Appendix A – Abbreviations

Table A1: Abbreviations used in this document.

AHO	Australian Hydrographic Office
AMP	Australian Marine Park
AUV	Autonomous underwater vehicle
BIST	Built-in Systems Test (Kongsberg specific)
BITE	Built-in test environment (Reson specific)
BM	Benchmark
CD	Chart Datum
CTD	Conductivity / Temperature / Depth
CRP	Common Reference Point
DGNSS	Differential Global Navigation Satellite System
DGPS	Differential Global Positioning System
DOP	Dilution of Precision
GA	Geoscience Australia
GDA2020	Geodetic Datum of Australia 2020
GNSS	Global Navigation Satellite System
GPS	Global positioning system
HAT	Highest Astronomical Tide
HIPP	Hydroscheme Industry Partnership Program
ICSM	Inter-Governmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping
IHO	International Hydrographic Organisation
IMU	Inertial motion unit
ISO	International Organisation for Standardisation
ITRF	International Terrestrial Reference Frame
LAT	Lowest Astronomical Tide
LINZ	Land Information New Zealand
MBES	Multibeam Echo Sounder (inclusive of interferometric bathymetric swath systems)
MHHW	Mean High Water
MHWS	Mean High Water Springs
MLWS	Mean Low Water Springs
MRU	Motion Reference Unit
MSL	Mean Sea Level
NESP	National Environmental Science Program
NM	International Nautical Mile
PPK	Post Processed Kinematic
PPS	Pulse Per Second
QA	Quality Assurance
QC	Quality Control
ROS	Report of Survey
ROV	Remotely operated vehicle
RTK	Real Time Kinematic
SD	Sounding Datum
SIC	Seabed mapper in Charge
SMS	Seabed Mapping System
SO	Special Order
SV	Sound Velocity
SVP	Sound Velocity Probe or Sound Velocity Profile
SVS	Sound velocity sensor
THU	Total Horizontal Uncertainty
TPU	Total Propagated Uncertainty
TVU	Total Vertical Uncertainty
UTC	Coordinated Universal Time
UTM	Universal Transverse Mercator
WGS-84	World Geodetic System 1984
XBT	Expendable Bathythermograph

Appendix B – Glossary

Below are some of the terms used in these guidelines. A more extensive list of hydrographic terms and definitions can be found in Table 2.1.2 of AHO (2018).

% Overlap: refer to the amount of overlap between adjacent swaths. 0% overlap means that the ship tracks are run so that the outer beams of the swath meet the outer beam of the adjacent swath, which is not recommended, 10-20 % overlap is recommended (Figure B1). 100% overlap means that the adjacent ship track is run along the outer beam edge (meeting the required specification) of the previous swath (Figure B2). Refer to section 7.4 of AHO (2018) for more details

Figure B1 100% swath coverage with 10-20 % overlap to account for ship role and line keeping (AHO, 2018)

Figure B2 200% swath coverage with 100 % overlap (AHO, 2018)

Blunders: See Error, gross.

Checkline: Sounding lines that are run perpendicular to the main survey lines and used to QA the soundings.

Coverage: portion of the seabed cover by the multibeam swath. 100% coverage refers to 100% of the seabed covered by the swath without any overlap (Figure B1), while 200% coverage refers to 100 % overlap (Figure B2). Partial coverage refers to a seabed coverage that is less than 100%.

Crossline: also known as checkline

Depth: Depth is a vertical distance from a given vertical datum. Depths are derived by MBES from measurements of angles and ranges corrected for environmental factors. Horizontal Position is provided to derived depth by GNSS-Inertial system thus providing an xyz value. GNSS Inertial system derived vertical position from measurements of angular rates and acceleration.

Dimension control: consists of determining the relationship between the measurement sensor and the platform Common Reference Point.

Error: The difference between an observed or computed value of a quantity and the ideal or true value of that quantity.

Error, gross: The result of carelessness or a mistake; may be detected through repetition of the measurement. Also called blunder.

Error, random: remaining uncorrelated noise in the system, or noise, also known as accidental error.

