Teledyne CARIS

SIPS Backscatter

CARIS has been advancing the SIPS backscatter engine to make creating artifact-free and robust backscatter products a simple and autonomous process. Following the release of a new multi-mode beam pattern in HIPS and SIPS 11.1, we are pleased to release a new backscatter gridding engine in HIPS and SIPS 11.2. The new engine implements a weighted moving average (WMA) gridding technique which better handles the geometry of multi-sector systems, prevents over-interpolation of data, and allows smoothing the mosaic by adjusting the radius of influence for each cell. Along with the WMA gridding engine, an industry-first area-based AVG correction is also introduced.

Traditional AVG corrections are applied line-by-line with a rolling filter, causing different results to be applied to neighboring lines, which introduces artifacts when the type of sediment changes across-track. As a result, line-based approaches require cosmetic filters to blend the differences to give the appearance of an artifact-free mosaic. In the SIPS backscatter engine, CARIS has implemented an area-based AVG correction which uses any overlapping information to apply an area-based correction computed purely on the physics of seabed acoustic reflectivity. The new area-based AVG correction allows high quality backscatter mosaics to be produced by running a single process.

Reson T-50 Normalized Backscatter Imagery  Source: Environment Agency 

Expanding Extents

With the increasing use of multiple platforms on a single survey, it is becoming common to bring multiple datasets together into a single project. To support this workflow, the CSAR format has been updated to allow the extents to automatically expand when new data is added to the coverage. This functionality allows a single surface to be used and maintained as new data from different locations and sources are brought together in the project.
Note: If a coverage is created with fixed extents, the CSAR file is fully backwards compatible. However, if you need to use an expanding-extents CSAR in previous versions of CARIS software you can right click→ 'Save As' on the coverage to create a fixed extent copy once all data has been added to the coverage.

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The new extents widget allows the user to set fixed extents to clip data to a specific area, or use automatic extents to dynamically adapt with the incoming data.

Time-dependent transformation

HIPS and SIPS now supports time-dependent transformations. These coordinate reference system (CRS) transformations have an epoch component that allows for more precise positioning of data.

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Additional Support for Drag and Drop Processing

With HIPS and SIPS version 11.1.5, you can now process HSX data by simply dragging and dropping the files onto the Application. This new workflow also allows you to fully customize the processing applied to your data.

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Drag and Drop Processing

Following on the introduction of Drag and Drop processing in HIPS and SIPS 11.0, HIPS and SIPS 11.1 now offers the ability to completely customize the workflow applied when sonar files are dropped onto the application. With the ability to customize a separate workflow for each sonar format, you can easily automate your organization's specific workflow to be run through the HIPS Drag and Drop functionality. Through the Options dialogue you can configure HIPS file creation, Import, Georeference Bathymetry and surface generation.

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SIPS Backscatter

Understanding the increasing importance of quality backscatter products to our users, CARIS has been working to advance the backscatter processing capabilities of the SIPS Backscatter engine, while maintaining a fully autonomous approach. During most surveys, the focus is on collecting quality depth information using multi-sector sonars with roll pitch and yaw stabilization to ensure consistent coverage, and adjusting settings such as pulse length to ensure the best range and resolution are being achieved. However, these dynamic capabilities in real-time survey can be problematic when processing the backscatter intensity into consistent, usable products. 

The Beam Pattern Estimation process in HIPS and SIPS 11.1 for SIPS Backscatter has been enhanced to automatically handle dynamic steered sectors and changes in pulse length / waveform throughout a survey by creating a unique beam pattern for each mode and sector of a multi-sector system. This enhanced technique produces a consistent backscatter image, regardless of the dynamic settings during survey. 

 

Stay tuned as we continue to work throughout the year on introducing further improvements to the SIPS Backscatter Engine.

New Licensing Technology

HIPS and SIPS 11.1 incorporates new licensing technology which will bring several benefits to our end users. Please note that the new license technology is not compatible with previous versions of the software, and your existing license configuration is still required for those versions. Please contact Teledyne CARIS customer support to receive your new license.

