Hydrographic survey

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Riley Pilcher 

 

The aim of the project was the planning, execution, and post processing of a hydrographic survey at Port Gregory performed on the 24th of July 2018. A single beam, dual frequency SoNAR echo sounder was used for the depth observations of the survey, with horizontal control supplied from RTK GNSS. 

The project also provides a critique and comparison of different methods that can be used for hydrographic surveys. Airborne LiDAR bathymetry, multi beam echo sounders (MBES) and single beam echo sounders (SBES) are the discussed methods of observing depth whilst RTK tide corrections and conventional tide gauge observations are methods of applying tide corrections. 

Airborne LiDAR was found to be more cost effective and quicker than MBES despite producing lesser spatial resolution recording more data. MBES was considered the superior SoNAR method over SBES due to the large area that can be covered in comparatively less time. RTK tide corrections were considered the simpler method over observing a tide gauge due to ultimately eliminating any tide calculations from the processing. 

Considering these comparisons, it was found that each method has their respective advantages and disadvantages and thus each projects respective requirements, conditions, timeframe, and budget need to be analysed to choose the most suitable technique available for that particular project.