Improved Depth Selection in the Bathymetric Swath Survey System (BS3) Combined Offline Processing (COP) Program

BS3 data from the August 1981 Operational Evaluation processed by the original Combined Offline Processing (COP) program failed to meet internal and external accuracy standards when compared with independent Hydroplot results. A new version of the COP code has been developed which provides depth measurement accuracy to better than one percent of the depth for the inner 15 beams for all data sets from the April 1981 Field Experiment as well as for the Operational Evaluation. The outer six beams are believed to be better reserved for reconnaissance. The new code has been transferred to NOS along with a totally reprocessed Operational Evaluation survey. It is recommended that this new version be henceforth used exclusively. The added computer time is minimal — on the order of 25 percent. Important diagnostic programs have also been developed which, if installed on the shipboard computer, could aid greatly in establishing the optimum input setup of COP and in analyzing the results. Certain hardware problems have been identified which, if remedied, would permit the system to yield more reliable and more accurate results. More sophisticated COP versions were developed which provided marginally improved performance at the cost of large and unacceptable increases in computer time. These have been archived for potential future interest. 1982 OTES (Ocean Technology and Engineering Services) Library Public Domain 1930