Nautical Chart

A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a

maritime area and adjacent coastal regions. It
displays the charted depth of the water at specific
locations with soundings and the use of bathymetric
contour lines. The depths are relative to a chart
datum
 Nautical Chart

Title of the Map

Source of
Hydrographic
Survey
Bathymetry depth in fathom
1 fathom = 6 ft Object on land,
Vertical Low Water Datum is Vertical High Water
LWS datum is MSL

Reference to USA Map projection is Secant MERCATOR

NOAA Chart No.1 and scale of the map is 1:250,0000
at LAT 2o 25
Nautical Chart

Sources of NAUTICAL CHART

Hydrographic Surveys
Nautical charts are based on Hydrographic Surveys. As surveying is
laborious and time-consuming, hydrographic data for many areas of sea may
be dated and not always reliable.

Water Depth
Depths are measured in a variety of ways. Historically the Sounding Line was
used.
In modern times, Echo Sounding is used for measuring the seabed in the
open sea.
Safe depth of water should be measured over an entire obstruction, such as
a shipwreck
Bathymetry Surveying
How to Determine the actual Depth?
Multi Beam
Echo Sounder
Result
Single Beam
Survey Design
Single Beam Survey The direction of survey-lines
cant be parallel to the contour
Design lines, but has to be perpendicular
to the counter lines.

10 20 m

6m

Contour
4m lines

2m

Shoreline
0m
 A Typical Single-beam Echo Sounding Plan

Single-beam echo sounder produces soundings by

transmitting short pulses of acoustic energy down
towards the seabed and detecting those pulses
reflected.

The depth under the survey vessel is then calculated

from the 2-way travel time of pulses and the mean
speed of sound over the water column :
Distance = 0.5 x (Travel Time) x (Sound Velocity)

By this way a vessel with a single-beam echo sounder

produces lines of soundings, and a map of contours
can be constructed by interpolating the depth values
between the survey lines.
Single Beam Survey
Design

Knot is a unit used in navigation to measure

a ship speed. 1 knot = 1 nautical mile per
hour (nm/h) or about 1.5 miles per hour
(mph).

Max Speed of Surveying boat is 4 to 5 knots

or 4 to 5 times 1.852 km/hour = 7.4 to 9.2
km/hour in order get the perfect echo from
the sea-floor.
Multi Beam Echo Sounder

A Typical Multi-beam Echo Sounding Plan

Multi Beam
Echo Sounder
Multi Beam
Echo Sounder
Result
Nautical Chart

D E

D E D E

Bathymetric Survey using Echo Sounders

Note: Undetected Dangers Between Line of Soundings

Source: Nigel Calder, How to read a Nautical Chart

Single Beam Sonar Swath

Single-beam echo sounder produces soundings

by transmitting short pulses of acoustic energy
down towards the seabed and detecting those
pulses reflected.

The depth under the survey vessel is then

calculated from the 2-way travel time of pulses
and the mean speed of sound over the water
column :
Distance = 0.5 x (Travel Time) x (Sound
Velocity)

By this way a vessel with a single-beam echo

sounder produces lines of soundings, and a
map of contours can be constructed by
interpolating the depth values between the
survey lines.
Multi Beam Echo Sounder

Multi-beam echo-sounder may be

considered as a series of single-
beam echo sounders mounted on
an array.

Every ping of signal emitted by

transducers (beams) will be
equivalent to a fan-shape
transmission which results in the
receiving of soundings across
the track of the vessel.
Multi Beam Echo Sounder
Multi-beam echo-sounder may be
considered as a series of single-beam
echo sounders mounted on an array.

For example, in SeaBat 8101 survey

vesssel, there are altogether 101
transducers (beams), each with 1.5
degree alongtrack and acrosstrack
respectively.

Every ping of signal emitted will be

equivalent to a fan-shape transmission
which results in the receiving of 101
soundings across the track of the
vessel.

Source: Hydrographic Office, Marine Department, Hong Kong

Shipwreck using Multi Beam Echo Sounder
Navigation Channel
Navigation Channel by Multibeam Sounding
GPS used in Marine Environment

Get (x,y,z)

GPS Antenna

Get (z)

Z (obtained from GPS) measured

the elevation above MSL and
WILL NOT BE USED in
Bathymetry measurement. So Z
from the Echo sounder will be
used instead.
Choice of Frequency
Precision
Hydrographic
Surveyors
Single Beam
Transducer
Transducer
Array
The importance of Sound Speed
Sound Velocity Profile (SVP) in Shallow Water
The Relationship between Sound Velocity
Profile (SVP), Temperature (T), and Salinity (S)
The Sound Velocity Profile (SVP) is close
related to the Temperature (T)
Sound Velocity Profile (SVP) in Deep Water
Bar Check

Bar Check is used for

transducer check or calibration to
determine that the transducer
measures the same depth as the
depth of the steel disk.
Bathymetry Result from Thermal Printer
Data Example
Case of Fish School
Multi-Transducer or Boom Systems

Shore

Offshore
Boom System
Multi Beam Echo Sounder : Effect of Ship Motions
Z North
Y
RP Gyro
X
Pitch

y x
Roll
Yaw
z
 Multi Beam Echo Sounder
Errors in using multi-beam echo sounder
It is easily conceived that the accuracy of sounding using multi-beam echo sounder will
deteriorate from the beam at nadir to the outer side beams because of the dynamic movement of
the vessel. The most significant effect is due to the movement in roll, pitch and heave.

