A GPS Guided Bistatic System for Ocean Bathymetry

Marvin C. Gaer

Abstract:	A GPS guided bistatic system and method for mapping a large swath of the ocean bottom on a single pass is presented. This system involves two survey vessels traveling approximately side-by-side some miles apart on parallel courses. Each ship transmits sonic pulses, pings, which are scattered off the ocean bottom. Portions of each ship's signals are forward scattered off the ocean bottom to its companion ship allowing for the depth measurements of the large swath of the ocean bottom between the ships. The feasibility of this system is a result of the position fixing accuracy which GPS affords. In the system discussed, GPS is applied in two ways. It provides accurate position coordinates for the measured depths as well as being used for the precise steering and control of the survey ships. It is also anticipated that portions of the regions mapped by each ship will overlap. This partial mapping redundancy can be used as a gauge of accuracy and to calibrate the system. The combined ocean bottom swath areas that can be mapped by this bistatic system on a single pass should provide an enlargement of much more than a factor of two over the present single ship mapping, leading to a significant improvement in mapping coverage, speed, and efficiency while being more economical. Associated potential applications in acoustic imaging and surveillance are also mentioned.
Published in:	Proceedings of the International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1988) September 19 - 23, 1988 The Broadmoor Hotel Colorado Spring, CO
Pages:	511 - 514
Cite this article:	Gaer, Marvin C., "A GPS Guided Bistatic System for Ocean Bathymetry," Proceedings of the International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1988), Colorado Spring, CO, September 1988, pp. 511-514.
Full Paper:	ION Members/Non-Members: 1 Download Credit Sign In