Patch test: A patch test is a specific survey performed prior to principal survey to allow adjustments of the MBES data for parameters such as transducer error (pitch, roll and yaw), and navigation latency. This test is done since the MBES has no reference to external fixed frame of reference (satellite constellation isn’t visible underwater), the MBES receives its “frame” from GNSS-Inertial system. These adjustments are entered in the acquisition software. For patch test patterns see Appendix F.

Seabed backscatter: Defined as the amount of acoustic energy being received by the sonar after a complex interaction with the seabed. Measured as the ratio between the intensity of the acoustic pulse scattered back by the seafloor and the incident intensity, this information can be used to determine bottom type, knowing that the different bottom types “scatter” sound energy differently. The intensity of the backscatter received at the transducer depends on the transmitted source level, the transmission loss (absorption in the water column and geometrical spreading), and the target strength. Many multibeam sonar systems offer two types of seabed backscatter data namely “one-per-beam” backscatter (either beam average or max intensity) and “time series” backscatter. For further information on backscatter refer to Lamarche and Lurton, 2017

Sounding datum: This datum is used while mapping. It is a low-water plane to which soundings are reduced and above which drying heights are given on the Standard Sheet and in other survey records. However, for chart datum, tidal reduction is essential (Figure 3).

Swath system: Current swath sounding systems utilize two differing technologies to achieve bathymetry measurements across a “swath” of the sea floor: 1) Beam forming (multibeam echo sounders), and 2) interferometric or phase discrimination sonars, also known as bathymetric sidescan. Both of these techniques have their merits; however, the same end results are achieved.

Systematic error: see error.

Transit data: Transit data include any data collected outside the survey specific area, e.g. data collected between port and survey area or between sampling sites. In hydrographic terms, this is referred to as passage soundings.

Water Column backscatter: Recently developed multibeam sonars have the capability to record the sonar time series for each beam, which maps the water column in addition to the seafloor. Water column data could be used for direct mapping of fish and marine mammals, the mapping of plumes and vents, the location of mid-water targets, and a wide range of physical oceanographic processes.

Appendix C – Legislation and permitting

Table C1: List of documents relevant to multibeam activities in the Commonwealth waters (defined as 3 nautical miles seaward to the outer boundary of the EEZ, 200 nautical miles). Extracted from Marine Sampling Field Manuals (Przeslawski and Foster, 2018). Similar issues should be considered when working in coastal waters of States and the Northern Territory.

