H11077 Woods Hole, Massachusetts: a comparison of NOAA hydrographic data processing methods old and new

NOAA hydrographers have been using CARIS HIPS and SIPS to process bathymetric and sonar imagery data since 1997. Since that time advances in the software have been numerous. With every change in technology and software capability the need arises to prove a system works and the desired results are produced. The release of CARIS HIPS 5.4 introduced tools which allow hydrographers to make more informed decisions when processing the ever-increasing volumes of data. With Total Propagated Error (TPE) and the Bathymetry Associated with Statistical Error (BASE) users address surfaces based on uncertainty and standard deviation. These surfaces visually direct the hydrographer to discrete areas of sonar blowouts and systematic or navigation errors. Less time is spent tediously cleaning data line by line and in turn that time is better utilized focusing on specific areas of interest. In 2004 NOAA´s Hydrographic Surveys Division did a comparison between a data set processed in an older version of CARIS HIPS and HIPS 5.4. This presentation will outline the methods used and the findings of the comparison.