New in Echoview 10 for all users

Welcome to Echoview 10!

Echoview Software is very pleased to announce the release of Echoview 10. We are committed to improving the depth and efficiency of your acoustic data processing, regardless of your processing methodology. We are pleased to introduce features that will improve processing speed and simplify your work flow.

This page has been prepared for the full release of Echoview 10. The contents of the Help file may change and you should check with each subsequent update of Echoview 10.

New features are presented in these categories:

New features for all users

Key new features and enhancements
Licensing changes
New operators and operator enhancements
Scripting and COM objects
Documentation changes
Bug fixes

Specific echosounder or sonar changes

New features for all users

Feature

How it works

Benefit

New application

Echoexplore

Echoexplore 2 is the latest addition to Echoview Software’s suite of tools for researchers collecting echosounder and sonar data files.

For further information refer to About Echoexplore.

An easy way to find and explore data files on your computer.

Key new features and enhancements

Code operator

Introducing the Code operator, which contains a built-in Python interpreter that can be used for flexible custom algorithm development.

The Code operator enables you to read and view hydroacoustic data whilst applying any algorithm via a Python script file.

For further details refer to New operators.

Open source algorithm development capability.
Analysis variables

New optional analysis variables for export. Such variables may be useful for species identification of fish schools or for echogram data characterization in long term studies.

Region analysis variables for all types of region and cell exports:

Variables for altitude, a measure of the distance from to top and bottom of a region to the exclude-below line, are available for the Analysis by Regions and Analysis by Cells by Regions exports:

Additional morphometric parameters.
Wideband data

PulseCompressedEffectivePulseLength is used to calculate Corrected_thickness for EK80 pulse compressed data.

EffectivePulseLength is use to calculate Corrected_thickness for EK80 CW data.

Updated wideband support.
Line-referenced echogram

Single beam samples can now be displayed relative to an Echogram reference line; the reference line is flattened and is displayed as a horizontal line.

This type of display:

  • depicts samples, regions, lines and echogram grids relative to the Echogram reference line
  • allows manual line editing and can be helpful with bottom line checking

See also: About lines.

A useful display tool.
Export for ICES CSV

Support for the export of single beam Sv data to a CSV file that is acceptable to the ICES acoustic trawl survey database. Echoview requires the specification of a grid and maximum threshold and the input of some additional survey and transducer metadata values. Other fields and values are read from the data file.

Support for the ICES CSV export includes these changes:

  • The Transducer Properties Notes page contains transducer metadata notes and general notes that are used in exported ICES CSV files.
  • The Notes page of the EV File Properties dialog box contains Echoview and survey metadata information that are used in exported ICES CSV files.
  • COM support for ICES CSV export.
A useful export data format for ICES members.
Export Complex Data

Introducing a Complex Data CSV export for Complex and pulse compressed Complex variables derived from wideband data. The Complex Data export is available from echograms, regions and selections.

A useful wideband data export.
Command interface

Introducing the new Echoview Command interface which allows you to access Echoview properties and actions. Use the Console dialog box to immediately interact with the Command interface. Use a script to execute batch commands.

Support includes:

  • Access to variable and operator properties.
  • Access to EV file Open, Close, Save, New and Exit.

Refer to Automation module license changes and Scripting changes for more information.

Fast and easy access to properties.
Wideband Frequency Response graph

A performance improvement for the graph is achieved by only considering calculation intervals that overlap with the mask variable.

A design change for Graph Properties allows a single (checked) variable to be automatically used as the Reference variable for calculations.

Pings included in graph calculations now need to lie within the Maximum acceptable time difference from reference value. The specified time can be 0.0 to 30.0 seconds.

Wideband frequency response data may now be exported for fish track regions in single target detection - wideband echograms.

Updated documentation about input graph variables and the factors that degrade the wideband frequency response.

