Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Sonar Survey of Musquash Marine Protected Area

Vehicle and sonde data from a 2020 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) habitat survey in the Musquash Marine Protected Area. The dataset includes mosaicked side scan sonar images covering approximately 6 square kilometers of marine and intertidal areas, generated from 17 separate survey missions. Data includes Doppler Velocity logs, mission-specific files, and detailed methodological documentation.

Use Cases

• Analyze mosaicked side scan sonar images to classify marine habitat types within the 6 km2 survey area.
• Process Doppler Velocity logs from the AUV to model underwater current patterns and vehicle navigation.
• Use mission-specific files to reconstruct the 17 survey paths and assess spatial coverage of the sonar data.
• Integrate raw and position-corrected sonar image versions to develop algorithms for automated seafloor feature detection.

Strengths

• Data originates from 17 separate AUV survey missions, providing multiple observations.
• Covers approximately 6 square kilometers of marine and intertidal area within a designated Marine Protected Area.
• Includes both raw and position-corrected versions of high-frequency (450 kHz) side scan sonar mosaics.
• Provides detailed methodological documentation alongside the core data files.

Limitations

• Data is from a single survey period in 2020, limiting temporal analysis and trend detection.
• Focus is geographically restricted to the Musquash MPA, which may not be representative of other marine regions.
• The dataset combines diverse file formats (FGDB, TIFF, CSV, PDF), which may require specialized software for full integration.

Provenance

Source

Fisheries and Oceans Canada, collected under the Coastal Environmental Baseline Program.

Collection Method

Survey conducted using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle equipped with 450 kHz side scan sonar.

Time Range

August, September, and October 2020.

Freshness

Data was collected in August, September, and October 2020. The metadata was last updated in March 2026.

Geography

Musquash Marine Protected Area, Canada.