The progression and impact of the latest generation of multibeam acoustics upon multidisciplinary hydrographic-based applications

摘要

The progression of hydrographic echo sounding has been driven by navigational, socioeconomic (EEZ, Law of the Sea, Offshore Oil/Gas) and research (habitat mapping, coastal erosion, etc) requirements. Since the first installation of a multibeam echo sounder (MBES) in 1963, the progression of the technology has provided a steady increase in the number of soundings, as well as increases in sampling rates, data volumes and system resolution. Recent improvements incorporate better signal-to-noise ratios, multiple frequencies, calibrated arrays and new signal processing functionality. These advancements, combined with parallel improvements in data acquisition methods and post-processing techniques, make the data more accurate, thus providing more reliable survey products.rnMBES technology now makes use of all aspects of the inherent acoustics to provide additional data products, such as beam intensity, pseudo-sidescan, seafloor backscatter and raw time series backscatter. The latest generation of MBES now contains the processing power to log concurrently all datagrams with the same sampling and ping rates as the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Special Order bathymetry data (34.5kHz and 40Hz, respectively). The result has been the incorporation of multibeam derived products for multidisciplinary hydrographic-based applications, such as nautical charting, habitat mapping, fisheries biomass surveys and sediment transport studies.rnThis paper explores recent improvements in MBES systems in comparison with their older counterparts and discusses the effects these advancements will have on the future of multidisciplinary hydrographic-based applications in both shallow and deep waters.