The ABCS Program for the Analysis of Echo Sounder Returns for ...

DSTO-GD-0215SamplingRate =2 × SounderMaxDepthSettingSoundSpeed × NumberOfHeaderSamples(5)The numerator is 2 x Sounder Max Depth Setting since this is the return path length.The file header is also used to determine the number of samples per ping, sinceeach ping in a particular file has the same number of samples. Each ping’s set ofreturns is analysed one at a time, there is presently no averaging of a number of returnsin this version of the program. When recording the data the echo sounder’s maximumdepth should be set deep enough so that the first and second returns can be recordedbefore the next ping is sent (ie. the Sounder Depth Setting should be greater than twicethe seafloor depth).The program will then read in the returns for the first ping. The next step is to findthe start and end of the first and second returns (The first return is for a single bottombounce only, while the second has a bottom / surface / bottom bounce), this is done bypressing the Calculate button. The positions of the starts and ends of both returns arefound by searching in the expected regions (see appendix 5) for 4 consecutive samplesof increasing value (a backwards search is performed to find the ends).Once the start of the first return is found the actual seafloor depth is calculated anddisplayed in the Seafloor Depth text box. This new seafloor depth is then used in thecalculation of the depth transformation. Also after the start of the first return is found,the background noise level is removed. This is done by averaging over the time beforethe first return and subtracting this level in the statistics calculations. The pointsaveraged are between the 80 th sample and 0.9* the start time of the first return. Theaverage is not taken from the first sample due to a ringing from the echo sounderappearing in the first few samples.To view the ping returns and check if the program has found the start and endpositions correctly a plot of the ping return can be viewed by pressing the Graph InputWave button (see Figure 6). The wave plot has different colours showing which returnswere found in the return signal. The red line is the original signal, the green line is thefirst return position calculated, and the blue line is the second return positioncalculated (see Figure 6). The green and blue lines should encompass the red line at thereturn sections. If no return is found or a section of it is missed, then the part missedwill show up in red (see Figure 7). Also there is a vertical blue line during the firstreturn to show the start of its tail (see Figure 6) (the tail of the first return is from thestart of the first return + the ping duration to the end of the first return (see Figure 9)).The red section seen at the beginning of the plot is due to ringing from the echosounder ping, it is not a bottom return (see Figure 6). The horizontal line at zero (whichis normally blue) is for plotting purposes only (see Figure 6).11