New in Echoview 4.50 for all users

Feature

How it works

Benefit

Tape measure tool enhancements

The features of the Tape measure tool have been extended so that multi-point and perimeter measurements are available.

Refer to Measuring the distance between two or more points for more information.

These new measurement features give you a wider range of useful analysis tools.

Enhancements to multibeam and single beam echogram synchronization

Zoom, synchronization and window re-sizing for multibeam and related single beam echograms has been improved.

Intelligent synchronization behaviors mean that you can concentrate on analysis rather than re-adjusting echogram windows.

Highlight for lines

To help you see and identify a line in an echogram, the line under the mouse pointer is animated and a Tooltip is displayed.

These visual cues make your work with lines easier.

Display enhancements

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

• Shortcut menus are now consistent in look and function.

• Echogram grid labels are semi-transparent.

• The look for regions is now consistent with the look for selections.

• Under View menu > Echogram, listed virtual variables are ordered alphabetically.
• Echoview will identify the first ping with more than one target in an invalid fish track, when the onscreen analysis Analyze fish track is used.

Better display usability means you can concentrate on analysis

New Operators and Operator enhancements

Operators licensed with the Analysis export module

The Analysis export module is enhanced with the addition of the arithmetic and imaging operators Linear minus, Linear plus, Minus, Plus and Overlay.

This enhancement makes the data processing features of the Analysis export module more useful.

Enhancement to the Statistical combination line operator

The Statistical combination line operator now accepts up to six input operands.

This enhancement extends the usefulness of the Statistical combination line operator.

New Crop line operator

The new Crop line operator applies maximum and minimum range limits to the operand line.

It allows you to crop lines to remove erratic areas of line data.

It is particularly useful for lines in high frequency data and as a pre-processing step for lines used with the Statistical combination line operator.

This new line operator will be useful in the scrutinization and processing of lines used in analyses.

Enhancement to the Formula operator

Two useful formula elements, dB and lin convert the selection from linear to dB and dB to linear respectively. Use them to ensure your formula operator calculations are in the correct data domain.

In addition the Formula operator editor features have been streamlined and associated documentation has been updated. This includes links to instructional video clips.

For more information, refer to:

• About the Formula editor window
• Creating a formula - Examples

This enhancement adds frequently used operations to the formula editor, making the construction of formulas easier.

A no data design change for the Sample statistic subtract operator has been implemented. Subtracting matching Operand 2 no data values will now output Operand 1 sample values. Previously the output would be no data.

Operand 2 is usually a Ping subset variable containing background pings from Operand 1.

Used together these operators are a useful background removal technique for multibeam data.

New data file support

We are pleased to announce support for the following file formats:

• HTI (*.smp) data files containing calibration and settings data
• Echoview export to the *.eve file format
• Echoview echogram data can be exported to a file format that is supported by Eonfusion. Eonfusion offers advanced spatio-temporal visualization and analysis for diverse data and enables easy manipulation and interpretation (of such data) for environmental research and management.

Scripting and COM object enhancements

We continue to develop support for scripting using COM object automation. 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.

 

It is important to note that COM automation is in a developmental state and that we cannot guarantee backwards compatibility in future versions.

For more information about the COM objects in Echoview 4.50 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

• The EvApplication.NewFile method now has an optional parameter to specify a Filename for a template file.
• The EvVariableAcoustic.ExportData and EvVariableAcoustic.ExportDataForRegion methods now support the export of files with a *.mat extension for the MATLAB file format.
• The EvFilesetsCollection now supports Add and Remove methods.
• The EvVariableAcousticProperties.EvCalibration object now supports the property ApplyCalibrationFrom for EK60 raw variables.

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

No data export design change

No data values were previously exported as either -9.9e37 or -9.9e+37. To achieve consistency all exports of no data values now take the form of -9.9e+37.

Calculation bug fix for No data value in 5x5 and 7x7 convolution operators

 A No data calculation bug has been fixed for the 5x5 and the 7x7 convolution operators. A small calculation error appeared when data from these convolution operators was used with the Minus and Linear minus operators. Please check if your data was affected.

Further documentation

• A computer memory management warning has been added. The memory management strategies discussed may be unsuitable for U.S.A. government laptop computers.
• The help file glossary now includes a definition for the backscattering cross-section.
• Using no data with formula elements that compare values will return a False value.
• Updated Echoview module feature information.
• Reference added for the 3 color maximum algorithm.
• Windows XP Service Pack 3 is supported.

Feature

How it works

Benefit

Manual multibeam target lengths

A new command, Store target length, allows you to store a multibeam target length that has been manually measured using the Tape measure tool.

The Target metadata window displays and manages the stored manual target lengths.

Refer to Storing manual target lengths for more information.

This enhancement introduces manual target length measurements (multibeam) that can be displayed and exported for comparison and analysis.

New multibeam display options for detected multibeam targets

Targets detected using the multibeam target detection operator are now displayed by default with a colored outline for the data points included in the target.

The new Multibeam display options Show target outlines, Show target sample outlines and Show input data under targets are available on the Display page of the Variable Properties dialog box.

These new display options for multibeam targets are more informative and they make onscreen measurements easier.

New display option for single target thickness

The new multibeam target property, Target thickness can be used as the Thickness source in the display of a single target variable.

You have a better choice of display setting for multibeam derived single targets.

Flip the multibeam sector plot

The settings Flip horizontal and Show Direction labels

(for beam numbering) are now available on the Display page of the Variable Properties dialog box for multibeam echograms.

These settings are useful if you want to view your multibeam data differently.

Display enhancements

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

• For multibeam echograms, below threshold samples and other special data values are no longer numerically averaged for the displayed value in the Details dialog box. This change enables you to clearly view valid data.

Better display usability means you can concentrate on analysis

New Operators and Operator enhancements

Enhancements to Multibeam target detection operator

New morphological characteristics, called target properties, are calculated when multibeam targets are detected with the Multibeam target detection operator.

The target detection settings can also be edited on the Multibeam target detection page.

Refer to Target properties from multibeam data for more information.

This change greatly extends the analysis techniques and data processing capabilities associated with multibeam targets.

Enhancement to TS substitution operator

The TS substitution operator has been extended to include all of the new multibeam target properties as well as the major-axis and minor-axis angles of the geometric center of the detected target.

This change enhances data visualization and analysis for multibeam target work.

New data file support

We are pleased to announce support for the following file formats:

• BlueView (*.son) data files
• DIDSON DDF_04 data files

Enhancement to export script command

Pitch data can now be exported when using the automated export script command Evo.ExportData (deprecated scripting model for Echoview 5.0).

H-mode locations corrected

The locations and exported locations of detected multibeam targets from H-mode variables are now correct in Echoview 4.50. Previously the locations were incorrectly calculated (by approximately ±5%).