The easiest way to make a bathymetry map from data in this archive is to (1) download and install the MB-System software, and (2) read the man-page for "mbsystem," which provides a good, step-by-step cookbook approach for SeaBeam 2100 data.
In general, we are able to assemble and process SeaBeam 2100 data and make bathymetry or other map products. However, we would need to charge for this service, since it is not covered by current funding sources. Scheduling of our personnel for this sort of effort might not coincide with your time needs.
At present, the MB-System software only runs on Unix-based systems. There may be commercial, Windows-based software that can read SeaBeam 2100 data, though this is not something used here.
At present, the MB-System software only runs on Unix-based systems. It may certainly be possible to build and run MB-System using Mac OS X, though this is not something done here.
Our established rate for providing data is $200 USD per data-day. All data is packaged in data-day bundles. A data-day is the data collected from a single ship during the period from 00:00 to 23:59:59. Thus, a data request for 23 data-days from KNORR and ATLANTIS would be $4,600 USD. Only whole data-days are availble.
WHOI only receives funds to acquire SeaBeam 2100 data from its ships, and to insure that this data is available, now and in the future. This archive is one of the ways we make sure the data is available. However, since we cannot predict the total cost of disseminating data (as we can predict the cost of initial acquisition), we essentially charge an amount that covers the cost of distribution, which is generally proportional to the amount of data to be disseminated.
Long term archiving of WHOI Multibeam data is done by NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center, which is funded for this purpose. After an appropriate period (generally two years post-cruise), all WHOI Multibeam data is sent to NGDC for permanent archiving and public dissemination. Thus, much of the data in this WHOI archive (at present, more than 60%) is also available, often at much lower cost, from NGDC.
In general, all WHOI Multibeam data follows the same path:
It is not really possible to determine the total accuracy of deep-water multibeam sonar systems, since independant, accurate measurements at three or four or more kilometers of water depth are not available. In general, this is not a problem, since most users of these systems are more interested in shape than absolute depth. Care must taken, therefore, when comparing multibeam sonar derived depths with those from other sensors (ie. pressure transducers, etc).
Bathymetry from SeaBeam 2100 is specified to be precise to 0.5% (RMS) of water depth. The systems on KNORR and ATLANITIS meet or exceed this specification, at most water depths, and under most survey conditions. Shallower water depths (less than a few hundred meters) and/or rougher seas (greater than sea state 3 or 4) can often tax the system so that specified precisions are not met across an entire swath. In some cases, this can be rectified by changing speed, heading, or other operational parameters.
The systems on both KNORR and ATLANTIS have operated in depths as shallow at 20 meters, though the data generated was of marginal quality. Both systems, in general, begin to really struggle in depths less than about 200 meters. Also, at depths shallower than about 600 meters, the ping interval is insufficient to maintain 100% overlap between successive pings at 12 knots. At depths shallower than about 200 meters, there is little, if any, overlap between successive pings when surveying at 12 knots.
Short answer: No.
Longer answer: Data from SeaBeam 2100 is almost always too coarse to identify objects as small as a sunken ship. It is conceivable that, under the ideal conditions, one might be able to use SeaBeam 2100's sidescan capability to image such a small object, but there are a number of other sonar systems designed for this purpose that would do a much better job.