Activity	Activity Type	Jurisdiction	Responsible Agency	Legislation/Treaty/ Documents	Requirements for approval	Link
Research and monitoring	All activities	Australian Marine Parks	Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment (DAWE)	Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) (EPBC Act)	Authorisation is required for all zones	https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/contact/
	Activities with potentially significant impact on a matter of national environmental significance	Commonwealth	DAWE	Australian Marine Park Management Plans EPBC Act	EPBC Act referral Public consultation, including indigenous stakeholders	http://www.environment.gov.au/protection/environment-assessments/ http://www.environment.gov.au/epbc/what-is-protected
	All activities	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	DAWE	Environment Protection and Management Ordinance 1987 (HIMI) \ EPBC Regulations 2000	Permit required	https://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/travel-and-logistics/cargo-and-freight/types-of-cargo/scientific-samples/environmental-approvals/
	All activities	Antarctica (south of 60°S)	DAWE	Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980 Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation (AMLRC) Act 1981	Authorisation and permit required AMLRC Act permit required if carrying out research with respect to marine living organisms in the CCAMLR Convention Area	https://www.antarctica.gov.au/environment/environmental-impact-assessment-approvals-and-permits//
Interactions with Cetaceans	Acoustic equipment with received exposure level 160dB re 1 µPa2.s for 95% of shot at 1km range (seismic)	Commonwealth	DAWE	EPBC Act Policy Statement 2.1	EPBC Referral and comply with Policy Statement 2.1	http://www.environment.gov.au/resource/epbc-act-policy-statement-21-interaction-between-offshore-seismic-exploration-and-whales
	Vessel interaction	Commonwealth	DAWE	EPBC Act. Regulations 2000 (Cth) (EPBC Regulations) part 8	Report death, injury, stranding or entanglement of whales and dolphins to DoEE. Specific requirements for vessels	https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016C00914
Interaction with Heritage	Historic Ship wrecks	Continental shelf waters (incl. some areas > 200 nm)	DAWE	Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976 (Cth)	Ship wrecks and relics older than 75 years and lying within protected zones.	http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/historic-shipwrecks
Restricted vessel movement and moored scientific equipment that create navigation hazards			Australian Hydrographic Service AHS Australian Marine Safety AMSA		Notice to mariners 2-3 weeks prior to survey commences. Vessel to RCC to update NAVAREA X alerts	https://www.amsa.gov.au/safety-navigation/navigation-systems/maritime-safety-information-database datacentre@hydro.gov.au rccaus@amsa.gov.au
Research in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park GBRMP	Research, except for limited impact research.	GBRMP	Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority GBRMPA	Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (Cth) EPBC Act	Limited impact research may be conducted under a letter of authority issued by an accredited educational or research institutions All other research requires permission	http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/zoning-permits-and-plans/permits http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/zoning-permits-and-plans/permits/research-permissions
Research around petroleum and other infrastructure		Commonwealth	National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA)	Sea Installations Act 1987	Vessels prohibited to go within a safety zone of 500m	http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-pollution/sea-dumping/sea-installations
Accessing areas where a Native Title determination exists	All activities	Commonwealth	National Native Title Tribunal	Native Title Act 1993 (Cth)	Refer to National Native Title Tribunal registers.	http://www.nntt.gov.au/Pages/Home-Page.aspx
Activities within  Defence Offshore Training Areas or Restricted Airspace	All activities	Commonwealth	Department of Defence (DoD)		Refer to NOTAMs, NTMs and AUSCOAST or NAVAREA X warnings	http://www.hydro.gov.au/factsheets/WFS_Firing_Practice_And_Exercise_Areas.pdf https://www.airservicesaustralia.com/aip/aip.asp https://nationalmap.gov.au/#share=s-wMPX5gwlZcPGccu8ijiVrF4RFIx offshore.petroleum@defence.gov.au ADF.Airspace@defence.gov.au
Impact on the commercial fishing industry	Activities with potentially significant impact fish stocks or habitat	Commonwealth	Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)	Fisheries Management Act 1991 (Cth)	Consultation	https://www.afma.gov.au/sustainability-environment/petroleum-industry-consultation (List of regional bodies on website) ceo@comfish.com.au

Laws and regulations regarding multibeam sonar acquisition in State and Territory waters (less than 3 nm from the coast) vary slightly across jurisdictions, but they are generally not restricted or subject to permit requirements, with the exception of:

• Survey undertaken in Marine Protected Areas (for guidance see Marine Protected Areas section above).
• Survey carrying out extractive work (marine biota) or work that could be considered destructive to marine habitats.
• Surveys undertaken across areas with access restrictions (e.g., naval waters, commercial ports, or shipping channels).
• Surveys carried out In New South Wales for the purposes of resource exploration (permission through NSW Resources and Energy - Environment and Planning).

Table C2: Weblinks to state and territory permits

VIC Research

SA Research

NSW Research

NT Research

TAS Research

QLD Research

WA Research

Appendix D – Guideline on timeframe for actions

Table D1: Estimated time frame required to perform some of the swath system related tasks. These estimates are to assist in survey planning, but note that they can vary considerably depending on the difficulty or the issues arising from the task performed.