A more useful graph.
Fish track wideband frequency response export Wideband frequency response data may now be exported for fish track regions in single target detection - wideband echograms. Simplified export for this type of data.
Tape measure tool

The Tape measure tool has been updated to measure vertical distance (depth/range) between two points on a single beam echogram. Available distance measures include:

  • Straight line
  • Along-track
  • GPS straight line
  • GPS along-track
  • Range
Useful for measuring depth differences between targets/schools on single beam echograms.
Line CSV files

Introducing two easy-to-edit Line file formats that can be added to a fileset to derive raw line variables. Both formats can be exported from EV files, or generated outside of Echoview:

Increased versatility for lines.
Echoview Edition

Echoview 10 is only available as a 64-bit edition.

32-bit editions of Windows are no longer supported.

Windows Vista is no longer supported.

See Computer requirements.

Allows Echoview Software to focus on developing new features rather than supporting old technology.
General changes

The following changes make Echoview features easier to use:

  • When you open an EV file and files can't be found, you can now select one or more files by using Browse For File from the right-click menu on the Fileset window.
  • CTRL+SHIFT+P shortcut for pre-calculating samples on multibeam and single beam echograms. This is useful for preloading virtual variables and/or when data files are large.
  • F9 shortcut to display/hide the Details dialog box.
  • The Line source selection Line pick from variable displays a Properties button to view or modify the line pick algorithm or its settings.
  • Single beam line pick algorithms allow the specification of negative Start and Stop depths.
  • File and Ping (from file) details now appear only on the Details dialog box. Show Information is removed from the right-click Shortcut menu.
  • The maximum value of time separation between grid lines displayed on an echogram has been increased to 99999.99 minutes.
  • The export to Echoview Data File Format now supports the specification of measurement/ping or time sub-ranges. This is available on screen and through COM automation.
  • New Use alternate color scheme setting on the Echogram Display page of the Variable Properties dialog box.
  • The Transducer Properties Notes page contains notes moved from the General page.
  • New Save file locations relative to the EV File setting on the EV File page of the EV File Properties dialog box.
  • Access keys (ALT+underlined letter) have been removed from settings on windows and dialog boxes. They are still available on menus and dialog box buttons.
  • Specified graph reference variables are indicated under the Ref column on their Properties dialog box.
  • An active region on an echogram is indicated under the Selected column on the Regions window.
More efficient work flow and time savings.

Licensing changes

Automation module

 

Use of the Command interface, Console dialog box and Command interface scripting are licensed under the Automation module.

New feature licensing.

Advanced Operators

The Code operator is available under the Advanced Operators module.

New feature licensing.

New Operators and Operator enhancements

Code

The multi-threaded Code operator, allows you to apply a Python® script from a *.py file to specified operands. Echoview supports and includes the Python NumPy and SciPy modules which offer a wide range of open-source scientific computing and numerical integration capabilities.

The Code operator is available under the Advanced Operators module.

See also: Using the Code operator (includes example scripts).

Custom data processing via Python scripting.

Single target detection - wideband

Enhancement and streamlining of the Single target detection - wideband operator settings and algorithm.

  • The new setting Minimum target separation can be used to prevent or reduce the detection of multiple targets from a single object
  • Normalized calculations use the PulseCompressedEffectivePulseLength, which is more appropriate for pulse compressed data than the TransmittedPulseLength.
  • The TS of the target is calculated using the peak sample in the identified power pulse.
  • Effective pulse length is now supported as a value for Thickness source and is the default value of Thickness source for new single target detection - wideband variables.

Please review your Single target detection - wideband settings in EV files created before Echoview 10, particularly Minimum/Maximum normalized pulse length and Minimum target separation.

Improvements to the detection algorithm.

Single target detection - split beam Single target detection - split beam (Method 1) and (Method 2) variables now accept Complex angular position and Pulse compressed complex angular position in Operand 2. Support for wideband angle data.

Threshold offset

An enhancement introduces Detect maximum threshold to join the existing Detect minimum threshold setting.

Detect maximum threshold is useful when the Operand 2 line is positioned in empty water and the boundary of interest is nearby.

Adds versatility to (line) boundary detection.

Background noise removal

Transient noise removal

Impulse noise removal

Power dB has been added to the accepted operand list for the Background noise removal, Transient noise removal and Impulse noise removal operators.

Expanded acoustic data type support.

Match ping times

The Match ping times operator now supports multibeam variables as input data.

Updated multibeam data type support.

