Recent Developments in Side Scan Sonar and Applications in the Offshore Oil Field

Abstract

How does the side scan sonar provide this picture of the ocean bottom? Think of it as a camera system which uses sound instead of light rays to create a picture line by line on a

Registration and variability of side scan sonar imagery

“…Objects in this category include shipwrecks, debris dumped at sea, and undersea activities ranging from economic pursuits to the laying of mines. In the past the most common means of sensing the undersea environment has been point .measurements of water depth using echo soundings or diver inspection, but the advantages of improved resolution and superior mapping rates inherent in underwater imagery is motivating the development of several imaging systems for gathering bathymetric data [7] Economic pursuits such as offshore petroleum production provide further motivation for imaging underwater scenes [13] . These physical systems are subject to damage and deterio-ration over time and require periodic inspection to ensure continuous operation.…”