Author(s): Hyunsoo Yoon; Seonyoung Yun; Changmin Kang; Seongin Yoon
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Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: This study aims to quantitatively validate the accuracy and repeatability of bathymetric data acquired using a multibeam echo sounder (MBES) mounted on an unmanned surface vehicle (USV), and to evaluate its applicability for monitoring river-crossing structures through comparison with a single-beam echo sounder (SBES). Repeated surveys were conducted over the same section influenced by sluice gate operations at the Chungju regulating dam. GNSS-derived depth measurements were adopted as reference values to assess the vertical accuracy of the MBES. Subsequently, point density and depth discrepancies within the scour zone were comparatively analyzed between SBES and MBES datasets. The MBES exhibited vertical deviations within 1–2 cm relative to the reference values and maintained a consistent maximum depth of approximately 10.8 m across three repeated surveys. The MBES generated approximately 15,470,000 points, compared to 1,034 points acquired by the SBES, representing more than a 15,000-fold increase in spatial density. Within the scour region, a mean depth difference of 1.07 m was identified between the two systems. These results demonstrate that MBES-based USV surveying provides substantially superior spatial resolution and localized scour detection capability compared with SBES, and constitutes a high-reliability measurement technique for safety monitoring of river-crossing infrastructures.
Year: 2026