Action	Timeline to be expected
Authorisation/permits from authority	Months
Mobilisation, calibration, validation (does not include time to manufacture mounts to fit the system)	3-5 days
Patch test	2 hrs to 0.5 day
Self-system test	2-5 minutes
SVP cast (depends on water depth and device)	20 min plus deployment time of the SVP, which depends on water depth (based on SVP not XBT device)
Crossline	0.5 day (depends on survey area)
Acquisition vs Processing ratio (depends on the quality of the input data and the level of cleaning)	1:1 to 1:3

Appendix E – Total Propagated Uncertainties

Table E1: Sounding Accuracy - Example MBES Total Propagated Uncertainty Estimates to a 95 % CL

Uncertainty Source	Value	Reference to Accuracy Value for Total Propagated Uncertainty Computation
Heading (degrees)	0.05	(Make/Model) – Manufacturer Accuracy Value
Smart Heave (Amplitude %) Real-Time Heave (Amplitude %)	2.5 5.0	(Make/Model) – Manufacturer Accuracy Value
Smart Heave (m) Real-Time Heave (m)	0.025 0.05	(Make/Model) – Manufacturer Accuracy Value
Roll (degrees)	0.01	(Make/Model) – Manufacturer Accuracy Value
Pitch (degrees)	0.01	(Make/Model) – Manufacturer Accuracy Value
Navigation (m)	0.10	(Make/Model) – Manufacturer Accuracy Value
Transducer Timing (s)	0.001	Estimated – 1PPS (Make/Model)
Navigation Timing (s)	0.001	Estimated – 1PPS (Make/Model)
Heading Timing (s)	0.001	Estimated – 1PPS (Make/Model)
Heave Timing (s)	0.001	Estimated – 1PPS (Make/Model)
Pitch Timing (s)	0.001	Estimated – 1PPS (Make/Model)
Roll Timing (s)	0.001	Estimated – 1PPS (Make/Model)
Offset X (m)	0.02	Estimated – (Description of Dimensional Control method)
Offset Y (m)	0.02	Estimated - (Description of Dimensional Control method)
Offset Z (m)	0.02	Estimated - (Description of Dimensional Control method)
Speed (knots)	0.10	Not Applicable
Loading (m)	0.02	Estimated
Draft (m)	0.05	Estimated – (Description of measurement)
Delta Draft (m)	0.02	Estimated - Vessel Dynamic Draft (Squat/Settlement) Calibration
MRU Heading Alignment (degrees)	0.05	Estimated - Multi-beam Patch Test Calibration
MRU Pitch/Roll Alignment (degrees)	0.05	Estimated - Multi-beam Patch Test Calibration
Tidal Measurements (m)	0.02 0.02 0.03 0.05	(Make/Model) TG – Manufacturer Accuracy Value (Make/Model) Barometer – Manufacturer Accuracy Value Estimated - GNSS Buoy TG calibration Estimated – Accounting for above Contributions
Tidal Zoning (m)	0.10	Estimated - Co-Tidal Model
SVP Profile Measurement (m/s)	0.02 0.50	(Make/Model) – Manufacturer Accuracy Value Estimated - Temporal and Spatial Variation
SVP Surface Measurement (m/s)	0.017	Make/Model) - Manufacturer Accuracy Value
Sonar Measurement		MBES Device Models File

Appendix F – Patch test

The figures below shows the pattern to use for the patch test of a MBES system with one (Figure F1) or two (Figure F2) sonar head configurations.

For backscatter calibration see section 4.3.2

Figure F1: Proposed line pattern for single head sonar patch test

Figure F2: Proposed line pattern for dual-head sonar patch test

Appendix G – IHO Standards

Table G1: IHO standards for hydrographic surveys (S-44). Read in conjunction with document (IHO, 2008). These are presently in review by the IHO.

Table G2: HIPP standards for hydrographic surveys (AHO, 2018)

Appendix H – Records templates

The following appendix provides suggested templates for records that should be produced during a seabed mapping survey. These templates can also be downloaded on the AusSeabed website.

H.1 Mobilisation, calibration and validation report

The following link provides you with the template.

H.2 AusSeabed minimum required metadata

Below is a table with specific field definitions and examples for each metadata field expected to accompany data submitted to AusSeabed in order for AusSeabed to assume custodianship of, and to exclusively publish the data. The fields specified are considered a minimum set that can be extended to include fields outlined in section 2.3.1.3, but should not be deviated from, replaced, or altered. Note that on submission it is only required to provide the Field column and the associated survey metadata, the other columns in the table are provided for illustrative purposes only.

