Evolution and Future of Multibeam Echosounder Technology

The MultiBeam Echo Sounder (MBES) has become an important tool in oceanic applications such as seafloor mapping, sediment evaluation, sub-bottom profiling, surveys, fisheries research, mine countermeasures, and underwater inspections. Intense interest has been directed toward improvements in performance, and new concepts are being introduced at a rapid pace. Related and competing systems are always promoted as having preferable capabilities. This paper provides an introductory review of the function of these systems, the environmental effects on them, and some functional aspects of newer systems. Moreover, this introduction will ensure that subsequent discussions and terminology relating to MBES sonars can be understood clearly when new improvements are presented. Some of these new improvements include enhanced bottom coverage, new methods of sound velocity measurement and compensation for refraction, new methods of calibration, flexible adaptation to the sediment, and a new method to improve spatial resolution and signal processing.