Data Format Specifications

MB-System supports a large number of data formats used to store bathymetry and backscatter imagery data derived from multibeam, interferometry, and sidescan sonars. Many of these data formats were created by sonar vendors or software developers who make documentation available to the community. This section provides links to data format specification documents that we have permission to redistribute or are available on other sites. The MB-System team and its supporting institutions and funding agencies make no claim regarding the accuracy or usefulness of these documents.

• ATLAS SURF format API documentation (pdf)
  • Provided by ATLAS Hydrographic which has since been acquired by Teledyne Marine and is part of Reson
  • MB-System format 183
  • Relevant to ATLAS multibeam sonars installed since 2000
  • Processed data from Hydrosweep DS, Hydrosweep DS2, Hydrosweep MD, Fansweep 15, and Fansweep 20 multibeam sonars.

• EdgeTech Jstar (*.jsf) format documentation
  • Version 1.7 (November 2006) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8 (October 2009) (pdf)
  • Provided by EdgeTech
  • MB-System format 132
  • Relevant to Edgetech sidescan and subbottom profiler sonars

• Generic Sensor Format
  • MB-System format 121
  • Version 3.05, May 2, 2014
  • Specification (pdf)
  • Library API (version 3.05, May 2, 2014) (pdf)
  • Version 3.06, June 30, 2014
  • Specification (pdf)
  • Library API (pdf)
  • Change summary (pdf)
  • Version 3.07, October 31, 2016
  • Specification (pdf)
  • Library API (pdf)
  • Change summary (pdf)
  • Version 3.08, October 2, 2018
  • Specification (pdf)
  • Library API (pdf)
  • Version 3.09, April 26, 2019
  • Specification (pdf)
  • Library API (pdf)
  • Change summary (pdf)
  • Provided by Leidos (formerly part of SAIC)
  • MB-System format 121
  • Developed by Leidos for the Naval Oceanographic Office
  • Supports most multibeam sonars.

• Obsolete Hawaii MR1 post processing software file format specification (html)
  • MR1PR post-processing library API (html)
  • Provided by Hawaii Mapping Research Group
  • Read as MB-System format 64, written in the BS file format described immediately below.

• Hawaii BS post processing software file format specification (html, pdf)
  • BS post-processing library API (html, pdf)
  • Provided by Hawaii Mapping Research Group
  • MB-System format 64

• Hypack Hydrographic Survey Software User Manual
  • Includes HYSWEEP HSX file format specification.
  • Provided by HYPACK Inc.
  • MB-System format 201
  • HYPACK 2011 (pdf)
  • HYPACK 2013 (pdf)
  • HYPACK 2015 (pdf)
  • HYPACK 2016 (pdf)
  • HYPACK 2020 (pdf)

• IMAGE83P Imagenex DeltaT multibeam profile point format
  • Version 1.0 (14 December 2004) (pdf)
  • Version 1.1 (16 March 2010) (pdf)
  • Provided by Imagenex Technology Corporation
• MB-System format 191
• Vendor format for Imagenex DeltaT multibeam sonars
  

• Kongsberg multibeam sonar data format: *.kmall files
  • Revision A (September 2016) (html)
  • Revision B (March 2017) (html)
  • Revision F (16 November 2018) (html)
  • Revision H (3 April 2020) (html)

• Kongsberg (formerly Simrad) multibeam sonar data format: *_raw.all and *.all files
  • revision F (2000) (pdf)
  • revision H (2004) (pdf)
  • revision I (January 2006) (pdf)
  • revision J (February 2008) (pdf)
  • revision K (June 2009) (pdf)
  • revision M (January 2010) (pdf)
  • revision N (September 2010) (pdf)
  • revision P (June 2012) (pdf)
  • revision Q (February 2013) (pdf)
  • revision R (October 2013) (pdf)
  • revision S (May 2015) (pdf)
  • revision U (June 2015) (pdf)
  • Extract from SIS 4.2 release notes regarding extra detection capability form EM2040 (May 2015) (pdf)
  • Provided by Kongsberg Maritime
  • MB-System formats 56 and 58
  • Relevant to second and third generation Simrad multibeam sonars.

