Using cruise tracks

This page covers:

Displaying cruise tracks

Displaying a GPS fixes cruise track

To display a GPS fixes cruise track:

  1. On the View menu, point to Cruise Track.
  2. If your EV file contains multiple filesets, point to the fileset that contains the required position variable.
  3. Click the name of the position variable, e.g. position GPS fixes.

      - OR -

  1. Display the Dataflow window.
  2. Double-click the required position variable.

      - OR -

On the Filesets window, select a position GPS fixes variable and click Cruisetrack.

Notes:

  • If the cruise track appears erratic and does not accurately represent the path of the logging vessel, you may wish to apply different processing and/or smoothing settings. See Processing and smoothing cruise tracks for more information.
  • If you want to view more than one window of the same cruise track, hold down the CTRL key when opening additional instances.

Displaying a bottom points cruise track

To display a bottom points cruise track, do one of the following:

  • On the View menu, point to Cruise Track, and then click a bottom points variable.
  • On the Dataflow window, right-click on a bottom points variable icon then click Cruise Track.

The bottom points may be displayed in an alongtrack or points style. The Classes page of the Variable Properties dialog box allows you to modify class characteristics and the bottom points table Class list allows you to change a bottom point's class.

Displaying an alongtrack display cruise track

To display an alongtrack cruise track you must:

  1. Choose an Alongtrack analysis for a single beam variable.
  2. Display the results.

Choosing what to display for a single beam variable

To select what information to display in an alongtrack window for a single beam variable:

  1. Display the echogram of the single beam variable for which you wish to display an alongtrack display cruise track.
  2. Click the Variable Properties variable properties tool button.
  3. On the Alongtrack Display page, in the Cruise Track section, choose an item from the Alongtrack analysis list and enter other display settings as required.
  4. On the Grid page, define a time/distance grid that is suited to your analysis.

    Example1:     If you set Show time/distance grid to Ping number and set Number of pings between grid lines to 10, Echoview will break the cruise track into a series of segments that are 10 pings long. Each segment will display the mean value of the selected analysis variable across the 10 pings. The distance represented by each segment on the cruise track will be determined by the GPS position assigned to the first and last ping in the segment.

    Example 2:     If you set Show time/distance grid to GPS distance (m) and set Distance between grid lines to 50, Echoview will break the cruise track up into a series of segments that are 50 meters long. Each segment will display the mean value of the selected analysis variable across all pings within the 50 meter range.
  5. On the Data and Analysis pages, enter thresholds and exclusion as required.
  6. Click OK.

Displaying the results

To display an alongtrack display cruise track:

  • On the View menu, point to Cruise Track, and then click an acoustic variable.
  • On the Filesets window, select an acoustic variable and click Cruise Track.
  • On the Dataflow window, right-click on an acoustic variable icon then click Cruise Track.

Notes:

  • If the alongtrack display appears erratic and does not accurately represent the path of the logging vessel, you may wish to apply different processing and/or smoothing settings. You will need to apply these settings to the GPS fixes cruise track that is linked to the same platform as the variable from which the alongtrack display was created. See Processing and smoothing cruise tracks for more information.
  • To display the alongtrack display cruise track with a white background (e.g. for clearer printouts) press the Y key to switch to the alternate color scheme. If the alternative color scheme does not have white background you can create a custom color scheme using Echocolor.
  • To view more than one window of the same cruise track, hold down the CTRL key when opening the additional instances.
  • A message that can appear is 'No valid GPS found for this alongtrack display'. This indicates that the position variable for the Position source of the Position page of the Platform Properties dialog box does not overlap in time with the cruise track you want to show as an alongtrack display. If you can, select a more suitable position variable.
  • Displayed regions can be integrated. Vertical selections can be integrated.
  • An empty transect group returns a null analysis (the track is black). For further information refer to Transects and analyses.

Displaying a 3D cruise track

To display a 3D cruise track within a scene:

  1. Click Scene properties on the Shortcut menu (right-click).
  2. On the Objects page of the Scene properties dialog box, select Cruise track
  3. Click Ok.

Note: You can use a 3D cruise track to control scene animation.

Zooming

Zoom actions are available through the: Zoom controls, the mouse wheel, the Zoom toolbar, keyboard shortcuts and the View menu.

