Functionality: Shallow-water surveys, providing a single-dimensional profile of the water depth below the instrument.

Data Output: Depth profiles, showing the water depth at each measurement point.

Coverage: Narrow and restricted to the path traveled by the survey vessel.

Functionality: Shallow-water surveys, navigation, and charting, providing precise depth measurements along the vessel’s track.

Data Output: Depth profile or a series of depth measurements recorded at regular intervals along the survey track.

Coverage: Limited to a single point directly beneath the transducer, so mapping large areas requires moving the device around extensively.

Functionality: Deep-water surveys and mapping large areas of the seafloor with high resolution and efficiency, providing detailed three-dimensional images of underwater features.

Data Output: Consists of a dense grid of depth measurements, typically organized into a three-dimensional point cloud or a gridded bathymetric model.

Coverage: Capable of covering larger areas in a shorter amount of time compared to SBEs, as they capture multiple points simultaneously