FAQ
The Voxometer is a revolutionary smart, agile, multi-aspect survey system that differs from traditional wideband multibeam echosounders. Here are some commonly asked questions to help explain how it works.
The name Voxometer is derived from ‘Voxel’. It is a volumetric unit that contains different kinds of data associated with the Voxel volume. The Voxometer measures Voxels and the data they contain to achieve the mission.
Voxels are structured in an Octree, which allows the operator to zoom through the data, even during acquisition. The Voxometer observes these Voxels from multiple angles and times, with high levels of data integrity and confidence – this is what we refer to as the MA3 Multi Aspect principle.
The Voxometer can operate in both Classic Mode and Vox Mode.
Classic Mode works much like a multibeam, utilizing external software and your usual workflow. In Classic Mode, the Voxometer surpasses the ability of any MBES, as you have the 1MHz (MegaRes) frequency option, as well as the Enhanced Quad Mode option.
Vox Mode is where the full benefit of the Voxometer comes into play, utilizing the patented MA3 Multi Aspect technology to provide Near End Quality Data (NEQD) at the end of your survey, eliminating the need for post-processing of the data.
In Vox Mode, the operator selects the required user-defined sampling density (UDSD) at either 10cm, 25cm, 50cm or 1m², giving immediate access to clean, accurate data compared with MBES, which collects soundings that are then processed in bins as part of a data reduction process.
We dynamically steer the pings based on speed and depth to maintain along-track consistency. The seafloor is scanned fore and aft using four distinct frequencies per ping, or transmit cycle.
The operator selects the centre frequency, and the Voxometer then transmits two higher and two lower frequencies, with a frequency separation of 22kHz, all within one ping cycle.
Enhanced Quad Mode has a maximum frequency setting of 950kHz, allowing for the two higher frequencies.