New in Echoview 3.20
Welcome to Echoview 3.20!
This release includes many exciting changes for all Echoview users. The most significant changes include an expansion of the variable concept to support GPS data from multiple sources, heading data, and distance variables. Combined with automatic cruise track processing and new cruise track smoothing options, these changes will reduce processing time and improve the accuracy of along-track distance. For multibeam users, changes include support for Sv variables and new target detection operators.
Click the links below to find out more about these and many other new features and changes that have been introduced with this release. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Echoview support.
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New features and changes for all Echoview users |
New features and changes for users of data from specific echosounders |
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New multibeam features Note: Each link will take you to a subsection on this page. |
Note: Each link will take you to a separate page. |
Variables
Concept of a "variable" expanded
The concept of a variable has been expanded to include multiple classes. In previous versions of Echoview, the concept of a variable was limited to what is now referred to as "acoustic variables". New variable classes have been introduced to support new features in Echoview 3.20 and to create a more flexible model on which future versions of Echoview will be based.
Four classes of variable now exist:
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Variable class |
Description |
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Variables that contain a time-series of measurements associated with the transmitted and received properties of ping. |
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Variables that contain a time series of measurements associated with the heading, roll, pitch, yaw and heave of a platform.
Note: Only heading variables are currently supported. |
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Variables that contain a time-series of measurements associated with geographic location of a platform.
Note: Only position GPS fixes variables are currently supported. |
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Variables that contain a time-series of measurements associated with distance traveled by a platform from an arbitrary zero point.
Note: Only vessel log variables are currently supported. |
See: About variables for more information.
Variable window updated
The Variables window has been updated to display all variable classes. Raw acoustic variables continue to be displayed as pink rectangles, while raw variables of other classes are displayed as red rectangles. Common functions you may wish to perform on variables of each class are available on the Shortcut (right-click) menu. Double-clicking a variable will launch the main display window for each variable class, e.g. an echogram for an acoustic variable, a cruise track for a position variable.
Cruise tracks and GPS fixes
Multiple cruise tracks per EV file
Echoview now supports multiple cruise tracks per EV file. Echoview will derive a position GPS fixes variable from any data file, in any fileset, in which it detects supported geographic position data (currently only GPS fixes are supported). Each position GPS fixes variable can be displayed as a cruise track and can be associated with any acoustic variable in the EV file via a platform. This provides much greater flexibility than previous versions of Echoview and also allows you to add new cruise tracks to an EV file at any time without the need for significant reworking.
If you open an EV file from Echoview 3.10 or earlier, Echoview will:
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use the position GPS fixes variable in the primary fileset as the default position variable for the platform (see the Position page of the Platform Properties dialog box for more information), and
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list position variables derived from data files in other filesets but they will not be enabled. If you wish to use a position variable from another fileset (e.g. display a cruise track of the variable, select it as the position variable for a platform) you must enable the cruise track.
Cruise track properties set on the Variable Properties dialog box
In previous versions of Echoview an EV file was limited to a single cruise track and the properties of that cruise track were therefore treated as EV file properties. Now that Echoview supports multiple cruise tracks this model is no longer valid, i.e. you may wish to use different settings for each cruise track. You now set cruise track properties (or more correctly the properties of the position variable on which a cruise track is based) on the Variable Properties dialog box.
Many of the settings displayed on the Variable Properties dialog box for position variables are identical to the cruise track settings you would be familiar with from previous versions of Echoview.
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These settings... |
Are available on the... |
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Processing settings |
Data page of the Variable Properties dialog box |
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Display settings |
Display page of the Variable Properties dialog box |
If you open an EV file from Echoview 3.10 or earlier, the processing and display settings from the Cruise track page of the EV File Properties dialog box are used to populate the corresponding settings on the Variable Properties dialog box for each position variable. In the unlikely event that you had entered settings on the Cruise track page of EV File Properties dialog box but had not processed the cruise track before you saved the EV file, the cruise track in the old version of Echoview and the equivalent cruise track in Echoview 3.20 will be different.
Cruise tracks display options
You now have a wider choice of what is displayed on the Cruise Track window. For example:
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any or all of the following fixes can be displayed; good GPS fixes, bad GPS fixes, smoothed fixes
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GPS fixes (i.e. fixes derived from the position GPS fixes variable) can be displayed on the same window as a smoothed cruise track (i.e. a cruise track created from smoothed fixes).