This upgraded licensing is softkey based, so no physical dongles are required; a license Entitlement will be created for software activation. This presents several benefits:

• For all users:
  • Convenient and easy activation (online or offline)
  • No separate licensing tool
  • Faster software purchase and setup
  • The elimination of physical hardware removes the possibility of damage or loss
• For current users in a network license environment, a new license manager is available:
  
  • Server can be hosted from any computer on the network
  • Convenient and easy server activation
  • Improved license usage transparency: easy to track which licenses are in use, and who is using them
  • New "Commute" function allows user to seamlessly check-out a license from the server for offline use, without needing to switch to a hardware dongle
• For users traditionally sharing a USB dongle among multiple computers, we recommend that they switch to a network license environment and leverage the “commute” functionality to distribute licenses, including the new check out / check in option for offsite use. This avoids the risks or delays involved with shipping dongles to vessels or remote employees, while keeping control where the licenses are used.
• If users prefer to stay on the local license environment, the entitlement can be deactivated on one computer and transferred to another computer if needed. Users will need to contact Teledyne CARIS customer services to get assistance in this process.

 For more information about the new licensing technology and how it will affect your organization contact Customer Services, or visit License FAQ.

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Drag and Drop

For the users looking for the easiest way to open and process their data, HIPS and SIPS now supports Drag and Drop for sensor files. When you Drag and Drop raw sensor files onto the application, the raw sensor data is automatically processed into a georeferenced point cloud and a gridded surface.

Through Drag and Drop the processing steps outlined below will be automatically applied:

• Auto-create HIPS File: The HIPS File will be automatically created
• Conversion: The raw data files will be converted in to the new HIPS File
• Vessel File From Data: For the most popular formats the installation parameters will be automatically converted from the raw data files and used during processing. For formats which do not store the installation parameters, a zero vessel file will be used
• Georeference Bathymetry: The soundings will be processed through to a georeferenced point cloud.
• Gridding: A surface will be created, using a new Automatic Resolution option.

For users who would like more customization, the new combined Import Sensor Data dialogue is available. By using the same automation built for Drag and Drop, importing sensor data is now easier then ever, and by exposing several options the Import Sensor Data dialogue provides flexibility to support.

 

One Step Processing

HIPS and SIPS 11.0 also introduces a new process to correct and georeference their sensor data. The new Georeference Bathymetry process is a single process which replaces Sound Velocity Correction, Load Tide, Compute GPS Tide, Merge and Compute TPU. With Georeference Bathymetry, the same trusted algorithms from the previous processes are still applied, however there are several benefits to the user by combining the algorithms into a single process:

• A simplified user interface with fewer options
• Simplified workflow with fewer decisions regarding when different processes need to be applied
• No need to concatenate Sound Velocity Profiles into a single file, simply select several separate profiles, or point to a folder and use all profiles in the folder.

 

Trackline Layers

HIPS and SIPS 11.0 introduces several user interface changes which improve the user experience while interacting with data. The new application interface provides a consistent user experience across the CARIS product line when filtering, grouping, and setting up display properties. Some of the improvements you will see are:

• Selection and draw order are controlled from a single window
• Layer grouping, with the ability to uniformly change display settings for all layers in a group
• Improved Properties and Attributes windows

HIPS and SIPS 11.0 introduces the ability to create Dynamic or Static layers for tracklines. This allows users to create a rule based layer using any of the trackline attributes with the option for the layer to be static (the tracklines in the layer will not change) or dynamic (as new lines are added or the trackline attributes change, the layer will update). These layers can then be used to drive the editors, display and can be used as the input to a process.

For example, a dynamic layer could be created for all lines which are outdated. As lines become outdated they will be automatically added to the dynamic layer. At any time Georeference Bathymetry can be run on the layer, updating all of the outdated lines in the project.

 

Process Designer

It is now possible to include a Process Model inside another Process Model using File > Insert Model. This makes it easier to manage complex Process Designer models by defining common capability once and re-using it multiple times. In the example below, a Process Model for Creating or Updating a Surface has been inserted into the main Process Model, which is clearly identified by its teal colour.

Validation has been built into the Process Designer, making it clear to a user if they have not defined a required parameter or connection. In the example below, the process is showing that it requires a connection for the "Track Line(s)" input.