(Institute of Acoustics, 2015-09-07)
Foote, Kenneth G.; Robinson, Stephen P.; Theobald, Peter D.
Two factors have often led to the neglect of instrument calibration and the loss of information in the
imaging process: the power of the image and the convenient signal processing expedient of
disregarding the physical nature of data. Seafloor imaging by sonar is a case in point.
Notwithstanding ambitions and needs to remotely detect and identify bottom objects, determine
seafloor properties, and quantify benthos, among other things, images of acoustic backscattering
data are often used, misleadingly, as proxies for physical data. Since image processing is inherently
nonlinear, the loss of physical data is immediate. Three processes that are essential to the
attainment and maintenance of the physical nature of backscattering data are elaborated: sonar
calibration to determine the transfer characteristics of the sonar, range compensation that
addresses both geometric and radiometric factors, and beam pattern measurement or estimation.
We collect and process your personal information for the following purposes: Authentication, Preferences, Acknowledgement and Statistics. To learn more, please read our privacy policy.
