Bathymetry measurements with Fishfinders

The product uses low-cost devices (fishfinders) to measure bed levels, process the data into bathymetric maps and make the data easily available for the user. This creates a low-cost alternative for bathymetric surveys, so frequent depth information will be accesible to authorities or shipping companies in case of droughts or floods.
Technology validated in lab.
Basic technological components are integrated to establish that they will work together. This is relatively “low fidelity” compared with the eventual system. Examples include integration of “ad hoc” hardware in the laboratory.
The Fishfinder component is already on the market, and has proven to be robust. However applications in depth mapping are very limited, and the accuracy is not validated. Some tests are available, but only show the concept works in relatively calm environments (lakes). Applications in other environments and lab studies of accuracy are not available, and are being initiated at the moment. Data dissimination and improvement of the GPS/depth accuracy have not been tested yet.

How does it work?

Fishfinders are used by anglers to find fish, but also record water depth. Therefore they can be used to produce 2D depth maps of rivers, channels or reservoirs. We develop a product that uses these low-cost devices to measure bed levels, process the data into bathymetric maps and make the data easily available for the user. The user can upload Fishfinder measurements to a web portal. In the webservice we add more precise GPS and depth readings by smart postprocessing of the signal from the Fishfinder and convert the data to bathymetric maps. The maps can be downloaded in the desired format.