The surface laser intensity modulation method (SLIMM) is used for the determination of the spatial distribution of the polarization normal to and near the surface of a ferroelectric sample. The experimental data measured are pyroelectric currents as functions of frequency. The data analysis requires the solution of a Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. This is an ill-posed problem which has multiple and very different solutions. The experimental method and a technique for data analysis are described. Experimental data on a weakly-poled polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film are presented and the polarization distribution is calculated. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.