Method of determination of acoustic wave reflection points in geodesic bathymetric surveys

The target of the study is development of method of precise determination of water region's co-ordinates for various applications. Selected factors, as dynamics of the sounding vessel and environmental factors are taken into consideration. In spite of possibility of application motion sensors available on the market (more expensive than professional single-beam echo-sounders), an alternative method of determining pitching and rolling has been developed - introduced in a model of precise determining of acoustic ray's reflection co-ordinates - for a ray characterized by non-linear trajectory. It is an alternative for accelerometers used in hydrography and magnetometers with floating cores available on the market. Main theses of the study may be presented as the following: - the vertical sound speed in water has an impact not only on accuracy of the depth measurement but also on trajectory of the acoustic ray, resulting in its non-linear propagation, - having positions of two points known (in their specific locations), there is a possibility of determining pitching and rolling with an accuracy comparable with performance of the motion sensors, - application of the elaborated methods for selected factors determining accuracy of the hydrographic surveys shall influence accuracy of created charts, safety of navigation and efficiency in searching under-water objects in a significant way.