services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Southwest Geophysical Consulting, LLC provides geophysical consulting services to industry, government, ranchers, homeowners, and the film industry in karst and pseudo-karst areas of New Mexico and surrounding states. The company uses methods including Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI), Infrared (IR) Imaging, LIDAR, magnetometry, and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to detect voids, sinkholes, buried utilities, and other subsurface anomalies and to support cave, abandoned mine, and karst mapping.

Product overview

Southwest Geophysical Consulting, LLC is a geophysical consulting services company offering a portfolio of subsurface investigation and mapping services. The core offerings include Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for imaging voids and utilities up to 40 meters deep, Resistivity Studies using electrical methods for subsurface characterization, Infrared (IR) Imaging for thermal anomaly detection, Karst and Cave Survey services (Bureau of Land Management-approved), Abandoned Mine and Cave Services (including 2D and 3D Lidar mapping), Borehole/Water Well Inspection, and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Services for aerial karst surveys. The company operates a fleet of specialized geophysical equipment including Leica and Juniper GPS systems, GSSi GPR units (Utility Scan HS350D and Structure Scan Mini XT), SuperSting WiFi R8 electrical resistivity systems, borehole cameras, utility locators, magnetometers, and LIDAR systems. Services are provided to government agencies, industry, ranchers, homeowners, and the film industry across New Mexico and surrounding states. The company is a CVE-verified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) founded in November 2015.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Uses radio-frequency energy from an on-board antenna to image geologic features, voids, utilities, and other anomalies buried underground up to 40 meters deep, depending on rock type and moisture content. Used for sinkhole and void detection, utilities and underground storage tank location, archaeology, law enforcement, and environmental remediation.
• Resistivity Studies Uses a battery and four or more electrodes to send an electric current through the earth to measure resistivity of rock structures. Capabilities include Electrical Resistivity Imaging 2D and 3D, void/cave/sinkhole location, depth to water table, depth to bedrock, geologic mapping, Fall of Potential testing, and Induced Potential testing.
• Infrared (IR) Imaging Uses specially designed cameras that pick up light waves in the infrared spectrum to locate areas of differential heat and cold. Applications include building insulation analysis, locating malfunctioning equipment, finding hidden rodent nests, and detecting subsurface anomalies based on thermal differences.
• Karst and Cave Survey Bureau of Land Management-approved vendor service for locating and mapping surface karst features on private, state, and federal lands. Services include desk studies, aerial surveys, pedestrian surveys, resistivity surveys, and karst monitoring services, with 8 years of karst and cave survey experience in the gypsum karst of the Delaware Basin and over 30 years of experience in karst and cave mapping in the Southwest.
• Abandoned Mine and Cave Services Provides 2D traditional mapping and 3D Lidar mapping of caves and abandoned mines. Services include cave and abandoned mine mapping (2D and 3D), inspection services, and safety training for cave and abandoned mine environments.
• Borehole, Water Well Inspection Services Inspection services for boreholes and water wells using underwater camera systems to monitor well functionality, check for cracks in casing, and assess overall condition.
• Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Services Aerial karst surveys using drones operated by FAA-licensed pilots meeting Bureau of Land Management requirements. Includes low-elevation preplanned raster pattern flights with high-resolution georeferenced imagery stitched into orthomosaic imagery, developed into digital elevation models (DEM) with 5 cm vertical and 2.5 cm horizontal resolution, further processed into local relief models (LRM) color-coded to enhance elevation differences of as little as five centimeters.
• Film Industry Safety Consulting Services Geological and geophysical investigations for set and personnel safety and geologically related consulting services for film and TV productions. Specializes in caves, sinkholes, and abandoned mines. Provides consulting, safety, and training services for cave or abandoned mine related filming. Officially listed on New Mexico Film Vendor List.

Quantifiable outcome

• 316 geological studies with associated reports completed in past four years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional organization partnership providing industry visibility, research collaboration opportunities, and access to the cave and karst scientific community. Southwest Geophysical is affiliated with NCKRI as part of their professional network.
• Karst Waters Institute (KWI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouthwest Geophysical's principal serves on the Karst Waters Board of Directors, providing leadership in karst research and education. Partnership involves strategic collaboration in karst science and protection of karst water resources.
• National Speleological Society (NSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional society membership providing access to the cave exploration and science community, including volunteers, researchers, and industry professionals dedicated to cave and karst study.
• The Sinkhole ConferenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in the Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst, providing visibility and knowledge sharing in the sinkhole and karst hazard field.
• SWCA Environmental ConsultantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for aerial karst surveys using drones, providing comprehensive surface and subsurface karst mapping services. SWCA and Southwest Geophysical collaborate on karst surveys meeting Bureau of Land Management-Carlsbad Field Office requirements.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kleinfelder: Major engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm with robust geophysical and geotechnical service lines serving government, oil and gas, and infrastructure markets. Comparable in service portfolio but with national reach and substantially larger resources than the subject firm.
• Haley & Aldrich: National geotechnical and environmental engineering consultancy with extensive subsurface investigation capabilities. Comparable in service offerings (GPR, resistivity, geophysical surveys) but operates at significantly greater scale across broader infrastructure and environmental markets.

Direct peers

• Schnabel Engineering: Geotechnical and dam engineering consultancy performing subsurface investigations, geophysical surveys, and foundation engineering across the US. Closely comparable in delivering applied geophysics and geotechnical consulting services to government and private infrastructure clients.
• Petra Geosciences: Geophysical and geological consulting firm providing GPR, seismic, and environmental geophysics services across the western US. Comparable as a small-to-mid sized specialty geophysics firm competing for similar government and private sector subsurface investigation work.
• GeoVision Geophysical Services: Specialty geophysical consulting firm offering seismic, GPR, resistivity, and borehole geophysics for geotechnical, environmental, and archaeological applications. Directly comparable service portfolio and customer base to Southwest Geophysical, with similar multi-method subsurface expertise.
• SWCA Environmental Consultants: National environmental consulting firm headquartered in Arizona with deep Southwest karst expertise and an active partnership with Southwest Geophysical for drone-based aerial karst surveys. Directly comparable as an environmental/geological consulting peer serving overlapping federal, oil and gas, and infrastructure clients.
• Zonge International: Specialty geophysical services provider for electrical resistivity, induced polarization, seismic, and electromagnetic surveys. Closely comparable as a focused geophysical services firm using overlapping technologies (SuperSting-style resistivity systems) and serving similar exploration and geotechnical clients.
• Terracon Consultants: Large national geotechnical and environmental consulting firm providing GPR, resistivity, and subsurface investigations. Listed as a Southwest Geophysical client and direct competitor for municipal, oil and gas, and infrastructure subsurface characterization projects.

Others

• GSSI (Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc.): Manufacturer of GPR equipment including the Utility Scan and Structure Scan product lines that Southwest Geophysical operates. Comparable as a thematic peer in the karst/geophysical ecosystem and a key equipment supplier rather than a direct service competitor.
• National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI): Federal cave and karst research institute partnered with Southwest Geophysical. Comparable as a thematically adjacent ecosystem participant in the karst research community rather than a competing commercial service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZDRnZtV_J5eZ2gJZiSxqdw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwest-geophysical-consulting-llc

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southwest Geophysical Consulting, LLC