Depth accuracy in seabed mapping with underwater vehicles

The HUGIN 11 untethered underwater vehicle (UUV) provides detailed seabed survey services to the offshore industry on a commercial basis. This paper discusses the resulting depth accuracy of the digital terrain model (DTM) that can be achieved with an UUV using standard commercially available multibeam echosounders, navigation sensors, pressure transmitters, CTD sensors, sound velocity sensors and international standards for computation of salinity and density. The results are also applicable for remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and towed fish.