New in Echoview 4.70 for all users

Feature

How it works

Benefit

Undo

A multiple Undo and Redo on the File toolbar is now available for:

The right-click Shortcut menu undo action has been replaced by the Undo button on the file toolbar.

For more information on which actions are available to Undo, see About Undo and Redo.

Note that the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Y and Ctrl+Shift+Z are now allocated as global shortcuts for undo and redo.

For more information refer to User-defined keyboard shortcuts and Global keyboard shortcuts.

Fast recovery from an Echoview action improves your analysis workflow.

Variables and Geometry window enhancements

An object's name can now be quickly and simply changed by selecting Rename (F2) on the Shortcut menu. For more information on renaming objects, refer to About the Variables and Geometry - Short names for objects.

An object's ping generation statistics (displayed in its ToolTip) can now be reset by selecting Reset Statistics on the Shortcut menu.

Use Reset Statistics together with a ping cache setting and ping generation information on the Performance page of the Echoview Configuration dialog box to optimize the performance of your virtual variable chains.

A performance optimization tool to improve workflow.

New Table window

Use the Table button on the Filesets window to display position, attitude and distance (vessel log) data on the Table window.

You can:

• synchronize a table selection to a GPS fix on the cruisetrack window.
• export data from the Table window.

A useful display tool that can also improve workflow.

New GPS processing method

A new algorithm for cruisetrack processing called Method 2 is available on the Data page of the Variable Properties dialog box. Method 2 accounts for the presence of bad fixes early in the GPS data.

A wider choice of GPS processing algorithms can improve your analysis.

Cruisetrack window enhancements

Echoview is pleased to introduce features to enhance the display and analysis of cruisetrack data.

• The cartesian coordinate area calculation for a rectangular or polygon selection in the cruisetrack window is now displayed in panel 1 on the Echoview status bar.
• Support for ESRI shapefiles on the cruisetrack view so that you can display cruisetracks with shapefile data.
  
  For more information refer to Adding Map and Waypoint files to cruisetrack windows.
• A circle and crosshair that highlight the point at which the cruisetrack is synchronized with an echogram or table.
• A circle that moves along the cruisetrack with the mouse pointer. This makes it easier to view GPS fixes.

For more information refer to Using Cruisetracks.

Improvements to visualization and analysis in the cruisetrack window.

Regions page design change, and the new classification tool
Target class

The Regions page of the EV File Properties dialog box has been redefined as the Classes page. The Classes page enables you to manage Region classes, Target Classes and Species, and includes the new classification feature for multibeam targets - Target class.

This change offers a wider range of classification tools for analysis.

New Operators and Operator enhancements

We are pleased to introduce features that facilitate formula construction and extend the set of formula elements.

Construction enhancements:

• Quickly move and remove formula elements with the Manipulate menu.
• Simplified navigation within formulas.
• A search filter for formula elements.
• Undo and Redo on the Edit menu.
• A design change for vps and vpbs that simplifies the specification of operands.

New Basic elements:

• Degrees to Radians
• Radians to Degrees
• Round
• Wrap, Clamp and Mod

New Grid and statistic elements:

• Range and Centered Range
• Variance and Standard Deviation
• Minimum and Maximum
• Median

For more information refer to About the Formula editor window.

Statistical combination (line) operator design change

Well behaved median calculations facilitate the processing for lines.

File format enhancements

• Extended support for map files with the addition of the ESRI shapefile .shp format.
• An enhancement to the Eonfusion .eve format now allows you to specify the data to export for selected variables.
• For more information refer to Exporting to Eonfusion.

Improvements to visualization and analysis within Echoview and for export to Eonfusion.

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 4.70 refer to Scripting with COM objects.

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

COM object enhancements

View the additions to the COM object navigation tree and new listings on the Summary of COM objects page for information on how new COM objects, methods and properties enhance Echoview's support for COM scripting.

The new Getting started with scripting provides an overview of the issues concerned with writing scripts. The discussion covers:

• Echoview's script interfaces
• Script editors
• Script languages
• Script content and structure
• Using Echoview scripting objects

Support for the export of position data introduces design changes for EvVariableAcoustic and EvVariable Base.

• The ExportData method moves from EvVariableAcoustic to EvVariableBase.ExportData and supports acoustic, position, attitude and distance variables.
• A new property EvVariableAcoustic.PositionVariable returns the position variable assigned to the platform.

Use EvFile.IsLiveViewing to check whether an EV file is being used for live viewing.

Use EvVariableAcoustic.ExportEVE to export specified data to the Echoview data export .eve format for Eonfusion.

Use EvVariableAcoustic.ExportHAC to export data to the HAC format.

Use EvVariableAcoustic.ExportLine to export a specified line in .csv format.

Use EvFile.RegionClasses.DeleteRegions to delete all regions of a specific class.

Use EvFile.Regions.Delete to delete individual regions.

