Multibeam echosounder (MBES) data processing techniques have greatly improved in recent years, providing more accurate and detailed images of the seafloor and underwater structures. One of the most significant advancements that has been sucessfully automated by 4DWD R&D team is the interferometric processing, which allows for the creation of high-resolution bathymetric maps by combining multiple sonar returns from the same location. This method has improved our ability to map the seafloor with greater accuracy, and to identify small-scale features such as seamounts, canyons, and abyssal plains.

Another important developments that we have enhanced using our AI-powered algorithms is the use of backscatter processing, which allows for the analysis of the strength and direction of the acoustic return from the seafloor. Backscatter data can provide valuable information about the composition and roughness of the seafloor, and is being used to automatically maping the distribution of hard and soft sediments, as well as to identify the presence of man-made structures such as shipwrecks. The integration of backscatter processing with bathymetric mapping is providing a more complete picture of the underwater environment and is helping to advance our understanding of the geology and modelling the OWF sea floor.