New Possibilities with This 3D SideScan Sonar

Table of Contents:

1. Designed for the Field

2. Trusted Around the World

3. Environmental Awareness

4. Different System Configurations

5. Software Suite

6. Real-World Applications

Imagine standing on the deck of a research vessel, and deploying a sonar system that does not just give you a flat, two-dimensional image, but instead builds a full 3D representation of the underwater environment. That is precisely what the Ping DSP 3DSS sonar does. Developed with Computed Angle-of-Arrival Transient Imaging (CAATI) technology, it offers:

·         Ultra-wide swath bathymetry

·         High-resolution 2D sidescan imagery

·         Lidar-like 3D sidescan imagery

The best part? All of this data is collected simultaneously and co-registered in real time, which is making surveys more efficient and insightful than ever before. Whether you are mapping riverbeds, assessing erosion, conducting maritime archaeology, or searching for missing objects, this sonar brings clarity to the unknown.

Designed for the Field

It is common now to see surveyors working with big, bulky, and complicated equipment that takes hours to set up. Whereas, this unit is compact, easy to deploy, and works seamlessly with small vessels, unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Whether you are pole-mounting it on a skiff or integrating it into a AUV, it adapts to your needs.

The wreck of the J.E. Boyden (1888) in Lake Union (Seattle), shown with 2D sidescan (top left) and 3D sidescan (top right and bottom), captured simultaneously and displayed in real-time using 3DSS Sidescan3D™, with dimensioning in the lower image from the 3D Target Logger

Trusted Around the World

Top organizations like the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) have been relying on this technology and testing its capabilities. As well as government agencies - naval forces, private firms, and research institutions worldwide are using the Ping DSP technology to push the boundaries and achieve more in maritime exploration.

Environmental Awareness

By integrating with digital twin technology, the 3DSS sonar enhances environmental and nearshore community awareness, complementing terrestrial models. Its accurate wide-swath bathymetry exceeds International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Special Order standards, offering operational depths from water level to approximately 75 meters and swath widths up to 14 times the water depth.

Coral reef raw data from Molasses Reef near Key Largo, FL, colorized by depth.

Gill net and schools of fish, colorized by depth and intensity, with an opening near the center and an anchor line at the end.

Different System Configurations

This system comes in multiple configurations, because not every survey is alike:

• 3DSS-iDX: Fully integrated with an Inertial Navigation System (INS) for high-precision surveys.

• 3DSS-DX: Offers the same exceptional sonar data but connects with an external GNSS/IMU—perfect for vessels with existing navigation systems.

• 3DSS-OEM: Optimized for AUV and USV integration, available in depth ratings of 100m or 500m.

Software Suite

Every system includes an advanced acquisition software suite featuring:

• Real-time 3D visualization of sidescan data

• Bathymetry chart and profile displays

• Data logging for post-processing

• XTF file conversion for compatibility with third-party software

  
  

And because compatibility matters, the data integrates effortlessly with industry-leading hydrographic software like Hypack, BeamWorx, QINSy, SonarWiz, PDS, and EIVA.

Data evaluation of the 3DSS sonar by Norbit America, in 10–15m depth in the Columbia River, with no SV profile or post-processed trajectory data—essentially a raw validation conducted immediately after docking. Achieved IHO Special Order at up to 11× water depth!

Real-World Applications

At Seismic Asia Pacific, we have two popular 3DSS systems that our customers are continually uncovering hidden underwater stories with. From mapping historic shipwrecks to tracking erosion in fragile marine ecosystems, the ability to see the unseen is reshaping what is possible in hydrography.

Want to see this technology in action?

Explore some more real world case studies below:

Eel Grass bed shown in Sidescan3D display and colourized by backscatter intensity on the left and by depth on the right. Spot depth measurements can also be made on the displays in real-time to indirectly estimate eel grass heights relative to the seabed.

Coral reef raw data from Molasses Reef near Key Largo, FL, colorized by depth, covering a swath width of approximately 15 times the sonar altitude.

Submerged lock structure at Cascade Locks, Oregon, with a 3D image capturing the vertical walls, wall inflection, lock floor, and tie holds.

Bathymetry data from a 3DSS-DX-450 survey of the Red River, Manitoba, Canada, by Aquatics-ESI, processed in Hypack (0.5m grid), with a maximum depth of 8m.

3DSS real-time bank-to-bank 3D view (raw data) of Montlake Cut, Lake Union, Seattle, WA, with callouts showing spot depth measurements and point cloud statistics.