Multibeam Bathymetry
Full-coverage depth mapping using a fan of simultaneous sonar beams rather than a single vertical ping.
What It Produces
Produces a continuous 3D surface of the seabed across the full swath width, not just a line of soundings — the baseline dataset for charting, dredging design, and repeat-survey change detection.
Where It Fits
Resolution scales with water depth and platform stability, which is exactly what a small, shallow-draft RIB is suited to close against structure and in water larger survey vessels can't enter.
Deployed From
Run from the same 7m/9m platforms covered under Platforms, applied to subsea survey work and heritage and conservation missions alike — the technique doesn't change, only the purpose it's deployed for.
What is Multibeam Bathymetry?
Full-coverage depth mapping using a fan of simultaneous sonar beams rather than a single vertical ping.
What does it produce?
Produces a continuous 3D surface of the seabed across the full swath width, not just a line of soundings — the baseline dataset for charting, dredging design, and repeat-survey change detection.
What are its limits?
Resolution scales with water depth and platform stability, which is exactly what a small, shallow-draft RIB is suited to close against structure and in water larger survey vessels can't enter.