Definition and application of a quality estimator for multibeam echosounders

For modern multibeam echosounders, the use of a robust and reliable quality estimator associated with each sounding is an absolute necessity. Indeed, due to the large volume of data acquired, a lot of time is lost, both during the survey and the post-processing. This is a costly problem for hydrographers. The definition of a quality estimator based on the characteristics of the beamformed signal gives an answer to this problem. It has been successfully implemented by several sonar manufacturers and its relevance in measuring the quality of each sounding has been demonstrated. The defined Quality Factor can also be used directly in the sonar measurement process, such as in detection algorithm, in order to improve the performance of the systems. This makes it possible to enhance of existing systems at very little cost with success.