New in Echoview 8 for all users

Feature

How it works

Benefit

Major changes to surface creation and use

Introducing major enhancements and streamlining for surfaces:

• Create a surface or virtual surface.
  • Via the new Line and Surface tool.
  • Via Dataflow window, Shortcut menu, New Surface
  • Via Dataflow window, Shortcut menu, New Virtual Surface
• Multibeam variables are able to use surfaces to exclude samples from analysis, surface detection or 3D school detection. To do this, use the Analysis page of the Variable Properties dialog box.
• The Lines and Surfaces page of the EV File Properties dialog box with a:
  • Single beam tab for line pick settings.
  • Multibeam tab for surface detection settings.
• New Surface operators Fixed Depth and Fixed Range. The surface-ping intersections of such virtual variables may be displayed on multibeam echograms.

These changes affect Echograms, the Dataflow window, Scenes and exports.

• New Surface, Virtual Surface, 3D object, 3D region class and Scene objects on the Dataflow window.
  • The new objects are supported by the Objects List and Show in View dialog box.
• Copy/Paste of Surfaces, 3D objects and Scenes between Views on the Dataflow window and between EV files.
• The View Properties dialog box, Relationship type: Line and Surface usage displays arrows and labels to indicate line and surface relationships between objects. Relationship type: Line usage is replaced by Line and Surface usage.
• .surface.csv extension for export surface .csv files.
• The Single beam tab of the Lines and Surfaces page of the EV File Properties dialog box replaces the Line pick page.
• Exclusion settings for 3D School detection have moved to the Analysis page of the Variable Properties dialog box.
  • The Exclusion page of the 3D Schools Detection Properties dialog box has been removed.
  • The Exclusion page of the Detect 3D Schools dialog box has been removed.
• The Scene Manager dialog box is no longer used.
  • 3D Region Class Definitions may now be exported from a 3D Region Class object on the Dataflow window.
  • Many Scene Manager actions are now offered through the Dataflow window.
• The context-sensitive Line and Surface tool replaces the Line draw tool.
• The New Surface dialog box configures multibeam surface detection settings. The Detect bottom surface dialog box is no longer used.
• The Processed data operator now supports Exclusion surfaces.
• COM support for Exclude surfaces.

 Expands and facilitates multibeam analysis.

Echoview Data File Format

The Echoview Data File Format stores data in XML and binary form. Echoview can both read and write (export) Echoview Data File Format files.

The Echoview Data File Format allows data from previously unsupported instruments to be used by Echoview. Contact Echoview Software for the Echoview Data File Format Definition document.

The Echoview Data File format is available for:

• Single beam - Power, Sv, TS, Unspecified dB and Angular position variables
• Multibeam Sv, Magnitude, Unspecified dB and Angular position variables
• Heading, Pitch, Roll, (GPS) Position, ( Vessel log) Distance and Line variables
• Wideband and Pulse compressed Simrad EK80 Sv, TS, Unspecified dB and Angular position variables

When a virtual variable is exported to an Echoview Data File Format file, the links to the Operator are cut. This can be useful when your virtual variable settings are optimized and you want to avoid virtual variable recalculation.

Other changes that support Export to Echoview Data File Format:

• Standard algorithm for the TvgRangeCorrection calibration setting.

For further information refer to About the Echoview Data File Format.

Provides a way to use data from unsupported instruments.

Can save time with virtual variable workflow.

Still images

Still images may be displayed in a Media window.

Support includes:

• Image Variable Properties, Media Display page.
• Media window synchronization for image data that uses EXIF data or a *.media.csv file.
• Dataflow window Image variable object.

For more information refer to:

• Media module
• Image data files
• Using image data
• Media window

A flexible media display window.

General changes

The following changes make Echoview features easier to use:

• Range/Depth units are displayed in the Information toolbar and Details dialog box.
• Ping graph, Shortcut menu Show Sv TVG Curve and setting Sv at 1 meter (dB) replace Show Constant-Power Curve and Constant-Power Curve Value. The new names convey clearer information.
• On Dataflow window, the Theme setting on the View Properties dialog box is removed.
• The Details dialog box now clearly displays Depth (on axis) under the General panel when you mouse over a single target. Target panel and Information toolbar documentation has been updated. Target panel Depth and Information toolbar Depth display single target True_depth.
• The Scene Manager is no longer used.
• Line exports are now saved to .line.csv files.
• The Live Viewing Variables dialog box has been removed. The Filesets and Dataflow windows can be used to view variables after live viewing has started.
• The Video window is no longer used.
• (0, 0) is now a valid Fixed platform, System reference point.

