EdgeTech, high resolution sonar imaging systems and underwater technology provider, mapped St. John’s Harbor in record time during the recent Canadian Hydrographic Conference.
During the on-water demonstrations, EdgeTech’s recently introduced 6205 Bathymetry System collected co-registered bathymetry and side scan sonar data in less than 3 hours. The processed data created a stunning bathymetric map of the complete harbor and the Narrows entrance to the harbor.
Traditional multi-beams used to map the harbor previously had taken considerably more time due to their narrow swath coverage. Multi-beam systems in their design are inefficient in shallow water due to the narrow 3 to 4 times water depth coverage.
Additionally, traditional multi-beam systems do not produce true side scan sonar data nor do they operate at simultaneous dual frequencies. Previous phase differencing bathymetry systems were plagued with a nadir gap, latency issues and were often large and heavy.
The newly designed EdgeTech 6205 uses an advanced transducer array configuration and signal processing techniques to solve the limitations of the above mentioned systems. The resulting solution is one that can maintain IHO accuracies out to 10 times water depth, collect true side scan data, and perform these operations at a price point that is competitive in the market.
The 6205’s bathymetry is impressive on its own, and with the addition of co-registered side scan sonar imagery surveyors and data processors can now also cross reference and verify features or targets when cleaning the bathymetry data to be certain real features are not deleted from the data set.
The 6205 also comes in an AUV version, the EdgeTech 2205, which in the past year has been installed on many AUV’s to produce high resolution 3D maps of the seafloor.