M3 Bathy Shallow Water Multibeam Approved to IHO S-44 Standard
Kongsberg Mesotech’s M3 Bathy System, a survey system for shallow-water bathymetric applications, is officially designated compliant with IHO S-44. During the testing, which took place in February 2014, bathymetry data from the M3 was collected in depths ranging from 15-40m. The test targets were a series of standard concrete 1m cubes laid along 20m and 40m contours. The results confirmed that the M3 Bathy is capable of achieving bathymetric survey data that meets two orders of IHO standards.
The IHO compliance consists of various criteria including vertical accuracy and target detection standards. In order to assess IHO-S44 compliance, these criteria were tested during an experiment performed by the Ocean Mapping Group at the University of New Brunswick.
Vertical Accuracy compliance can be met over the full +/-60° sector for Order 1 surveys and to at least +/-55° for Special Order and Special Order target detection (1m cube) is met to 20m and Order 1A target detection (2m cube) is maintained to 40m.
The core of the M3 Bathy is Kongsberg Mesotech's M3 Series MultiMode Multibeam Sonar. It provides high-resolution and easy-to-interpret images by combining the rapid refresh rate of conventional multibeam sonar with image quality comparable to that from a single-beam sonar system, making it a high quality, cost effective option for IHO S-44 compliant survey projects.
More information on the IHO S-44 compliance testing is available in the OMG assessment.
Image: M3 Bathy data collected for the Mactaquac Headpond Survey. Image courtesy: University of New Brunswick OMG.