To zoom in on a cruise track, use the mouse wheel, Zoom toolbar or the following keyboard shortcuts:

  1. Make a selection around the area you wish view in more detail (click and drag).
  2. Do one of the following:
  • Press the S key.
  • On the Shortcut menu (right-click), click Zoom In.

To zoom out, do one of the following:

  • Press the W key.
  • On the Shortcut menu (right-click), click Zoom Out.

To unzoom (return to the default zoom setting), do one of the following:

  • Press the U key.
  • On the Shortcut menu (right-click), click Unzoom.

Note: Other navigation is also possible using Cruise track keyboard shortcuts.

Panning

Panning in the cruise track or alongtrack windows is available in the following ways:

  • Click the Pan tool Pan tool, click and drag.

- OR -

  • Press the Spacebar, click and drag.

- OR -

  • In Rectangular selection mode, click the mouse wheel and drag.

Synchronizing cruise tracks and echograms

Echoview allows you to synchronize any open echogram windows with a selected cruise track position.

To synchronize echograms to a cruise track position:

  1. Bring the cruise track into focus.
  2. Point to fix on a position on the cruise track.
  3. On the Shortcut menu (right-click), click Synchronize.

Auto-synchronizing cruise tracks and echograms

To display a crosshair on a cruise track which is synchronized with your echogram navigation, you can add the cruise track to an auto-synchronized group. See Auto-synchronization.

Note: The Media window can also be a member of an auto-synchronized group.

Mouse pointer duplication

Echogram navigation: Mouse pointer duplication

Keeping the latest fix in view when live viewing

Cruise tracks can be displayed while live viewing. To keep the end of the cruise track in view, click Follow latest fix on the Shortcut menu (right-click).

Define and integrate a region

Regions may be created and displayed in Cruise track, Alongtrack and Bottom classification display windows. The alongtrack window allows displayed regions to be integrated. This feature allows data analysis on a macroscopic level and geographical context.

Define a region

Use the Define Region feature when the cruise track/alongtrack window and the echogram window are displayed side by side. This allows you to use both hydroacoustic and cruise track information to make analysis decisions.

To define a region on an echogram from the cruise track window or alongtrack window:

  1. Bring the track window into focus.
  2. Click the Vertical band tool .
  3. Point to a start position on the track, and use the left mouse button to click-and-drag to a stop position. Release the button to make your selection.
  4. Point to the highlighted selection, and on the Shortcut menu (right-click), click Define Region.

The Vertical band tool makes a selection on a track which extends the entire depth of the echogram at a defined time/GPS position. The selection is displayed as a region which follows the track. The selection starts at the nearest good GPS fix to the click of the mouse button and ends at the nearest good GPS fix to the release of the mouse button. The assigned region type and class default to those last used. Further changes can be made using the Region browser.

Edit

Select the Region edit tool and Nodes to edit the region nodes.

Notes:

  • Region shortcuts for the cruise track or alongtrack windows are available.
  • Regions on cruise track windows use GPS times.
  • Regions on alongtrack windows use ping times.

Integrate a region

Integration requires regions to have an Analysis region type.

To integrate a selection on an Alongtrack window:

  1. Bring the alongtrack window into focus.
  2. Select the Vertical band tool .
  3. On the alongtrack window, use the mouse pointer to make a selection.
  4. Right-click and select Integrate Selection.
  5. The Integration Results dialog box displays integration results.

Notes:

  • Use the Linked setting on the Integration Results dialog box to display results from selected regions.
  • Press Esc to clear the integration hatching.

Displaying map or waypoint data

To display supported map or waypoint data with cruise tracks see Adding map or waypoint file to Echoview.

Displaying a WMS map

To display supported a WMS map with cruise tracks see Adding a WMS map to Echoview.

Area of a rectangle or polygon

Under a cruise track or alongtrack window, the area of a rectangle (Rectangle tool) or polygon (Polygon tool) is displayed in panel 1 of the Echoview status bar. The area calculation uses a Cartesian coordinate system, and is only valid for relatively small areas.

Alongtrack length of a vertical selection or region

Under a cruise track or alongtrack widow, the length of a vertical selection or an alongtrack region is displayed in panel 1 of Echoview status bar. Distances are calculated using the associated GPS variable.

See also

About cruise tracks
Map and waypoint files

Echoview Help file 15.0.174 for Echoview 15, 02 October 2024

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