Search teams are to study sites across Praia da Luz - the holiday resort in Portugal where 3-year-old Maddie disappeared 7 years ago.
Forensic officers are to use ground penetrating radars to find sites where the earth has been disturbed in the past 10 years, and will then use diggers to excavate the site.
According to Sky news, Portuguese authorities have approved the move.
Parents of Maddie, Kate and Gerry McCann, marked the 7 year anniversary of their daughter's disappearance this weekend with an open-air prayer service. And despite the grim nature of the current search, the parents have been assured that it is not just to search for a body but also for other information.
The toddler went missing from her holiday apartment on Thursday 3 May 2007, whilst her parents dined with friends 50 metres away.
Kate McCann has spoken of how she believes her child's abductor may have seen a note in the restaurant booking pad - which revealed the parents would be leaving their sleeping children in the apartment. The family had requested a table which overlooked their holiday apartment so they could check regularly on the kids.