• L3 SeaBeam 2100 multibeam sonar data format (pdf)
  • Provided by L3 Communications ELAC Nautik
  • MB-System format 41
  • Relevant to SeaBeam 2112 sonars installed between 1994 and 2000

• L3 (ELAC, SeaBeam, Klein): XSE multibeam sonar data format
  • Version 1.7.0 (January 2001) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8.4 (July 2002) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8.5 (July 2003) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8.7 (November 2004) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8.22 (August 2009) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8.28 (January 2011) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8.28 (May 13, 2011) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8.36S (May 24, 2012) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8.38W (March 3, 2014) (pdf)
  • Version 1.8.39X (August 18, 2014) (pdf)
• Provided by L3 Communications ELAC Nautik
• MB-System format 94
• Relevant to ELAC Bottomchart and SeaBeam multibeams installed since about 2000

• L3 (ELAC, SeaBeam, Klein): XSE SeaBeam 30XX multibeam sonar data format
  • Version 1.8.28D (May 13, 2011) (pdf)
• Provided by L3 Communications ELAC Nautik
• MB-System format 94
• Relevant to SeaBeam 3012, SeaBeam 3020, SeaBeam 3030, and SeaBeam 3050 multibeam sonars.

• MGD77 Marine Geophysical Data Exchange Format (pdf) (pdf at NGDC)
  • Provided by NOAA National Geophysical Data Center
  • MB-System format 161
  • Used for exchange of single beam bathymetry, magnetics, and gravity data. Originally defined in 1977; most recently updated 1998.
    

• MSTIFF Image Data File Format (pdf)
  • Provided by Marine Sonic Technology
  • MB-System format 131
  • Relevant to Marine Sonic Technology Sea Scan PC sidescan sonars installed since 1997.
  
  
• MBLDEOIH Generic Swath Mapping Format (html)
  • Defined by the MB-System team.
  • MB-System format 71
  • Used for storing swath data in simple, compact files that can be read quickly.
    
  • Used in the MB-System processing environment for ".fbt" ancillary swath bathymetry files

• Teledyne 7k Version 3 Swath Data Format - Reson, Altas, Norbit multibeams(
• Version 3.07 (May 23, 2017) (pdf)
• Version 3.09 (October 2, 2018) (pdf)
• Version 3.10 (April 3, 2019) (pdf)

• Reson s7k Multibeam Data format
• Version 0.35 (2002) (pdf)
• Version 0.41 (2002) (pdf)
• Version 0.42 (2002) (pdf)
• Version 0.50 (2003) (Volume 1 pdf, Volume 3 pdf)
• Version 0.51 (11 March 2004) (Volume 1 pdf, Volume 3 pdf)
• Version 0.53 (6 October 2004) (Volume 1 pdf, Volume 3 pdf)
• Version 0.54 (8 November 2004) (pdf)
• Version 1.00 (11 May 2006) (pdf)
• Version 2.20 (25 November 2011) (pdf)
• Version 2.21 (9 January 2012) (pdf)
• Version 2.22 (7 May 2012) (pdf)
• Version 2.31 (4 September 2013) (pdf)
• Version 2.41 (17 August 2015) (pdf)
• Provided by Teledyne Reson
• MB-System format 88
• Vendor format for Reson 7k series multibeam sonars
  

• SEA 7k SWATHplus data formats (pdf)
• Provided by Systems Engineering & Assessment (SEA)
• MB-System support planned
• Vendor formats for SEA SWATHplus interferometric sonars
  

• Scripps Institution of Oceanography SeaBeam Merge Format (pdf)
• Provided by SIO Geological Data Center
• Used for SeaBeam Classic data collected on R/V Thomas Washington during the 1980's and 1990's.
• MB-System format 11.
  

• Triton Imaging XTF Data format (pdf)
• Provided by Triton Imaging
• Not properly supported in MB-System, but of interest to many
• Data format associated with Triton Imaging's Isis dataloggers
• Supports sidescan, multibeam, and subbottom data from many sonars
  

• WASSP Multibeam data very old format (pdf)
• Provided by Electronic Navigation Ltd.
• Vendor format for WASSP multibeam sonars
  

• WASSP Multibeam data realtime broadcast format (pdf)
• Provided by Electronic Navigation Ltd.
• Realtime broadcast format for WASSP multibeam sonars
  
• Can be a file format if a datalogger captures and logs the stream with no modifications.
  

 

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Last Updated: 23 October 2016