The Triton Imaging Dredge System, NESSIE, has been developed to monitor dredging operations, providing real-time depth information across a work area. Using a combination of sensors integrated into Triton’s software, precise depth information can be attained and used to maximize dredge operations.

The design of the software incorporates automated processing and simplified acquisition key commands that minimize the amount of operator input. Once the system is installed and booted, the user can start viewing results within a couple of keystrokes!

The system is a turnkey package consisting of all hardware and software components required for operation. Data are provided to the operator via a flat panel color display and logged in XTF format. System components include:

• Sensors and Hardware
• Survey Planning Tools
• Data Acquisition Tools
• Data Processing Tools

All vessels or survey platforms are not the same, and each customer has their own way of conducting a survey. In order to take into account a client's requirements, Triton has designed a five-step integration process that begins with a pre-installation assessment of mounting issues, system components and to discuss survey objectives, and concludes with fully trained operators on the integrated system. Our experience and technical knowledge in the acquisition of multibeam echo sounder data, as well as our involvement in numerous system integrations, ensure that the sensors selected for the system meet survey specifications and customer satisfaction. Our services do not stop at optimizing survey operations from a technical standpoint. At Triton, we work with the customer during training to cover all aspects of data acquisition and processing relevant to the system such that maximum data quality is achieved and a final data product can be derived with minimal stress.

Sensors and Hardware

Each component within the turnkey system provides information that is required for accurate bathymetric data. The system has been designed such that all sensors integrate with the Triton topside computer. The software on this computer logs, processes and displays all data.

Hardware components include:

1. Acquisition and Real-time Display of Sensor Data with navigation control
2. Scanning Sonar
3. Motion Sensor
4. Navigation equipment, provided if it is not already installed on board the vessel
5. Compass/Gyro aided by vessel MRU
6. Sound Velocity Probe
7. Power Supply

Survey Planning Tools

Efficient surveys begin with proper planning. Line plans for site surveys and dredge operations can be created in DelphNav™ and displayed during the data acquisition. The display can incorporate digital shoreline files, aerial photographs, or any other raster image as a background.

Data Acquisition Tools

NESSIE uses a custom-built Triton data logger for recording the raw scanning sonar data. Sensor inputs are delegated by the Triton Serial Server and then stored in the XTF format. During acquisition the data are processed and geo-referenced in real-time to produce a color-coded digital terrain model. The DTM is an invaluable quality control and survey monitoring tool.

Data Processing Tools

Although the data can be processed in real-time during acquisition, the raw data are not manipulated in any way. This preserves the integrity of the original data such that reprocessing with different parameters is possible. The Triton BathyPro™ application can be used for this reprocessing, with options for creating a new DTM, point soundings, or contour lines. TritonMap™ offers a volume computation tool that can be used to display dredge results relative to a reference surface. The DTM can also be displayed in our three-dimensional viewing tool. Profile sections and associated reports can be easily created and printed from TritonMap™.

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