A System For Simultaneous Video And Acoustic Data Acquisition

Abstract

Autonomous acoustic array systems have been recently deployed in the deep ocean for the purpose of detecting and tracking abyssopelagic animals. Cor- rect interpretation of the data acquired by such systems requires information about the acoustic Target Strength (TS) of the animals under study. Currently, TS informa- tion of various deep water species is obtained with acous- tic tank measurements following capture of a number of representative specimens. However, due to the significant structural distortions suffered by these specimens during transport to the surface and subsequent storage, the tank measurements do not yield accurate information. A com- bined video and acoustic data acquisition system would solve this problem by providing in situ TS measurements including species identification and target aspect correc- tion. Described here is a working "dry" prototype of such a system which was developed as a proof of concept. The emphasis of this paper is in the newly developed electron- ics of the system.