Table H1: Required Metadata for data submitted to AusSeabed

Category	Definition	Fields	Specific   Field Definitions	Example   Data
General	Basic information about the data package being   submitted.	Survey title (full)	A short phrase or sentence   describing the dataset. In many discovery systems, the title will be   displayed in the results list from a search, and therefore should be human   readable and reasonable to display in a list of such names.	MH370 Phase 1 150m Bathymetry datasets
		Survey   ID	The ID assigned to the survey,   relevant especially when an ID may be how the survey is more widely   referenced.	GA-4421, GA-4422, GA-4430
		Abstract	A paragraph describing the   dataset, analogous to an abstract for a paper.	“On behalf of Australia,   the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is leading search operations   for missing Malaysian airlines flight MH370 in the Southern Indian Ocean.   Geoscience Australia provided advice, expertise and support to the ATSB to   facilitate bathymetric surveys … [for full abstract visit   http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/100315]
		Lineage	Information about the events or   source data used in constructing the data specified by the scope or lack of   knowledge about lineage.	“link-to-lineage-statement”   OR
				Full text:
			Lineage   can be complex to record, so can be actively linked within a metadata record   either to a file within the dataset being submitted or to a hosted location   where the lineage statement may be found. If neither of these options are   preferred, a full narrative may also be provided.	“The MH370 Search bathymetry   Surveys, GA-4421 GP1483 was acquired by the Australian Government through   ATSB/GA on-board the MV Fugro Equator from the 05th of June to the 30th of   July 2016, GA-4422 through the Chinese Navy Vessel Zhu Kezhen 872 from the 3rd   June to 31 August 2014 and from the 5th January to the 30 April 2015 for the   MV Fugro Supporter………”
Contact for the Data	Information that is related to contacts for the   data	Data Owner	. The person and/or organisation   that owns the submitted data for the purpose of empowering AusSeabed to act   as a custodian	Commonwealth of Australia
		Custodian	The person and/or organisation   that accepts, archives and disseminates the data	Commonwealth of Australia
		Point of Contact	The person and/or contact details for initiating   contact regarding the data	Commonwealth of Australia   (Geoscience Australia)
				clientservices@ga.gov.au   (Manager Client Services)
				Cnr   Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378, Canberra, ACT, 2601,   Australia
				Call 1800   800 173,02 6249 9960
		Collecting   Entity	The organisation that was   responsible for collecting the data being described.	Australian Transport Safety Bureau   (ATSB)
Citation	Information that is collected to ensure   appropriate credit is assigned for the data being provided, and ensuring the   data’s intended use of the data is clear.	Attribution Licence (citation)	Statement of attribution that must   be included whenever the data being provided is distributed/redistributed or   used by another organisation.	2017. MH370 Phase 1 150m   Bathymetry datasets (GA-4421, GA-4422 & GA-4430). Geoscience Australia,   Canberra. http://pid.geoscience.gov.au/dataset/100315
		Legal Constraints	Restrictions and legal prerequisites for   accessing and using the resource or metadata	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0   International Licence
				http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
		Access Constraints	Details of any constraints that   are not determined under the licence constraints regarding the access to the   information being provided. Access constraints are applied to assure the   protection of privacy or intellectual property, and any	As per licence
			special   restrictions or limitations on obtaining the resource or metadata
		Use   Constraints	Details of any constraints that   are not determined under the licence constraints regarding the use of the   information being provided.	As per licence
		Country   (of data ownership)	Country of the owner of the   data.	Australia
Survey Positioning Data	The information provided in the positioning data   provides for both an overview of the survey’s coverage, and the primary   coordination reference system that was used to collect/prepare the survey   data.	Survey area (general)	Plain English description of the   location of the survey.	Indian ocean approximately 1100nm   off the coast of Perth Australia.
		Survey bounding box   coordinates	The detailed coordinates of the survey. This may   be provided in a variety of formats, however full positioning information is   required.	78.00, -42.00, 116.00, -12.00
		Coordinate   reference system - Bounding Box	The coordinate reference system   used to define the survey bounding box.	"WGS 84 / UTM zone 44S   (EPSG:32744)","WGS 84 / UTM zone 46S (EPSG:32746)","WGS   84 / UTM zone 47S (EPSG:32747)","WGS 84 / UTM zone 48S   (EPSG:32748)","WGS 84 / UTM zone 49S (EPSG:32749)","WGS   84 / UTM zone 50S (EPSG:32750)"
		Coordinate   reference system - Survey Data	The coordinate reference system   used for data collection.	"WGS 84 / UTM zone 44S   (EPSG:32744)","WGS 84 / UTM zone 46S (EPSG:32746)","WGS   84 / UTM zone 47S (EPSG:32747)","WGS 84 / UTM zone 48S   (EPSG:32748)","WGS 84 / UTM zone 49S (EPSG:32749)","WGS   84 / UTM zone 50S (EPSG:32750)"
Reference System	The finer details of the reference system used   for data collection.	Geodetic datum of the survey	The reference datum of the data   collected	WGS 84
		Horizontal   Datum	The horizontal reference datum for   data collection	UTM
		Vertical   Datum	The vertical reference datum for   data collection	MSL
Survey Configuration	The configuration of the survey as it ran.	Instrument type	The type of instrument used to   capture the data. Suggested values are:	Multi-beam Sonar
			-    Multi-beam
			-    Single-Beam
			-    Bathy LiDAR
			-    Airborne Imagery
			-    Satellite
			-    Side-Scan
			-    Sub-Bottom profiler
		Sensor   type	The type of sensor used to collect   the data being provided.	EM2040
		Sensor   Frequency	Frequency at which the survey was   conducted. This may be provided as multiple values based on the sensor’s   capabilities.	200-400kHz
		Platform   type	The platform hosting the   instruments and sensors used to collect the data.	Ship, AUV
		Platform   Name	The name of the platform used to   collect submitted data	RV Investigator