You choose the display options for a cruise track on the Display page of the Variable Properties dialog box.
Cruise tracks processed automatically
Echoview now processes cruise tracks automatically. This removes the need to manually process a cruise track (e.g. after you add data files to a fileset or change processing or display settings) and ensures your cruise tracks are always based on current settings.
Scripting
In previous versions of Echoview the evo.ExportGPSFixes scripting command always exported GPS fixes from the cruise track that was derived from the position variable in the primary fileset (this was the only position variable in the EV file that could be displayed as a cruise track). In Echoview 3.20 you can use this command to export fixes (GPS fixes or smoothed fixes) from any cruise track in an EV file. You determine the cruise track from which fixes are exported in the main parameters of a script.
See: Using the scripting module (deprecated scripting model for Echoview 5.0) for more information.
Copying and exporting entire cruise tracks
You can now export entire cruise tracks to image files and copy entire cruise tracks to the Windows clipboard without having to make a selection around the entire cruise track.
See: Export and copy to image files for more information.
Map files
We have introduced the Echocoastline utility program to convert map files into the .mif format. Echocoastline replaces and expands on the functionality of the pts2mif program supplied with previous versions of Echoview. It accepts Digital Chart of the World (DCW) and National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) map files as input and converts them to .mif files that can be displayed on the Cruise Track window (see Adding map and Waypoint files to the Cruise Track window).
See: About Echocoastline for more information.
Along-track display plots transducer position
Along-track displays now plot the position of the transducer that has been selected on the Calibration page of the Variable Properties dialog box. In previous versions, along-track displays plotted the location of the GPS antenna.
Mapping with different projections
Previous versions of Echoview supported only the Equirectangular projection for mapping of geographic data. Echoview 3.20 now allows you to choose the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) projection for mapping geographic data within the EV file.
See: About mapping and projections for more information.
Heading data
Alternative sources of heading data
Previous version of Echoview supported heading data from a single source; it was derived from cruise tracks. Echoview 3.20 also supports heading data from heading variables. Heading variables can be derived directly from some echosounder data files (Simrad Ex60 .raw, .ek60 or .ek6 files, Simrad SM2000 files, and RESON 8000 series snapshot files) or can be derived from .heading.csv files which have been added to the EV file separately. You select which source of heading data is used by making a selection on the Attitude_page of the Platform Properties dialog box. Echoview 3.20 will use heading data derived from cruise tracks by default to remain consistent with previous versions of the applications.
See: About heading data for more information.
Heading graph
Heading variables can be viewed using the heading graph.
Exporting heading data
Data from heading variables can be exported to ASCII data files.
See: Exporting heading data for more information.
Scripting
Data from heading variables can be exported using the evo.ExportData (deprecated scripting model for Echoview 5.0) scripting command.
Vessel log data
Vessel log data supported from all filesets
Previous versions of Echoview could derive vessel log variables from data files in any fileset, but were restricted to using vessel log data from the primary fileset. Echoview 3.20 removes this limitation and allows you to use vessel logs from any fileset. You choose which vessel log variable will be used on an EV file basis by selecting it on the Position page of the Platform Properties dialog box (vessel logs can be used as the source of distance for time/distance grids, as the source of distance for school detection, and can be included in exported data).
Note: Vessel log variables can currently only be derived from data files logged by certain Simrad echosounders, see Raw Variables derived from Simrad data files for more information.
Scene display on opening
Scene windows can now be displayed automatically when the EV File is opened. Windows can be selected for automatic display on the EV File page of the EV File Properties dialog box.
Importing and exporting images
Importing TIFF and GeoTIFF images
You can now import TIFF and GeoTIFF image files into Echoview. Once the images have been imported they can be used in the same way as other raster image files (see Importing a raster image into a scene for more information). Georeferencing information can be entered manually, or:
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can be read from an ESRI world file for TIFF files
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can be read from embedded details in GeoTIFF files.
Additional image export file formats
The list of image formats to which selections can be exported has been expanded and now includes the TIFF, GeoTIFF and PNG file formats.
Georeferencing information written when exporting selections from cruise tracks
If you export a selection from a cruise track to an image file and you specify the JPEG (.jpg, or jpeg), TIFF, or GeoTIFF file format, Echoview will also export georeferencing information for the image. Georeferencing information will be written to an ESRI world file for JPEG and TIFF files and will be embedded in GeoTIFF files.
