BenthiCat: Raw Opti-Acoustic Survey Data for Benthic Mapping

BenthiCat - Raw comprises unprocessed data files from BenthiCat surveys, including ROS Bag optical recordings, XTF side-scan sonar files, and .xyz multibeam echosounder data. The dataset includes sector-specific subdirectories for sonar data and a GIS folder with georeferenced mosaics and habitat interpretations. Hayat Rajani authored this foundational collection for custom preprocessing and analysis.

Use Cases

• Developing custom calibration or preprocessing algorithms based on raw ROS Bag and calibration metadata.
• Testing novel side-scan sonar or multibeam echosounder processing techniques using the raw XTF and .xyz files.
• Creating or validating habitat maps by comparing raw sensor data against the provided ArcGIS-based interpretations.
• Fusing optical and acoustic data streams for improved benthic classification models.

Strengths

• Includes multiple raw sensor modalities: optical imaging (ROS Bag), side-scan sonar (XTF), and multibeam echosounder (.xyz).
• Provides derived products like georeferenced mosaics and habitat interpretations in a GIS folder.
• Data is organized into sector-specific subdirectories corresponding to spatial divisions of the surveyed area.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and total file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality and completeness require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

BenthiCat: An opti-acoustic dataset for advancing benthic classification and habitat mapping

Collection Method

Collected during BenthiCat surveys using optical imaging, side-scan sonar, and multibeam echosounder.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-23 03:29:30; freshness should be verified.