Acoustics in Hydrographic Survey

Engineering

Event Brief

As an enabling activity supporting world trade development and marine pursuits, application of hydrographic surveying is essential. On top of its traditional role in marine navigation and environmental studies, hydrograhic survey is also part and parcel of oil and gas exploration, dredging, offshore constructions and engineering, port expansion projects, submarine telecommunication lines, mariculture, sea reclamation and other harbours and coastal engineering operations. It is nearly impossible for the authorities to pursue the expansion of their commercial shipping and defence requirements without critical assessment of their seabed characteristics. Despite the importance of hydrographic surveys, some countries rely on past data which may be discontinuous, often unreliable and outdated.

With intensified competition in pursuit of energy resources as well as increasingly congested waterways, the roles of hydrographic surveyors have never been more important. However, it is very often that technical personnel involved master the operation of equipments without having a good understanding of the systems and acoustic theories involved.

This training course will provide a comprehensive review of active sonar theory and survey sonar systems to assist users to achieve better overall performance out of their survey sonar systems. This includes reverberation and methods to combat reverberation as well as effects of noise on sonar performance. Sound propagation and active signal processing will also be examined. By starting out with introduction to sonar problems and works its way into a more advanced knowledge of active sonar theory, participants will gain a good understanding of acoustics in hydrography. On top of this, processing descriptions, capabilities and limitations of different survey sonar systems will also be discussed extensively.

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Course Objective

Achieve good understanding on the theories behind acoustics in hydrographic survey.

Review processing descriptions, capabilities and limitations of different survey sonar systems.

Provide practical guidance to improving data quality and rates of effort in using survey sonar systems.

Understand how reverberations and noise affects the performance of sonar systems and its countermeasures.

Review sound propagation and active signal processing in acoustics system.

Examine human and system factors that will affect the performance of survey sonar system.

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Trainer

Mr. REX PATRICK
Director
ACOUSTIC FORCE – AUSTRALIA

Rex Patrick is the Director of ACOUSTIC FORCE, a company that specialises in the training of operational, engineering, scientific and management personnel engaged or associated with miliary warfare and hydrography. Acoustic Force has trained Royal Australian Navy hydrographers in sonars systems as part of their H2 course (International Hydrographic Office’s formal course) and survey companies in Australia.

Rex has worked in sonar and acoustics field for over twenty six (26) years. Eleven of these years were spent in the Royal Australian Navy. He was involved in the delivery of a Hydrographic System for the Royal Australian Navy’s Hydrographic Ship and Survey Motor Boats. During this project, he participated in survey system set-to-work, calibration, system trials and numerous surveys in and around Cairns, Australia.

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Course Agenda

For more details on course agenda, please click here

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Who Should Attend

The course is especially recommended for surveyors, engineers, personnel and managers involved in:

Hydrographic Survey

Marine Survey

Marine Research

Marine GIS

Nautical Charting

Fisheries Development