Use EvVariableAcousticProperties.PingSubset.Ranges to view or change the Ping range setting on the Ping subset page of a ping subset virtual variable.

Enhancements for the scripting log file and its documentation:

• Scripting with COM objects - Note to Creating a script
• The new EvApplication.LogFileName.
• Scripting errors - an overview

Clear information about Echoview COM objects makes writing COM scripts easier.

eDataTypePitch and eDataTypeLine enums have been added to EVariableDataType.

Warning: the following enum values have been modified. You will need to update your scripts to reflect the following new enum values.

The EBiomassUnits enum value for eNauticalMilesSquared has changed from 2 to 0.

The following ERegionType enum values have changed as follows:

• eMarker has changed from 1 to 2
• eAnalysis has changed from 2 to 1
• eFishTrack has been added with a value of 3

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The documentation for the set of script commands (frozen at Echoview version 4.10) are now grouped in the Echoview Help file Table of Contents under Deprecated scripting model.

• New page: Summary of deprecated scripting commands
• Use evo.ExportData (deprecated scripting model for Echoview 5.0) to export distance variables.

Bug fix for EchoIMPACT exports

EchoIMPACT exports now include the range value for bottom detections for use with Quester Tangent Corporation EchoIMPACT software. Previous versions exported the depth+draft values.

For further information, refer to EchoIMPACT export files.

Note: You will need to apply draft or other position offsets before loading into EchoIMPACT, or adjust for them in post-processing.

Bug fix for grid line color

Grid lines on single target echograms are now clearly displayed, and will update as the color legend is changed.

Further documentation

• Clearer information about variable properties and their effects on Analysis exports. For further information refer the flowcharts and flowchart legends on the About setting variable properties page.
• Use the vertical band tool on editable lines for accurate results with Recalculate line and Repick line. For more information refer to Creating, editing, renaming and deleting lines.
• Discussion about the depth calculation associated with a Beam select variable in About depth and range - A special case.
• Updated information about Echoview and Microsoft Windows Vista.
• A note has been added to Single Target Display to remind you to check all calibration settings to ensure correct identification and display of single targets.

Feature

How it works

Benefit

Display enhancements

These changes to the echogram display bring consistency and better usability of features.

1. Echoview introduces the multibeam replay control Play/Pause which replaces the Stop control. This change enhances your workflow because Play/Pause can be toggled with the SPACEBAR.

   The Echogram mode setting now controls the display of Looped Multibeam Replay dashed lines on multibeam echograms. Select Echogram mode > Depth for horizontal lines or select Echogram mode > Range for curved lines.
   
   For more information refer to the Looped multibeam replay with a single beam echogram dashed line note.

   Targets viewed in Multibeam target detections by double-clicking their row in the Regions or Target Metadata windows maintain their current zoom level (used to zoom in to the extent of the target).

Better display usability means you can concentrate on analysis

New Target class classification

Use the new Target classification tool to quickly assign classes to targets in multibeam echograms.

For more information refer to Target properties from multibeam data - Target class.

The multibeam target property Target thickness is now a primary calculation. The setting for Target thickness on the Target page of the Variable Properties dialog box has been removed.

For more information refer to Target properties from multibeam data.

New Operators and Operator enhancements

The new Maximum Intensity operator allows you create a single beam virtual variable where each sample (at range R) contains the maximum value of all of the corresponding multibeam samples that are at range R.

Use this operator to:

• Identify targets missed by the multibeam target detection. This is useful when tuning the detection settings.
• Identify target swim-shape and "tail beat" rate which can assist in species identification. For more information, refer to the related discussion for the target range extent property.

Enhancements to the multibeam target detection operator

and

A performance tip

The Multibeam target detection operator now offers settings for target linking so that you can consolidate related samples.

The target linking algorithm allows you to specify:

• Classification thresholds for targets (based on target area).
• Link distance - the distance over which linking can occur.
• Rules to link classified targets.

In addition, if you are working with single targets derived from detected multibeam targets there is a new discussion on how to significantly improve your workflow. The tip is particularly useful for those working with manual target lengths.

There is also a new discussion About multibeam targets which offers an overview of all the issues and features associated with multibeam targets.

This new feature offers options to customize your multibeam target detection.

The performance of the multibeam operator
Sample statistic subtract is now one third to twice as fast and has a new Sample exclusion setting for the algorithm.

Sample statistic subtract can be used to subtract background noise from a multibeam variable. For more information refer to the multibeam section of Background noise in Echoview.

File format enhancements

Echoview multibeam bottom data can now be exported to a .csv file. You can then use such data together with motion data in Eonfusion to determine motion corrections.

Improvements for export to Eonfusion.

Export bug fix for target properties

An export bug for the target properties Target length across beams and Target range extent has been fixed. These properties were included in the spreadsheet format .csv export, but were missing from the database format .csv export.

Help file amendments