More efficient workflow and time savings.

Multiple Variable Properties

Multiple Variable Properties support is extended to:

• Echogram Display page: Echogram colors and Echogram display limits.
• Analysis page: Exclusions.

Faster workflow when working with multiple variables.

Select Fish Track

New and easier ways to select/work with a fish track:

• Press SHIFT+S and move the mouse pointer over a fish track.
• Place a rectangular selection over part of a fish track and use the Shortcut menu.
• Place the mouse pointer over a fish track and use the Shortcut menu.
• Merge Fish tracks now works with an active fish track and any fish tracks enclosed by a rectangular selection.

Improvements to fish track workflow.

Target frequency response graph

More enhancements for the Target frequency response graph:

• New Shortcut menu, Show Average toggles between new Graph page Wideband target frequency response settings.
• Under Individuals, a Maximum beam compensation line may be shown to indicate data inside and outside the specified Maximum beam compensation limit.
• Exported graph data caters to both data display options.

 Graph features that make analysis easier.

Tape measure

The Tape measure tool can now display a within-ping measurement on single beam echograms when no GPS variable is available.

Expands the usability of the Tape measure tool.

New Operators and Operator enhancements

Attenuated signal removal

Introducing the Attenuated signal removal operator that enables the identification of pings containing attenuated signal (sometimes called ping dropouts) as a result of air bubbles passing the transducer face. When attenuated signal is identified in a ping, this operator will replace the samples in affected pings with a value calculated from a statistic of the neighboring samples, or with No Data values.

A powerful addition to the suite of data manipulation operators.

Impulse noise removal

Transient noise removal

The default value is now lower for Exclude below threshold. This benefits users of low frequency data in deep water.

Changed setting names:

• Exclude below and Exclude above replaces Ignore samples above line and Ignore samples below line.
• Exclude below threshold (dB at 1 m) replaces Ignore samples below threshold (dB at 1 m).

See Impulse noise removal operator and Transient noise removal operator.

Improved setting names and default values.

 Virtual lines

Arithmetic, Best Bottom Candidate Line Pick and Maximum Sv Line Pick operand support for these acoustic data types:

• Complex power dB
• Complex Sv
• Complex TS
• Pulse compressed complex power dB
• Pulse compressed complex Sv
• Pulse compressed complex TS

Expanded acoustic data type support under selected line operators.

Surface operators

Support for virtual surfaces introduces the Fixed depth and Fixed range surface operators.

Expanded support for surfaces.

Processed data operator

The Processed Data operator now supports multibeam variables as input data. This allows Exclusion surfaces specified on the Analysis page of the Variable Properties dialog box to be processed for multibeam operands.

Updated support for surfaces.

Formula operator

The Formula operator is now multi-threaded.

The Ping Distance element is no longer used.

Improvements to performance.

Multi-threading

The Double Threshold operator is now multi-threaded.

Multi-threaded operators process faster on multiple core computer systems. They are marked by a running hare on the New Variable dialog box.

Increases the number of multi-threaded operators.

Motion Range Bitmap

Introducing the Motion Range Bitmap operator. The operator creates a bitmap where data points in each output ping will be true if the roll, pitch or heading at the time of that ping is within the limits specified, and false otherwise.

The Roll Range Bitmap operator is no longer used. Existing Roll Range Bitmap operators will use the Roll variable as an operand for a Motion Range Bitmap operator.

Scripting and COM objects

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

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

EvVariableAcousticProperties and new COM objects

 COM support for Attenuated Signal, Impulse Noise Removal and Transient Noise Removal operator settings.

• EvVariableAcousticProperties.AttenuatedSignal, EvAttenuatedSignal, EAttenuatedSignalReplacement.
• EvVariableAcousticProperties.ImpulseNoiseRemoval, EvImpulseNoiseRemoval, EImpulseNoiseReplacement, ESamplesOrMeters.
• EvVariableAcousticProperties.TransientNoiseRemoval, EvTransientNoiseRemoval, ETransientNoiseReplacement, ESamplesOrMeters.

