New in Echoview 5.1 for all users

Feature

How it works

Benefit

Grid design change

Grid design changes affect the layers and cells for analysis with single beam data. Changes include:

• The ability to specify a line to use as a reference for the depth/range grid on an echogram.

You can now create analysis cells that reflect identified hydroacoustic features in the data. Features like the sea floor or a bathymetric layer. (Left) A screen shot of an echogram and an integration cell (hatched). The a grid is based on a specified Line-reference, in this case, the bottom-pick-line.

• The depth/range grid-line separation setting is a real number greater than zero. The restriction for the separation to be an integer that is greater than one, is removed.
• Grid settings are respected by the Alongtrack Sv window.
• A hidden line becomes visible when it is selected as a grid reference-line.
• Integrate Cell dialog box displays the layer and interval number of the cell.
• Support for Analysis by Cells export variables:
  • Grid_reference_line
  • Layer_bottom_to_reference_line_depth, Layer_bottom_to_reference_line_range
  • Layer_top_to_reference_line_depth, Layer_top_to_reference_line_range
• These variables can be selected under the Analysis Domain group of the Export page of the EV File Properties dialog box.
• COM support for the new grid reference-line feature.

Offers new ways to configure cells for analysis.

Lines

The following designs changes and enhancements can improve your line workflow:

• Double-click a line to make it active.
• Options for line visibility on an echogram or echograms when you create an editable line.

• Analysis Domain new optional analysis variables include:

  • Exclude_below_line_depth_max, Exclude_below_line_depth_min
  • Exclude_below_line_range_max, Exclude_below_line_range_min
• About Lines documentation is optimized to make information about lines easier to find.
• Modern look for the Line Properties dialog box.
• Editable or virtual lines can be used as a reference-line for the horizontal grid of an echogram.

Updates of Echoview

Echoview can be set up to check for version and help file updates. Checking is conducted through your computer's internet connection.

• The Update-feature can be turned off with theCheck for updates at program start upsetting on the Echoview Configuration dialog box.

For more information refer to About Update Echoview.

Saves you time by updating Echoview automatically.

Interval numbering design change

Start interval numbers at the start of the echogram on the Grid page of the Variable Properties dialog box allows you to specify absolute or relative interval numbering for Time, GPS or Vessel log based time/distance grids.

For more information refer to About Interval and layer numbers.

Gives you flexibility over the partitioning of your data.

Show Information design change

Echoview reads calibration and other additional information from data files. This means that the Additional info (not used by Echoview) section on the File page of the Show Information dialog box is no longer required and is now removed.

The Additional information from file (used by Echoview) sections have been updated.

Consistent information where it is needed.

General

• Filesets window - A clock-circle next to the data file name shows the data file is being loaded. During the loading process, the total number of data files and number of data files left to load is shown in the Filesets window title bar.
• An additional single beam Echogram Display setting Automatically set the display limits of based on the loaded pings. This setting accommodates new (added) data and new EV files based on templates.
• Displayed Details are clearer to read and easier to maintain. The optional Details display is useful when you want to examine all the available details for a sample.
  • Use Shortcut menu > Select All and Copy to take the information to your favorite text editor.
  • New Target (from file) section, displays the filename for data (usually multibeam target data) that has been saved in a single target file format and is added to a fileset.
• Displayed analysis and integration results are clearer to read.

Echoview Configuration design change

The settings on the Preferences page move to two new pages General and Interface.

A more intuitive arrangement for configuration settings.

New Operators and Operator enhancements

Background noise removal

A multi-threaded operator that removes background noise for single beam Sv variables. The Background noise removal operator is licensed under the Analysis Export module.

The Background noise removal algorithm estimates the noise for each ping and subtracts the noise estimate.

• You can specify six settings on the Background Noise removal page of the Variable Properties dialog box. Four settings specify the averaging cell used to determine the noise estimate. Two Threshold settings set the Maximum Noise and Minimum SNR.

The algorithm uses and expands on concepts discussed in "A post-processing technique to estimate the signal-to-noise ratio and remove echosounder background noise." by A. De Robertis and I. Higginbottom (2007). The Algorithm page also discusses useful strategies for background noise removal.

A powerful noise processing tool.

Cell statistic

We are pleased to introduce the Cell statistic and Cell statistic [Single targets] operators. The operators accept gridded Sv data or gridded single target data and output a selected cell statistic. The Cell statistic operators together with the new Match geometry operator are powerful processing combinations that enable you to exploit innovative analysis methods. Dataflows that mask original data with cell statistics offer information-rich visualizations based on qualitative calculations. Refer to About the Cell statistic operator for more information about its uses.

Top left: raw Sv data. Bottom left: cell statistic (mean) on raw Sv data. Top right: cell statistic (mean) on single target data. Bottom right: fish per cubic meter, restricted to the cells where the mean Sv is <-64dB.