H.3 Survey log sheet templates

H.4 Report of Survey template

The following minimum template has been modified from AHO AH68 Survey Summary Template, which can be found in full here. A full Report of Survey format can be found in IHO publication C13. Guidance on Confidence Levels and Error Ellipse scaling is contained in ICSM (2014a), uncertainties from IHO publication S-44 or by contacting the Bathymetric Data Assessment Section at the Australian Hydrographic Office on 02 4223 6500.

Introduction

Survey Title and ID	Locality
Survey Authority	Survey Sponsor/Custodian
Surveyor in Charge and qualification	Date this Survey Summary was completed
Start Date of Survey	End Date of Survey
Survey Platform/Vessel Name	Survey Platform/Vessel Name
Purpose of the Survey

Horizontal Control

Soundings are on the following datum (WGS84 preferred but not essential)
Datum
Spheroid
Projection and Zone
Was the positioning system validated?
Were laybacks applied?
Estimated horizontal accuracy of soundings at 2 Sigma (95%) confidence level (Calculations can be included as an attachment. Don’t know? Enter “Not Known”)

Vertical Control

Tides Applied
Soundings Datum
Tide Station 1 Details
Benchmark (BM) used and Datum connection
Geoid details if using GPS tides
Tide Station 2 Details
Benchmark (BM) used and Datum connection
Geoid details if using GPS tides
Tide Station 3 Details
Benchmark (BM) used and Datum connection
Geoid details if using GPS tides
Tide Model comments (if applicable)
Were soundings corrected for draught?
Were the soundings corrected for sound velocity?
Estimated vertical accuracy of soundings at 1.96 Sigma (95%) confidence level (Calculations can be included as an attachment. Don’t know? Enter “Not Known”)

Shoals and Dangers

This section seeks comments on any features that may be dangerous to surface navigation. (Comments as required. General location and depth references, pictures, screen dumps, etc. will assist. Has a Hydrographic Note or Danger to Navigation Report been submitted?)

Wrecks

This section seeks comments on any wrecks detected during the course of survey. (Comments as required. General location and depth references, pictures, screen dumps, etc. will assist.)