Degree referenced ESRI world files supported
ESRI world files that define the coordinates of the reference point and pixel size using degrees are now supported.
See: ESRI World File Interpretation dialog box for more information.
Integration and analysis
Biomass density variables redefined
The two biomass density analysis variables, Density_number and Density_weight have been revised.
In versions 3.00 and 3.10 there was some confusion regarding the manner in which backscatter was apportioned to particular species.
The value ps used in the calculation of Density_number was entered on the Species Allocation dialog box as Proportion of fish of this species for region class and reported on the Region Class properties dialog box in the column labeled % Fish. ps was erroneously used to divide the backscattered energy among the represented species (i.e. if two species were defined each with ps of 0.5, then half the backscatter energy was attributed to each species). That is, the % Fish value was incorrectly being interpreted as % NASC.
The value ps is now correctly used to divide the total specimen count among the represented species (i.e. if two species are defined each with ps of 0.5, this denotes that a random sample would collect a 50/50 mix of the two species by specimen count). The significance of the difference is proportional to the variance of species' target strengths.
Warning: If you used the Density_number or Density_weight variables in Echoview 3.00 or 3.10 your analysis results will differ in Echoview 3.20. You must redefine ps (Proportion of fish of this species for region class on the Species Allocation dialog box).
Support for new multibeam echosounders and file formats
Support has been added for the following echosounders and file formats:
DIDSON
Support for the DIDSON imaging sonar has been added to Echoview.
See: New for users of data from DIDSON imaging sonars for more information.
RESON SeaBat 8000 series snapshot format (.raw)
Support for the Reason SeaBat 8000 series snapshot format has been added to Echoview
See: New for users of data from RESON echosounders for more information.
Multibeam ASCII data files
You can now use ASCII data files containing multibeam data (and multibeam targets) in your filesets. The format expected is identical to the format Echoview uses to export such data. This function has been introduced primarily so you can export multibeam data from Echoview, process it in another application, then (optionally) add the updated data file to an EV file. This allows you to experiment with processing operations not currently supported in Echoview, then display and analyze the resulting files in Echoview.
See: Text data files, Raw variables derived from ASCII data files, Export file formats and Exporting data for more information.
Multibeam Sv variables added
Sv variables are now made available from multibeam data. This applies to users of the Simrad-Mesotech SM2000 FR, the RESON SeaBat 8000 series and the DIDSON echosounders. These variables must be calibrated before quantitative analysis. The new multibeam target detection operator can be used to detect multibeam targets on this Sv data.
Multibeam exports
You can now export your multibeam data to an text data file format which Echoview also accepts as a data file.
See: Exporting data, Export file formats, Text data files and Raw variables derived from ASCII data files for more information.
Multibeam echogram synchronization
It is now possible to synchronize the view on all visible multibeam echograms. Press A or use the shortcut menu. See Echogram navigation.
Multibeam target detection
The following operators have been added in Echoview 3.20 to allow for target detection in multibeam data.
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Operator |
Operator group |
Description |
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Multibeam |
This operator generates multibeam targets from multibeam data. It displays the closest data point (in beam and range dimensions) at the detected beam/range resolution. |
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Multibeam |
This operator creates an echogram in which each sample in each ping is the average value of the same sample in the previous n pings. This operator was introduced primarily to support multibeam target detection. In this application it is used to identify background objects (objects that appear in the same place in n beams) so they can be removed prior to detecting targets. See multibeam target detection operator for more information. |
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Multibeam |
This operator generates single targets data from a multibeam target variable. The resulting single targets have a range corresponding to the range of the multibeam target geometric_center and do not have a detected pulse length. |
Changed operators
The following operators have been updated in Echoview 3.20 to accept multibeam operands.
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Operator |
Summary of changes |
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Overlay |
These operators now accept multibeam operands.
See: The Operators page for details of which multibeam data types are accepted by each operator. |
Graphs for multibeam echograms
Beam graph
A line plot of data values against range is now available for multibeam data. The Beam graph plots data values against range for all data points in a single beam from a single ping of a multibeam echogram.
Frequency distribution graph
The Frequency distribution graph is now available for multibeam magnitude, Sv, TS, unspecified dB, Boolean, and phase data. The graphs shows the percentage of data points within a selection that fall within each bin (range of values).
See: Frequency distribution graph for more information.