4D Geo-spatial processing and analysis tool Fledermaus

Fledermaus is the industry leading interactive 4D geospatial processing and analysis tool. With the release of Version 7 we have moved this to the next dimension: the addition of a fully integrated time reference allowing users to work in a true 4D space and time environment.

Commercial, academic and government clients use the Fledermaus software worldwide. They use the software to interact with massive geographical datasets of numerous data types for ocean mapping and land-based projects.

Fledermaus being used in habitat mapping, Chalk Reefs

Contact

Richard Hill
Email Phone +31 30 694 1200

The intuitive 4D display and interaction allows clients to rapidly gain insight and extract more information from their underlying data.

This provides our clients with added value in data processing efficiency, quality control accuracy, data analysis completeness, and project integration, that promotes clear communication. A wide variety of industry standard formats are supported for direct import of data to the 3D scene, and the extensive functionality of Fledermaus allows its use across many phases of a project from the planning, processing and QC, through to analysis and production of images, plots and animations.

Fledermaus Geocoder is an advanced MBES backscatter processing platform, 64-bit and multi-threaded, and supporting a plug-in architecture it provides for quick, flexible backscatter mosaic creation and signal-based Angle Range Analysis (ARA) seafloor characterization.

Fledermaus Midwater rapidly extracts relevant water column features from a range of sonar file formats. Raw sonar files are first converted to a Generic Water Column format (GWC) for use in further processing and visualization. A simple graphical user interface is used to perform threshold filtering on a number of key parameters to help with feature extraction. .

Fledermaus Midwater provides multiple views of the water column features and allows for easy export to a variety of Fledermaus visualization objects and 3rd party exchange formats

Features

The Fledermaus suite of software comes in a number of bundles and has been packaged to meet the requirements and workflows of our customers. Click on the menu below for a quick overview.

Academic Research

Coastal Zone Mapping

Environmental

Exploration

Geological

Habitat Mapping

Hydrographic

Large Immersive Visualization

Marine Construction

Offshore

Academic Research

The scope of academic research as an application area is huge. Fledermaus has been used in ocean mapping research since the mid-1990s, as a 3D geographic information system and as the premier 3D visualization tool for dense multibeam sonar data.

Coastal Zone Mapping

Coastal zone mapping is undertaken to provide an inventory of base data for further studies in shoreline change, sea level rise, and habitat, for the development of monitoring programs, and as a basis for management decisions.

Environmental

Fledermaus allows multi-disciplinary teams of scientists, policy experts, and managers work together on a broad range of regional, national, and international projects. Examples of environmental monitoring and planning include establishing or observing marine protected areas, monitoring coastal erosion and beach migration, developing fisheries management plans, planning for dredging or beach nourishment operations, dealing with current waste disposal or monitoring old dump sites, and planning for weather events and sea level rise.

Exploration

Expeditions focused on oceanographic discovery. Many hydrograpic, geological, coastal, and academic data collection surveys have an element of exploration and discovery.

Geological

Geological surveys undertaken in support of scientific research or resource exploration, on land or at sea. The goal may be a map of surface features, or a better understanding of what lies beneath the surface. Survey data is used for geohazard detection, seafloor stability monitoring, and in support of dredging/excavation operations and benthic habitat mapping.

Habitat Mapping

Marine habitat mapping creates a complete picture of the seafloor – the morphology, sedimentology, and biology – and turn the results into thematic maps of distinct habitats that can guide marine policy, management, and resource utilization. It is by definition a multi-disciplinary undertaking. Geologists or hydrographic surveyors will use multibeam or interferometric sonar to generate a bathymetric map, showing the seafloor morphology; they may also collect multibeam backscatter or sidescan imagery, still photos and video, and grab or core samples to aid in the characterization of the seabed lithology or sedimentology.

Hydrographic

The primary goal of hydrographic survey is to measure and describe features of the seabed and coastal areas in order to maintain safe navigation and marine activity. Key tools in hydrographic survey these days are multibeam and interferometric sonars, which provide millions of measurements, or soundings, of the seafloor, and airborne LiDAR, providing nearly as dense datasets in coastal and shallow waters. This dense data must be quickly evaluated, processed, decimated, and made into products such as Electronic Navigation Charts that can be used by mariners.

Large Immersive Visualization

Visualization of data occurs at many scales, from your laptop computer and 3D TV through to entire centers dedicated to visualizing data. Large immersive visualization theatres and centers are spaces dedicated to high performance computing and 3D visualization; multiple projectors, curved screens, and special glasses are used to create a true 3D environment for data presentation and analysis. There are also portable options for large and immersive visualization.

Marine Construction

Marine construction, inspection, and maintenance involves the building, upkeep, and potentially the removal of structures that are constantly or regularly under water; some would also include the maintenance of harbors and waterways through dredging operations. Examples of projects include bridge piling/foundation laying and monitoring, pipeline and oil field layout construction and inspection, rig positioning and monitoring, and pier and quay wall construction. Prior to construction, a seabed survey may be done using single beam or multibeam sonar; sometimes multiple surveys will be done and compared to monitor sediment migration. During construction, AUVs and ROVs with video streams might be deployed to act as “eyes” on the scene, or in some cases to assist in the building or excavation.

Offshore

The offshore industry covers a broad range of work from seabed survey for geohazards to pipeline planning, laying, and inspection, and often involves a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency team. Surveys of multibeam bathymetry, multibeam backscatter, sidescan, water column, and sub-bottom information are often performed by contracted agencies. This data is provided, often in a decimated or “finished” format, to the site investigation team for further analysis, interpretation and processing. Final grid corridors and supporting slope, contour, or imagery information is then passed along to pipeline engineers.

For more information and to purchase Fledermaus

Saab Group

Saab Solutions

4D Geo-spatial processing and analysis tool Fledermaus

Contact

Richard Hill

Features

Academic Research

Coastal Zone Mapping

Environmental

Exploration

Geological

Habitat Mapping

Hydrographic

Large Immersive Visualization

Marine Construction

Offshore

Academic Research

Coastal Zone Mapping

Environmental

Exploration

Geological

Habitat Mapping

Hydrographic

Large Immersive Visualization

Marine Construction

Offshore

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