Backscatter - From Ping to Database

A Canadian Hydrographic Service Perspective

The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) is willing to make better use of the backscatter intensity data collected with their multibeam sounding systems. All the backscatter data collected during the last 2 decades were not systematically processed and maintained, so a lot of valuable information has not been used yet and is archived on tapes and disks. The intent of CHS is to make an inventory of this data and to process it to a minimum level so that it can be made accessible to its cartographers and to the scientific community. Backscatter information can be a valuable piece of information... (read more)

2014-05-19 03:00:47

Creation of Backscatter Working Group

Geohab is putting together a Working Group on Backscatter Data Acquisition and Processing. This was one of the main recommentations of the workshop on 'Multibeam Backscatter – State of Technology, Tools and Techniques' which was held on 5 May 2013 in Rome, Italy. During this workshop, the need for standardisation of the acquisition and processing backscatter caused by multibeam echo sounders was expressed. The purpose of the Working Group is to discuss and propose a series of best practices or standards for acquisition and processing of multibeam sonar backscatter data, and to prepare a set of guidelines. Recommendations will also... (read more)

2013-07-23 12:00:00

Reference Area for Multibeam Bathymetry and Backscatter

KWINTE, a Dedicated Quality Control Area in the North Sea with Stable Seabed

Hydrographic measurements are nowadays usually carried out using multibeam echosounders (MBES). The measurements obtained by each operational hydrographic vessel need to be regularly controlled on a well-known area to validate the quality, both for bathymetry and backscatter. This can now be done in a small area in the Belgian part of the North Sea (KWINTE) with a stable and homogeneous seabed. Multiple high-quality surveys over this area have enabled the construction of a reference bathymetric and backscatter model. Extensive survey work over the KWINTE reference area has been carried out by Flemish Hydrography (VH) and Continental Shelf Service (COPCO) during the last decade, using... (read more)

2020-12-04 03:58:20

How does backscatter help us understand the sea floor?

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2020-11-24 09:44:21

Teledyne PDS Introduces Online Sidescan Sonar Backscatter Mosaicking

Teledyne PDS has released a number of new features for online sidescan sonar backscatter mosaicking. A new option ensures that the PDS offering remains at the forefront of sonar processing software. In relation to this new update, a number of new features are available. Firstly, whilst in mosaicking work flow, an additional Backscatter Logging tab has been added to the online Sonar Side Scan Waterfall and Snippets display to activate and manage the online backscatter gridmodel logging and mosaicking. An online Side Scan Sonar GapFill view with a GapFill Operations tab has also been added to the platform. This will enable... (read more)

2018-04-13 10:46:04

Calibrated Backscatter Data Enhances Geoswath Plus Multibeam Seafloor Identification

Kongsberg Maritime’s GeoTexture software for the GeoSwath Plus line of multibeam echosounders introduces Calibrated Backscatter data. The update positions the combination of GeoSwath Plus and the latest GeoTexture as a solution capable of delivering calibrated images of the acoustic reflectivity of the seafloor. The system, which has been developed as a result of Kongsberg’s involvement with the GeoHab conference backscatter data working group, can be used for reliable and repeatable texture mapping and identification of seafloor types. The data generated will have important applications in marine habitat mapping, engineering and geosciences. The backscatter working group was formed in 2013 as... (read more)

2016-02-22 04:16:30

GeoTexture for Backscatter Data Processing Evaluation at AWI

Regarding co-registered, georeferenced backscatter data, the German Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) has recently been evaluating the Kongsberg Geoacoustics GeoTexture software suite for backscatter data processing, mosaic creation and seabed classification. The software performance has been optimised for the analysis of GeoSwath Plus backscatter data, as it allows for beam pattern correction, vessel motion and sea-bottom topography, which substantially improve the quality of the mosaics and simplify image analysis and interpretation. Back in 2012, AWI began assessing the pace of coastal erosion and the nature of sediment and organic matter transfer in nearshore areas... (read more)

2013-12-02 09:58:34

Backscatter from Ping to Database - a CHS Perspective

The Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) is willing to make better use of the backscatter intensity data collected with its multibeam sounding systems. Because the backscatter data collected during the last two decades was not systematically processed and maintained, much valuable information has not yet been used and is archived on tapes and disks. CHS intends to make an inventory of this data and to process it to a minimum level so that it can be made accessible both to its cartographers and to the wider scientific community. Backscatter information can be a valuable piece of information for traditional chart production,... (read more)

2014-06-06 12:00:00

ASL Announces Next Generation in Acoustic Backscatter Measurements

A new tool to measure both sediment concentration and sediment size are being built by ASL Environmental Sciences (ASL). The Multi-frequency Ultrasonic Device (MUD) is based on ASL's successful Acoustic Zooplankton Fish Profiler (AZFP). The MUD and AZFP echosounders can be configured with up to four frequencies ranging from 38 kHz to 2 MHz. The MUD prototype is based on a set of higher frequencies (200 kHz, 769 kHz, 1.2 MHz and 2.0 MHz) that will allow for a broad range of particle size discrimination. While the AZFP is a high gain device for low scattering conditions and the greatest... (read more)

2019-01-08 08:16:34

How Does Backscatter Help us Understand the Seafloor?

Backscatter is the reflection of a signal (such as sound waves or light) back in the direction from where it originated. Backscatter is commonly used in medical ultrasounds to understand characteristics of the human body, but in the world of hydrography and marine science, backscatter from sound waves helps us understand characteristics of the seafloor. NOAA ships equipped with multibeam echo sounders use beams of sound to map the ocean floor. These sonar systems collect two types of 3D data: seafloor depth and backscatter. The seafloor depth, or bathymetry, is computed by measuring the time it takes for the sound... (read more)

2020-11-24 09:49:18