SNIPPETS / SIDESCAN BACKSCATTER
SeaBat 8160
Operator‟s Manual
Page 110
October 6, 2011
Version 5
return versus time or range. When a series of these lines are combined and
displayed, as the vessel moves along the track, a two-dimensional image is
formed which provides a detailed picture of the bottom along either side of the
vessel.
The sidescan data is output as an array of amplitude values which represent the
amplitudes for each sample cell in the beam from a single ping. The sidescan
beam is designed with a much wider beam width than the bathymetry beams so
that each beam has a wider field of view from very near the vessel out to the
maximum slant range of the sonar.
Figure 46: Sidescan Beam Geometry
Once the sidescan data is measured, it is transferred to the topside processor
where it is processed separately from the bathymetry data to ensure data
integrity. The final sidescan data is output from the SeaBat sonar processor via
an Ethernet UDP protocol.
NOTE
Sidescan cannot be used to accurately measure true depths, but it can provide
a more detailed picture of the sea floor. This image can be used together with
bathymetry to identify features and to help ensure that the survey does not
miss any small but significant targets.
F.3.1 Survey Considerations
The survey procedures for the collection of multibeam bathymetry and sidescan
data are different. For multibeam bathymetry, the transducer should ideally be
