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Multibeam Surveys

Multibeam echosounders collect soundings with a wide, fan-shaped swath of acoustic beams. Swath data are interfaced with a precision positioning system, which includes 3-D translational and rotational motion sensors to map soundings in geodetic space.

The specific advantages of multibeam include greater data density, the ability to fully describe bottom topography at high resolution and the ability to detect features. Repeated multibeam surveys enable the production of an accurate surface difference map which highlights areas of sediment deposition and erosion and yields more accurate volume change estimates.

Representative Projects

Breakwater Inspection: Portage, Indiana

Ocean Surveys performed a breakwater inspection through multibeam hydrographic and vessel-mounted laser scanning surveys of the Burns Harbor Breakwater in Portage, Indiana. The survey data enhanced the District's ability to assess existing breakwater conditions both above and below the water ...
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Bridge Scour Investigation: Mackinac, Michigan

The Mackinac Bridge is among the 20 largest suspension bridges in the world. It has a total length of approximately five miles and a main span of 3,800 feet. As part of a scour investigation, Ocean Surveys performed a multibeam hydrographic survey ...
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Charting Navigable Waters

Ocean Surveys was a subcontractor to the prime on NOAA’s very first contracted hydrographic survey. Since 1999, OSI has acted as a prime contractor and surveyed thousands of square nautical miles of navigable waters on behalf of NOAA (see table ...
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Pier Inspection: Thule, Greenland

The U.S. Air Base in Thule, Greenland is the US Military’s northernmost installation with the world's northernmost deep-water port. The port is open for only a few months each year during which time all bulk cargo and fuel bound for ...
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Submarine Cable and Pipeline Routing: Massachusetts Bay

Ocean Surveys, Inc. initially performed a desktop study to compile geologic, oceanographic, sediment chemistry, and marine activity background information supporting the feasibility assessment of the project. This research was followed by a reconnaissance level marine geophysical survey along an alignment ...
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Wind Farm Development: Atlantic Ocean, Offshore Rhode Island

From 2009 to 2017, OSI provided extensive survey and data analysis for the wind farm development offshore Rhode Island. These services were performed in support of all phases of the design, permitting, and construction of five wind turbines, inter-array, and ...
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