Typical applications include: Bathymetric and hydrographic surveys Lake and reservoir mapping River and waterway surveys Dredging planning and monitoring Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) monitoring Wastewater and stormwater surveys Hydrology Construction and engineering surveys Monitoring changes in water depth and seabed levels SPH Engineering identifies bathymetry, dredging, TSF monitoring, wastewater/stormwater surveying and hydrology as key applications.

Yes. EchoNIMBUS is suitable for TSF monitoring, where bathymetric information can help monitor water and submerged areas within tailings storage facilities.

Yes. Dredging planning and monitoring are key applications. The high-density bathymetric data can be used to map water depths and seabed surfaces before, during or after dredging operations.

No. EchoNIMBUS is primarily a bathymetric MBES and is not designed as a dedicated sub-bottom profiler or sediment-layer measurement system. The manufacturer’s specifications identify it as unsuitable for sediment measurements. For sediment investigations, a suitable sub-bottom or lower-frequency echosounder may be more appropriate.

Yes. It can be used for surveys in different water environments, but the sound velocity profile needs to be appropriate to the waterbody being surveyed. Temperature, salinity and pressure can all influence acoustic propagation.

The speed of sound through water varies according to factors including temperature, salinity and pressure. Because MBES measurements depend on acoustic travel time and angle, accurate sound-velocity information is particularly important when producing reliable bathymetric results.

Yes. The Surveyor 240-16 incorporates an integrated temperature sensor.

Yes. The EchoNIMBUS payload includes a Cerulean Bar30 depth/pressure sensor, which provides an additional depth reference for the system.

Yes. The Surveyor 240-16 includes a built-in IMU for pitch and roll. Heading and geographical coordinates for data geotagging are supplied by the drone/SkyHub system.

The standard payload includes: Cerulean Surveyor 240-16 MBES sensor head Cerulean Bar30 depth/pressure sensor Foldable mounting system with housing/fairing Data cable for SkyHub Transport case Additional UAV components and software are required to operate the system as a complete drone-based solution.

Combining MBES with a UAV allows high-density bathymetric data to be collected without putting a survey vessel or personnel onto the water. This can be particularly useful for shallow, hazardous, restricted or difficult-to-access sites, while potentially reducing survey logistics, time and cost.

The EchoNIMBUS payload itself weighs approximately 1.8 kg including the foldable mounting system. The complete airborne configuration, including the sensor, SkyHub, depth/pressure sensor, housing, cables and mountings, is approximately 2.4 kg.

EchoNIMBUS is a UAV-integrated multibeam echosounder system based on the Cerulean Surveyor 240-16 MBES. It uses a 240 kHz acoustic frequency and a 16-element receiving array to collect multiple measurements across the waterbody during each survey pass.

The EchoNIMBUS operates at 240 kHz. It is a single-frequency MBES designed primarily for bathymetric measurement rather than sediment-layer investigation.

The specified measurement range is approximately 0.5 m to 50 m. Actual performance depends on water conditions, seabed characteristics, acoustic noise and survey configuration.

The transmitter has an approximately 80° cross-track beam width and a 4° along-track beam width. This allows the system to collect measurements across a broad area during each flight line.

A single beam echosounder (SBES) generally measures depth beneath the sensor along a single acoustic beam. The EchoNIMBUS is a multibeam echosounder (MBES), collecting multiple measurements across a wider swath. This provides substantially greater data density and can reduce the number of survey lines required to map an area.

Depending on range and seabed acoustic characteristics, the Surveyor 240-16 typically identifies 10–15 acoustic targets across the swath. Their position and depth are calculated using range and angle-of-arrival information.

The Surveyor 240-16 can resolve angle of arrival to approximately 1° or better, compared with an approximately 7° effective cross-track beam width using conventional beamforming.

Yes. EchoNIMBUS is specifically designed for integration with UAV platforms. JBUAS lists compatibility with the DJI Matrice 300 RTK, Matrice 350 RTK and Matrice 400 RTK, as well as suitable Pixhawk/Cube-based drones.

Yes. JBUAS can advise on the EchoNIMBUS, suitable UAV platform, SkyHub configuration, sound-velocity requirements and data-processing workflow for your project. Need advice on drone-based multibeam bathymetry?
Contact JBUAS to discuss the EchoNIMBUS MBES and whether a multibeam or single-beam echosounder is the right solution for your bathymetric survey.

Yes. The system is designed for professional bathymetric and hydrographic surveying, with applications spanning dredging, hydrology, infrastructure, and wastewater monitoring.

For accurate MBES surveying, sound velocity is an important consideration. JBUAS recommends measuring the velocity of sound in the waterbody using a suitable velocity profiler, particularly where survey accuracy is critical.

Yes. JBUAS can supply the EchoNIMBUS MBES together with UAV integration, SkyHub, mounting equipment, positioning and associated software as part of a complete drone-based bathymetry solution.

The ECT D052S is a dual-frequency SBES operating at 50 and 200 kHz, with applications that include soft-sediment investigations. EchoNIMBUS is a 240 kHz MBES designed primarily for high-density bathymetric mapping and is not specified for sediment measurements.

The ECT400S is a 450 kHz single-beam echosounder designed for shallow-water depth measurement. EchoNIMBUS is a 240 kHz multibeam system with a wide cross-track swath and 16-element receiver array. It provides considerably greater data density and is better suited to area-wide bathymetric mapping.

Yes. Its 80° cross-track transmission swath, 16-element receive array and approximately 1° angle-of-arrival resolution make it suitable for high-density UAV bathymetric surveying. The achievable survey accuracy will depend on UAV positioning, water conditions, sound velocity, sensor orientation and the overall survey methodology.

The principal advantage is not simply measurement speed but data density and swath coverage. Because MBES collects multiple measurements across the survey line, fewer flight lines may be required to achieve comprehensive coverage compared with a single-beam system.

The manufacturer’s specification gives a range resolution of 0.5% of the selected range setting.

Yes. The multiple depth measurements collected across the MBES swath can be processed to create high-density bathymetric datasets and 3D representations of the surveyed waterbody.

EchoNIMBUS data is processed using BeamworX, including AutoPatch and AutoClean workflows.

Yes. The MBES can be integrated with SkyHub and the UgCS workflow, allowing survey measurements and system information to be monitored during UAV operations. The SkyHub configuration includes parameters such as minimum/maximum depth, measurement interval, gain, sound velocity and sensor angle.

Yes. The Surveyor 240-16 has an Ethernet interface and dedicated connection for the SkyHub onboard computer. SkyHub provides the onboard interface between the MBES, UAV and survey workflow.

Yes. UAV-based bathymetry can reduce the need for personnel or manned vessels to enter hazardous or inaccessible water environments. This is one of the principal advantages of drone-integrated echosounder systems.

Yes. EchoNIMBUS is suitable for bathymetric surveys of rivers, lakes, reservoirs and other waterways. Its wide swath allows larger areas to be mapped with fewer survey lines than a single-beam system.

Yes. Wastewater and stormwater surveying are identified applications for the EchoNIMBUS. UAV deployment can be particularly useful where access by conventional survey vessels is difficult or undesirable.