The Cell statistic operator is licensed with the Virtual echogram module.

A powerful data analysis tool.

Match geometry

The Match geometry operator enables you to resample one variable to match the exact ping geometry of another variable. This facilitates masking and other analysis with original data. Ping geometry can be supplied by: Sv, Linear, Boolean, Color, TS, Unspecified dB or Angular position data.

Facilitates further data analysis.

More multi-threaded operators

There are now over fifty three multi-threaded operators available out of our 110+ operators. Multi-threaded operators process faster on multiple core computer systems. They are marked by a running hare on the New variable dialog box.

New multi-threaded operators include: Sv to TS, TS to Sv, Processed data, all Single target detection operators, Cell statistic, Cell statistic [Single targets] and Match geometry.

Faster processing speed.

Mask operator design change

The Mask operator now supports Single target input operands. This can be useful when you want to look exclusively at "on-transect" single targets. "Off-transect" periods can be defined as vertical-band regions and the Region Bitmap operator used to set these regions to "False".

Flexibility for the Mask operator.

Bug fix

An Echoview 5.0 crash associated with the Merge pings operator is fixed. The bug was caused by inconsistencies with the by-ping calibration from different filesets. The by-ping calibration for the Merge pings operator now behaves as expected.

Scripting and COM objects

The implementation of COM objects (COM object automation) to access Echoview (through scripts) has been highly successful. Echoview Software continues to enhance existing COM objects and add support for new COM objects. We are also developing new tutorials and example scripts to help you upload, process and export your data efficiently.

The key advantage of this automation model is that Echoview can pass information back to the script. It is now possible for scripts to make informed decisions, request decisions from the user, and pass information from Echoview to the user.

For more information about the COM objects in Echoview 5.0 refer to Scripting with COM objects.

If you are interested to know more about COM automation, please contact us for further information.

Grid reference-line support

Support for the horizontal grid reference-line feature:

• Design change for EvGrid: new property DepthRangeReferenceLine and SetDepthRangeGrid supports the EDepthRangeGridMode enum eReferenceLine = 2.

• EvFile.Properties.Export.Variables.Item("NASC").Enabled = False
  

  This snippet demonstrates how to clear the NASC analysis variable.
  
•  
• New Echoview COM error handling snippet for a single EV file, the previous snippet assumed that Echoview contains multiple EV files.

ASCII files

Echoview 4.80 introduced character-encoding options other than ASCII encoding. Collectively ASCII files are now referred to as Text data files where the encoding may be ASCII, UTF8 or UTF-16. Similarly, .csv data files are CSV-format text data files.

• ASCII data files are now Text data files
• Calibration settings for ASCII data is now Calibration settings for text data
• Raw variables derived from ASCII data is now Raw variables derived from text data

Memory management

The Echoview and Windows memory management page provides a central topic for Windows memory management issues that can affect Echoview's performance.

• The Transducer Properties dialog box can't be displayed from the Calibration page of the Variable Properties dialog box.
• Clearer information about the Range dimension resampling for the Resample operators.
• Further discussion about where to find calibration information for pre-Echoview 5 EV files: Step 5 Notes.
• Future developments page is now linked to up to data information from the Echoview web site.
• New Solutions to common problems entry flags potential confusion between the reported value and the analysis variable's name. This can occur when the transducer points upwards (elevation is 180 degrees) and analysis variable names include: _depth_max/min or _range_max/min.
• New note about optional columns of data in exported data files and required data in equivalent file formats that can be added to a fileset.
• New note for Ex500 calibration settings topics. Under the ECS calibration model there is one calibration source for Ex500 data, however calibration settings available under the calibration source may not be available to every raw variable. Refer to Calibration settings for EK500 telegrams logged with Ex 500 for more information.
• Correction to the descriptive text for the Image compactness analysis variable. The calculation and output for Image compactness are correct. Additional information about Image compactness has been added to the associated schools descriptor entry on the School detection module algorithms page.

Bug fix

Bad data region bug fix

A Bad data region bug, that appeared in Echoview 5.0, is fixed. The bug affected integration for echograms where bad data regions were set to be not visible. The integration incorrectly excluded bad data regions and consequently would tend to underestimate estimates for biomass. The bug fix ensures that Echoview correctly accounts for bad data regions that are set to not visible.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this bug may cause you. Please don't hesitate to contact the Echoview team if you have any questions about this bug fix or its impact on your processing.

Simrad Ex500 update calibration settings bug fix

A Simrad Ex500 calibration bug that appeared in Echoview 5.0 is fixed. The bug affected the timing of the recalculation of Start and Stop ranges when settings were changed. The bug fix correctly synchronizes the update of the echogram with changes in calibration settings from an ECS file.