Focus Stories

Every month we will focus on a specific theme, featuring a selection of articles which have previously been published in the Hydro International magazine. By including a mix of older and more recent articles, we will present a complete recap of the subject. Furthermore, we are bringing you a bi-weekly round-up of ‘Focus Stories’ related to the theme through our newsletter (sign up here). The theme for December 2017 is:

Multibeam Echosounders

Must Read

Subsea Cable Route Surveying

Almost all (99%) international data is transmitted by around 265 subsea cable systems connecting the world. The total length of subsea cables exceeds 1.6 million kilometres, and they can be found as deep as 8,000m. The cables, which can cost hundreds of millions of dollars,... (read more)

Increased-resolution Bathymetry in the Southeast Indian Ocean

The disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 on 8 March 2014 led to a deep ocean search effort of unprecedented scale and detail in the remote southeastern Indian Ocean. Between June 2014 and January 2017, two mapping phases took place: (1) a shipborne bathymetric su... (read more)

Developments and Trends in Multibeam Echosounders

The multibeam echo sounders available on the market are constantly evolving as technology advances and as sonar producers seek new ways of refining and utilising the products. In this article we will provide a snapshot of current products and trends from the dominant (high-e... (read more)

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Multibeam Echosounders

Getting to the Bottom of Our Ocean

Two-thirds of our planet surface is covered by water and yet what lies underneath is a mystery to us. We know the ocean controls our weather and climate and is home to an estimated half of all species on Earth. However, 95% of the ocean still remains unexplored. We have high... (read more)

Rapidly Identifying Patterns and Problems in Multibeam Datasets

The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) utilises a diverse suite of survey assets to collect high-resolution oceanographic and hydrographic data in shallow-water areas all over the globe. These assets maintain a high operation tempo, resulting in extremely large data volu... (read more)

What About the Other 88%?

Despite the last decade’s flurry of UNCLOS ECS mapping, the amount of the oceans surveyed remains around 12%. The continuing search for the MH370 wreckage emphasises our scant knowledge of the actual deep ocean seafloor despite the apparently detailed overall picture d... (read more)

Backscatter - From Ping to Database

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... (read more)

Marine Asset Integrity Mapping

Advances in marine & terrestrial scanning survey techniques together with precise inertial navigation sensors, multi-sensor acquisition systems and cost-effective UAS photogrammetry allow hydrographic surveyors to undertake high-precision marine asset integrity mapping.... (read more)

Flying, Landing and then… Surveying

Remote, difficult to access: it just depends on the point of view. Often, trying to reach some areas with a classical survey vessel or with an opportunity launch is like banging our heads against a brick wall, but it appears to be quite easy to land there with a seaplane. Th... (read more)

High-resolution Structural Inspection of a Flooded Tunnel

Acquiring accurate data on the structural integrity of submerged tunnels, as well as shafts and underwater caverns, has long been a challenging and costly problem for water companies, hydroelectric schemes and mine operators alike. While dewatering of tunnels is one option t... (read more)

Opportunistic Multibeam Surveying

Currently only ten to fifteen percent of the ocean floor has been mapped at resolutions of 100-metre pixel size or better and the vast majority of this mapped area is within territorial waters. One way to significantly increase seafloor coverage is to outsource data collecti... (read more)

Very Shallow Water Survey - A New Approach

Hydrographic surveys in very shallow waters can have several applications such as nautical chart updating, performing environmental monitoring and characterisation, determination of dredged volumes, establishing navigational channels or defining general coastlines. When full... (read more)

Technology in Focus: Multi-beam Echosounders

The evolution of multi-beam echo sounders (MBES) is leading to systems with enhanced capabilities in their traditional markets, but also provides features to allow the expansion of their use into new areas and applications. This short review highlights some of the features o... (read more)

Multibeam Echosounders

Basking in the Dark

Recent hydrographic advances are revolutionising the way the marine environment can be accessed, scanned and quantified. With the emergence of sonar technology and, more recently, remotely or autonomous operating vehicles equipped with sonar, underwater cameras or photogramm... (read more)

Multibeam Data Processing

This article is about the evolution of acoustic sounders imposed on Hydrographic Service’s new methodologies for the interpretation, handling and application of hydrographic information. Considering spatial resolution and high-density data acquired by multibeam echosou... (read more)

More than the Common Dataset

The biennial event Shallow Survey was held in Plymouth, UK, from 14-18 September 2015. The Roland Levinsky building of the university hosted the conference, welcoming over 300 delegates. The trade show with 45 stands was spread over three floors. In addition to the pap... (read more)

Port of Rotterdam – Innovative Hydrography

The Port of Rotterdam is a leading global port and by far the largest seaport in Europe. The port is situated in the Rhine delta and with its direct connection to Europe’s largest industrial region, the Ruhr area, it is a key entry point to the European market. Underst... (read more)

UAS at the Beach

The North Sea Canal connects the Port of Amsterdam with the sea. The two breakwaters at the mouth of the harbour in IJmuiden, The Netherlands, are usually monitored on displacement of basalt block by airborne Lidar and on subsidence by annual levelling of permanent points. C... (read more)

Searching for HMS Terror

“We know where the target is not located” is the only guaranteed result of any search expedition. This statement does not make for exciting headlines, however, the value of knowledge gained during the search itself and its many benefits to a variety of end-users,... (read more)

When is it Advantageous to Maximise Swath Width?

Production seafloor surveys for hydrography require careful planning, balancing many factors for operational efficiency. Requirements for meeting International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) standards for horizontal and vertical uncertainty and object detection must be met,... (read more)

On the Cusp of A New Hydrographic Era

I became director of NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey in late August, and I feel incredibly lucky to be able to take the helm at this dynamic time in hydrographic history. We are on the cusp of a new era in hydrography. I am, like most field hydrographers, very excited by... (read more)

Integrating UAS and Multibeam Echosounder Data

Knowing the volume of material present in a gravel quarry can make the difference between profit and loss. A gravel quarry in Hartheim am Rhein, southwest Germany, is partially covered by artificial lakes. To determine the volumes of the above-water gravel dumping grounds an... (read more)

Bering Sea ASV Force Multiplier

TerraSond, a hydrographic services company based in Palmer, Alaska (USA), used a C-Worker 5 (CW5) unmanned autonomous surface vessel (ASV) in conjunction with a 105’ (32m) research vessel from June through August 2016 on a major hydrographic survey in the Bering Sea re... (read more)

ASV Global C-Enduro

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