Effect of Roll
The roll rotation will cause lateral displacement of the whole swath.
This will cause a tilting of seabed as well as smaller guaranteed
surveyed coverage. The vertical error it produces is also considered to
be the most significant one in multi-beam hydrographic survey.

Effect of Pitch
This will displace the sounding forward or aft by the tangent of the
pitch angle and thus causes horizontal error.

Effect of Heave
Heave alters the instantaneous elevation of the transducer with respect to the seabed and
directly produces a vertical error of the same magnitude onto the sounding.

As a result, motion sensors are required to measure the above movements in order that the
accuracy of soundings in the outer beams may be comparable to the soundings obtained at
nadir or by using single beam echo sounder.
Source: Hydrographic Office, Marine Department, Hong Kong
Ship Motions

Z
YAW

ROLL

HEAVE
X
G E FORE
SUR

E AFT SWA
SURG Y PITCH

Y
Ship Motions

ROLL

Z
YAW

ROLL

HEAVE
X
G E FORE
SUR

E AFT SWA
SURG Y PITCH

Y
Ship Motions

PITCH

Z
YAW

ROLL

HEAVE
X
G E FORE
SUR

E AFT SWA
SURG Y PITCH

Y
Ship Motions

YAW

Z
YAW

ROLL

HEAVE
X
G E FORE
SUR

E AFT SWA
SURG Y PITCH

Y
Bathymetric Data Cleaning
VERTICAL DATUM

Vertical Datum is used for measuring the elevations of points on the

earth's surface

ONSHORE
For the purpose of measuring the height of objects on land
Mean Sea Level (MSL)
Determined by measuring the height of the sea surface over a metonic
cycle to account for all the astronomical effects that contribute to tide
levels

OFFSHORE
For the purpose of measuring charted depth of the water at specific
location
LAT (Lowest Astronomical Tide, the lowest tide predictable from based
the effects of gravity), or MLLW (Mean Lower Low Water, the average
lowest tide of each day), or LWS (Low Water Springs)
For safety reasons, a mariner must be able to know the minimum depth
of water that could occur at any point. For this reason, depths and tides
on a nautical chart are measured relative to CHART DATUM, which is
defined to be a level below which tide rarely falls
Nautical Chart
Chart Datum
Chart datum is generally a tidal datum, derived from phase of the tide. It is
the level of water at the lowest possible astronomical tide, and therefore
minimum water depth possible during the tidal cycle.

US NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration)
Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW)
Average height of the lower low waters
Average of the LLW, the lower of the two low waters of any diurnal
tidal day.
Over a metonic cycle (19 years)

British Admiralty Chart:

Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT), during perigean spring tide.

France and Spain:

Lowest Low Water (LLW)
lowest low waters of a spring tides of record
Indonesia:
Low Water Spring (LWS)
Average height of low waters of spring tides
 Source: Nigel Calder, How to read a Nautical Chart

Tides

TIDES CHARTING DATUMS

Highest actual tide

Mean high water springs (MHWS)
Mean higher high water (MHHW)
Mean High Water (MHW)

Mean High Water (neaps)

AVERAGE TIDE
SPRING TIDE
NEAP TIDE

Mean Sea Level (MSL)

Mean Low Water (neaps)

Mean Low Water (MLW)
Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW)
Mean Low Water Springs (MLWS)
Lowest Astronomical Tide (LAT)

Lowest Actual Tide

VARIOUS STATES OF THE TIDE THAT CAN FORM THE BASIS OF VERTICAL DATUM
Chart Datum in the USA

MLLW

MLLW
 1 (one) week
Due Date : March 16, 2013
 Nautical Chart

Title of the Map

Source of
Hydrographic
Survey
Bathymetry depth in fathom
1 fathom = 6 ft Object on land,
Vertical Low Water Datum is Vertical High Water
LWS datum is MSL

Reference to USA Map projection is Secant MERCATOR

NOAA Chart No.1 and scale of the map is 1:250,0000
at LAT 2o 25
The distance is 33.3 miles
Your assignment

Please design a bathymetric survey plan for

Teluk Berau coastal area (see the chart with
orange shaded area)
Use the standard distance between survey lines
of 20 m and the survey boat speed of 4 knots.
How many survey lines do you need to cover all
the orange shaded area ?
How many hours do you need to cover all the
orange shaded area ?
If as engineer, you can only work 12 hours/day,
how many days do you need to cover all the
orange shaded area ?
 Please write all your answer in English
Dont forget to write the cover also in English