Reduce pings

The Reduce pings 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.

Expands the number of multi-threaded operators.

Scripting and COM objects

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

Command interface

The new Echoview Command interface can be used by the interactive Console dialog box or by COM scripts. The Console eases the development of commands with command syntax text matching, list filtering and immediate changes in Echoview.

Command interface scripting is available with:

  • Echoview Console files that contain exported successful command lines.
  • VB Script files that contain exported interface commands and Command interface return handling functions written in VB script. Such command script content can be incorporated with existing Echoview COM script content.
  • the new EvApplication.Exec method enables COM access to the Command interface.

Export EVD

Use EvVariableAcoustic.ExportEVDRange to export EVD data for a specified subset of pings.

Export single target wideband frequency response for regions

COM support for the export of the wideband frequency response of regions in single target detection - wideband data.

Use EvVariableAcoustic.ExportSingleTargetWidebandFrequencyResponseByRegions to export by region class.

Use EvVariableAcoustic.ExportSingleTargetWidebandFrequencyResponseByRegionsAll to export for all regions.

Export to ICES CSV

COM support for the ICES CSV export.

Use EvVariableAcoustic.ExportICESCSVByCells for an ICES CSV export by cells.

Use EvVariableAcoustic.ExportICESCSVRegionClassesByCells for an ICES CSV export for a specified region class by cells.

Use EvVariableAcoustic.ExportICESCSVRegionClassesByCellsAll for an ICES CSV export for all region classes by cells.

Support includes new enums for EIcesCsvExportDataValue and EIcesCsvExportLogOrigin.

Export single target wideband frequency response

COM support for the Wideband Frequency Response Graph setting Maximum acceptable time difference from reference (seconds).

An updated parameter is included for:

Documentation changes

Live viewing

Updated documentation about device firewall issues and troubleshooting.

EK80 equations

Updated documentation for Simrad EK80 Power to SV and TS equations affects Center frequency, Transducer peak gain and Beam width at the Center frequency.

Echoview experimental features

The Echoview experimental features page is removed.

Bug fixes

Resample operator

Updated the Weighting along-track calculation within the Resample by Distance Interval operator to minimize calculation precision issues.

Fixed an error where the Resample by Distance Interval operator could incorrectly calculate GPS distance for output pings if the Distance interval is smaller than the distance between the operand's pings.

Fixed an error where the Resample by Distance Interval operator could incorrectly produce duplicate pings.

Fixed an error where the Resample by Distance Interval operator would inadvertently use the operand's Variable Properties Grid setting Start interval numbering from the first ping in the echogram.

Background noise removal

The Vertical overlap (%) is now applied as intended. This setting increases the search area for the noise estimate calculation.

From Echoview 5.1 the Vertical overlap (%) was not used when calculating data. If you have used this setting in your dataflow, be aware that your echogram results may change because the estimated noise is different.

A diagram about averaging intervals and interval overlap is restored.

Formula Operator

The Formula Operator algorithm now treats -999 dB that represents thresholded samples as a special data value during calculations. Arithmetic calculations and calculations in the linear domain handle the special value such that the result is consistent with the thresholded nature of the value, as opposed to a pure numerical evaluation that may mishandle the sample.

Wideband frequency response export

When the wideband frequency response is not calculated (because target time doesn't overlap ping time or there are bad data samples), no export file is created. Previously, a file was created containing target information but no frequency response data.

Variable properties Fixed an issue with line selection for Boolean and color variables.
ECS

Fixed the following issues:

  • Changing calibration values in the ECS file did not always update the data.
  • Removing or adding a blank ECS file would wipe the default calibration settings.
Lines

Fixed an issue where a line, used as an exclusion line, could not always be set as the source for another line.

Export pitch and roll data Fixed an issue where the measurement range setting for exporting pitch and roll data to CSV was being ignored.
Ping subset Fixed a Ping subset bug that sometimes used an incorrect initial distance.
Very small region height export The export of data for regions is fixed. Previously, a region that included a height less than half a sample height would export no sample data for affected pings.

New features for users of specific echosounders

There may be specific version 10 features for your echosounder - please take a minute to check what's new.

See also

Echoview Release History