Equipment and Processing

Select the data type:

Side Scan Sonar

Interferometric Swath Bathymetry

Singlebeam Bathymetry

Side Scan Sonar Methodology

Acquisition System:
EdgeTech 272-TD side scan sonar
Coda Octopus F190 motion sensor and gyro with dual frequency GPS and integral satellite differential receiver

  A side scan sonar system uses acoustic energy to image the seafloor. The system consists of a self-contained sound source and receiver, housed in a submersible body that is towed from a surface vessel. The subsurface unit, or "towfish", transmits and receives acoustic energy in a wide band across the track of the towfish, and transmits the signal to a topside processor. The towfish is equipped with a linear array of transducers that emit and receive an acoustic energy pulse in a specific frequency range. The strength of the acoustic return varies with changes in the characteristics of the seafloor. In general, a seafloor with rough texture, such as gravel or boulders, will produce more backscatter in the return signal, resulting in higher amplitude. This pattern results in lighter shades of gray on the resulting side scan image. Smoother texture, such as a sand or mud-dominated seafloor, returns a darker image. As the towfish transverses the survey area, a strip image is produced by the processor. These strip images are then georeferenced and spatially integrated into a mosaic that represents the acoustic character of the seafloor.

Processing

  All side scan raw data files were processed with CARIS Sonar Information Processing System (SIPS) version 6.0 with the following workflow:

1) Create vessel configuration file for the R/V G. K. Gilbert. Initial roll, yaw, pitch, and x,y,z axis parameters are set to zero. This information is incorporated into the data at the time of collection as the installation parameters.

2) Create a new project directory for the SIPS data.

3) Use the CARIS software to convert the raw sonar files from eXtended Triton Format (XTF) to SIPS format. The new SIPS files are saved to a project specific directory.

4) Evaluate each line with the Navigation Editor to "clean" the vessel's navigation data.  Identify excessive changes in speed, reject the position fixes along with the fixes before and after the changes, and replace with interpolated values. The lines are also evaluated with the Attitude Editor to view and "clean" the motion sensor data for heave, pitch, and roll when necessary.

5) Evaluate each line and correct slant range in the Side Scan Editor.  Use a sound velocity of 1,538 m/s for the slant range correction. Collect sound velocity data by manually lowering a sound velocity probe over the side of the ship during data collection.

6) Create a field sheet for the study area and add all lines to a new mosaic at a resolution of 1 m.  

7) Export the mosaic to a tiff image with the associated world file.

The side scan mosaic can be viewed on the Images page. Also, the tiff image with its associated world file can be found in the Data Products folder.

 Swath Bathymetry Methodology

Acquisition System:
234-kHz Interferometric SEA SWATHplus H sonar
Coda Octopus F190 motion sensor and gyro with dual frequency GPS and integral satellite differential receiver

Bathymetry was collected using an interferometric swath sonar system accompanied with a motion sensor that recorded vessel motion in real time.  A swath-sounding sonar system is used to measure the depth in a line extending outward from the sonar transducer.  As the survey vessel with mounted transducer moves forward, scanning the seabed to each side, it sweeps out an area of depth measurements.  This area is called a swath, and the technique is know as swath bathymetry.  Depth measurements from interferometric systems are obtained by measuring the angle of the incoming sound signal in addition to the range. Interferometric sonar systems require three or more linear arrays of transducer elements, one to transmit acoustic energy and at least two to receive the returning signal (Submetrix Training Manual, 2000).

  The interferometric sonar system measures depth using both the travel time of the emitted pulse and the angle the returning sound energy makes with each linear array. The times it takes for the returning wavefront to reach each array are acquired simultaneously by the topside electronics which, if the speed of sound in water is known, can be used to determine a range to the seafloor at a given instance in time. Knowing the time lag of the returning signal relative to each array, and by comparing the phase content of the incoming signal at each array relative to the others, one can then use this information to calculate the angle between the direction of the acoustic signal and the transducer head. The angle and range pairs of data make it possible to determine the exact location from which the scattered returning energy originated.

Swath System Calibration

The USGS FISC SWATHplus H system uses a Coda Octopus F190 inertial attitude and positioning system. This system supplies real time corrections and data on vessel heave, pitch, roll, heading, and positioning (USGS/DGPS) information for data acquisition and postprocessing.

Calibration is a two-part procedure. First the F190 must be calibrated, and then the SWATHplus H system is calibrated.

The F190 calibration involves setting the configuration parameters (sensor positions, antenna positions) then restarting of the system. The vessel then executes sequences of dynamic maneuvers (circles, figure eights, starts, stops) for anywhere between 15 to 120 minutes. This step insures that accurate gyro parameters including heading, attitude, position, and velocity data will be available in real time for swath data collection.

SWATHplus H calibration typically involves entering system configuration data (electronic and physical parameters of system components) and collecting roll, pitch, and heading data from the execution of calibration survey lines – a patch test.

Roll patch tests consist of five parallel lines over a flat bottom. The lines are 500 m long with 100 percent overlap.

Pitch patch tests consist of four lines over a slope (for example, channel, dredge scour) run over the same track. Two lines are run slowly (~3 knots.), 180 degrees out from each other. The other two lines are run fast (~8 knots.), 180 degrees out from each other.

Heading  patch tests consist of four lines run past an object (jetty, pier). Two lines are run close to the object (for example, 10 meters), and the other two are run farther out (for example, 40 meters). Each set of two is run over the same track, 180 degrees out.

These patch test lines, as well as the actual survey lines, were collected with acquisition software, Swath Processor, version 2.07.1.The calibration lines were processed with Grid Processor, version 2.05, in order to determine the system offsets or corrections. These corrections were then entered into the configuration files of the Swath Processor data acquisition package for use during the survey.

Processing

  All swath raw data files were processed with CARIS Hydrographic Information Processing System (HIPS) version 6.0 with the following workflow:

1) Create vessel configuration file for each cruise. Set initial roll, yaw, pitch, and x,y,z axis parameters to zero. Incorporate this information into the data at the time of collection as the installation parameters.

2) Create a new project directory for the HIPS data. Organize this data set by day.

3) Import raw line files in the SXP format into CARIS Conversion Wizard. The Conversion Wizard converts raw data files to HIPS format and saves the files to a project directory.  The SXP files are output from the Submetrix software with the offset and gyro data incorporated.

4) Evaluate each line with the Navigation Editor to "clean" the vessel's navigation data.  Locate excesive jumps in naviagtion positioning, reject the position fixes along with the fixes before and after the jumps, and replace them with interpolated values. The lines are also evaluated with the Attitude Editor to view and interpolate large spikes in the motion sensor data for heave, pitch, and roll when necessary.

5) Create a tide file using the data from the NOAA tide station at Clearwater Beach (#8726724).  Reference the tide file to the MLLW vertical datum.

6) Merge all lines to create the position and depth data for each sounding.

7) Create filters for the survey and set to: minimum depth 6 m, maximum depth 14 m (as requested by researchers).

8) Open all lines using CARIS Swath Editor to remove outliers, bad pings, and erroneous outter beams when necessary.

9) After merging and cleaning, create a bathymetry based on statistical error (BASE) surface at 1-m, 5-m and 10-m resolution.

10) Export these BASE surfaces as geoTIFF images.  Export the processed soundings as ASCII files in x,y,z format using the UTM coordinate system.  Create an interpolated bathymetry surface from the x,y,z data in ESRI ArcMap version 9.1 software.

The swath surfaces can be viewed on the Images page. Also, the x,y,z files can be found in the Data Products folder.