Commercial and scientific applications of deep towed sidescan sonar systems

Summary form only. The collection of seafloor imagery and bathymetry from 6000 meter rated deep-towed sidescan sonar systems has been appreciated for many years. The number of systems in active use in the commercial, scientific, and government communities continues to increase. New improvements to these systems include additional sub-systems such as gap-filler sonars, integrated CTDs and improved acoustic positioning equipment; enhanced image processing and additional swath bathymetry capabilities. Countries with organizations operating these sonars include the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, Japan, China and Korea. The presentation describes operating procedures for these sonars and briefly presents the differences among the systems. The recent operations for the various systems are summarized