For any excavation in rock, the first information required for planning or design, is a knowledge of the overall ground conditions existing, and the type and nature of the rock encountered in the area. For this, NIRM carries out studies involving rock mass characterization based on mapping of the geological and structural features occurring in the area, testing of the rocks to know their physico-mechanical properties, in-situ testing to determine the rock mass properties, and geophysical mapping to identify the sub-surface features.