Bathymetric Survey and Digital Elevation Model, using an Echo Sounder/Acoustic Sonar: The Case of Dobra Lake (Hunedoara, Romania)

Abstract

Bathymetric surveying represents a type of hydrographic survey that maps the details of underwater landforms such as rivers, lakes, seas or oceans. Data obtained from bathymetric surveys is especially important for DEM-based engineering applications such as river minerals exploration, flood risk map creation, safe travel determination, bridge construction, water energy management, etc. In bathymetric surveys, data can be collected on a variety of water bodies, including rivers, lakes, and estuaries. This article aims to describe the process of creating a bathymetric map for a small lake in Hunedoara District (Transylvania, Romania) using the Humminbird Helix 5 echo sounder. The proposed method of calculating the survey time can be successfully used by planners of academia, research centers, national hydrographic offices, maritime offices, and institutions and companies dealing with professional measurements in different water environments.