Shallow water bathymetric data improvement in SeaBeam 2100 multibeam systems

SeaBeam 2100 is a new generation multibeam sonar capable of mapping the ocean floor with swath coverage ranging from /spl plusmn/75/spl deg/ in shallow waters to /spl plusmn/45/spl deg/ for the deepest ocean floor. Since the main design goal was to attain full ocean depth capability, array sizes are large and as a consequence the near-field effect moderates the performance of the systems in shallow waters. Improvements in the shallow water data quality of deep water multibeam systems can be attractive for a number of reasons. It can avoid the need for a separate system for mapping the shallow waters. It also offers the potential for robust performance. This paper addresses the issues involved in obtaining more accurate data in shallow waters using high-resolution autoregressive power spectral estimation technique. Application feasibility is examined in light of the SeaBeam 2100 design, system architecture and real-time processing requirements. Results from simulation are presented and future developments are discussed.