Multibeam Echo Sounder Data Acquisition: User Needs Summary

The value and recognition of seabed mapping has been rising, both internationally and in Australia, since the arrival of multibeam echosounder (MBES) technologies in the 1970s. This has been demonstrated recently by the large investments in programs such as Australia’s SEA 2400, led by the Department of Defence, and the international GEBCO-Nippon Foundation Seabed 2030 project. The AusSeabed initiative was established in 2017 to support the seabed mapping community across all sectors and fulfil the increasing demand for seabed information. AusSeabed is composed of members from government, academia and the private sector who are seeking to improve the awareness, coverage, quality, discoverability and accessibility of seabed mapping data through coordination and collaboration. 

As MBES remains the most popular technology for mapping the seabed, data derived from MBES is a primary focus for AusSeabed. FrontierSI, Geoscience Australia, and Deakin University undertook a study to understand MBES user requirements, in order to ensure AusSeabed meets the needs of MBES users. Specifically, the aim of this study was to identify end-user needs and challenges, and to subsequently capture survey requirements to inform the development of tools to support future MBES survey planning and quality assurance. The study took the form of an online questionnaire, supported by two workshops. This report summarises the responses gathered from 103 people across 69 Australian and international government, private sector and academic entities.

This report summarises the responses gathered from 103 people across 69 Australian and international government, private sector and academic entities. From the pool of participants, 56 per cent were directly involved in MBES acquisition (acquired themselves or outsourced) and the remainder sourced their data in other ways (e.g. using existing public data). Fifty-seven per cent of participants use existing specifications and guidelines during their survey planning, while the remainder sought guidance from other sources, including subject matter experts. In addition, 39% of participants checked for existing data within their area of interest, whilst the remainder identified it was too difficult and time-consuming to find previously-acquired data. Seventy-three per cent of participants reported a willingness to share their data with others, suggesting that the number of users accessing existing data could be increased via provision of an easy-to-use and free data sharing service. Current major obstacles for organisations openly sharing their data include cost recovery, data confidentiality and commercial sensitivities, including IP restrictions associated with the data. 

This report identifies 30 specific MBES survey purposes across 10 general application areas, including 1) Coastal Zone Management and Marine Conservation, 2) Commercial Fishing and Aquaculture, 3) Habitat Mapping and Ecosystem Modelling, 4) Hydrodynamic and Storm Surge Modelling, 5) Hydrographic Charting and Navigation, 6) Marine Construction and Infrastructure, 7) Natural Disaster Recovery and Hazard Mitigation, 8) Resource and Mineral Exploration, 9) Geological Mapping and Seafloor Physical Characterisation, and 10) Reference Surface and Ground-Truthing. The technical specifications identified by participants for these applications are provided within the appendix of this report.

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, Marine Geoscience, OCEANOGRAPHY, data acquisition, multibeam echosounder - MBES, seabed mapping
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network