Exclude surfaces and lines

COM support for Exclude surfaces and Exclude lines.

1. EvAnalysis.ExcludeAbove may be used for lines and single beam data, or surfaces and multibeam data.
2. EvAnalysis.ExcludeBelow may be used for lines and single beam data, or surfaces and multibeam data.

Note: It is recommended that EvAnalysis.ExcludeAboveLine and EvAnalysis.ExcludeBelowLine are no longer used.

Minimum TS threshold

COM support for Minimum TS threshold settings on the Data page of the Variable Properties dialog box.

• EvVariableAcousticProperties.Data ApplyMinimumTsThreshold, MinimumTsThreshold, MinimumTsThresholdOffset

Export to Echoview Data File format

EvVariableAcoustic.ExportEVD and EvVariableVirtual.ExportEVD support the export of variable data under Export to Echoview Data File Format.

Export to QPS SD file format

EvVariableAcoustic.ExportQPSSD and EvVariableVirtual.ExportQPSSD support the export of variable data to the QPS SD format.

Echoview data and hardware support

Updated Echoview data and hardware support information.

Computer requirements

Updated Computer requirements information and a new topic Purchasing a computer - Computer components.

Bottom classification

The Bottom classification - practical notes page contains referenced observations about bottom classification that may be useful for equipment setup, recording or analysis.

Updated documentation also includes minor changes to some Bottom classification setting names and clearer information for k-means clustering, and Variable Properties Analysis settings that are ignored or are unsuitable for bottom classification.

Dataflow window

Updated notes added to Dataflow Group and Objects list sections.

Grid settings

Updated notes added to the Grid page, Start interval numbers at the start of the echogram section.

Sound Metrics notes

Sound Metrics notes on DIDSON imaging sonar data, TvgRangeCoefficient and echogram display.

Export data

Update for export data and underlying data documentation. Samples excluded by Exclude lines are excluded under data export.

Open Next

Update to Open Next note; files are opened in alphabetical order.

Export data from operators

Updated Module information for Export data from operators.

Live Export operator

Updated documentation with a note about using Live Export and no GPS Position variable.

COM Enum

Updated documentation for a VBS Enum issue.

Fish track region

Updated information about tear-drop shaped fish track regions detected in single targets derived from multibeam target data.

Bug fixes

Detect Fish Tracks on a selection

Fish track detection for a selection correctly deletes fish tracks with the assigned class. Previously, a bug caused an incomplete removal of fish track regions.

Flip echogram vertically

The single beam Echogram Display setting Flip echogram vertically is fixed. Previously, a bug in that setting caused onscreen cell integration to fail.

Frequency Distribution export

 A message bug that did not affect the Frequency Distribution export is fixed.

HAC export

The HAC file format doesn't support negative sample range. For data that includes negative sample range, the HAC export skips samples with negative range and the sample count is adjusted. A message is also sent to the Messages dialog box. Previously, this kind of exported data would display an incorrect ping start range.

MATLAB export

A crash under Echoview 32-bit version associated with the export of large amounts of echogram data (from a virtual chain) to a MATLAB file is fixed. The fix also addresses a memory-related bug under the Echoview 64-bit version export.

Single target manipulation operators

Single target manipulation variables correctly evaluate single targets from the second operand. Previously, there was a bug in the processing of second operand single targets. The documentation for ST Union, ST difference and ST Intersection has been updated.

Window and zoom

Zoom-in crash fixed when showing echogram data in a very narrow window.

Bitmap operators

A bitmap operator bug has been identified and fixed.

Single target detection echogram and COM

Single target detection echograms update when Single target detection settings are changed using COM scripts. Previously, these echograms failed to update in response to COM changes.

Geometric center

Echoview 64-bit 3D region geometric center values and exported values are correct. Previously, in rare situations under Echoview 64-bit, incorrect geometric center values could be displayed by 3D region Properties and incorrect geometric center values exported. Region integration values were unaffected. Similar calculations under Echoview 32-bit were correct.