ioSonics and Ping DSP Sonar Technologies Combine for Seagrass Surveys; 3D Sidescan and Scientific Single Beam Dovetail as Highly Effective Habitat Assessment System
Two sonar manufacturers from the Pacific Northwest have joined forces in a cooperative effort aimed at improving efficiencies in aquatic habitat mapping. Seattle-based BioSonics Inc., and Ping DSP, with headquarters located in Victoria, BC, recently conducted trials to evaluate the effectiveness of a Ping DSP 3D Sidescan sonar combined with a BioSonics MX single beam echosounder as a means for locating and quantifying seagrass beds.
The Ping DSP 3DSS-DX-450 provides wide-swath bathymetry data with full-water-column three-dimensional backscatter imagery, while the BioSonics MX echosounder uses a focused, relatively narrow beam (90) capable of penetrating the vegetation canopy and accurately locating the bottom beneath the plants. When deployed simultaneously, the hybrid 3D sidescan/single beam system offers a unique combination of capabilities ideal for mapping and quantifying submerged aquatic vegetation. The Ping 3DSS provides qualitative information across large areas whereas the BioSonics single beam sonar provides quantitative subsampling across areas where plants are known to exist.
Paul Kreutner, owner of Ping DSP summarized, “With the Ping 3DSS, we could clearly visualize seagrass beds at distances over 50 meters on either side of the survey vessel. This allowed us to quickly locate the edges of the grass patches and navigate directly through the plant beds where the MX system was used to collect accurate height and density measurements of the vegetation.”
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