Wizard Training for Sonar Secrets at CSI

It is Halloween season, and there’s no better time to learn the spells and secrets of wizards. On October 3rd and 4th, curious scientists and students gathered at the UNC Coastal Studies Institute to become competent users of SonarWiz, a sophisticated and sneaky software for collecting and processing marine geophysical data. Under the cover of darkness (in order to see the projected graphics), the coven of computer apprentices manipulated and sometimes mutilated seafloor sounding data to attempt to reveal its secrets. Aspiring sonar sorcerers traveled from near and far to become acquainted with an assortment of weird and magical methods of data discovery, including amplitude adjustments, reflector digitization and 3D rendering. The training involved a mélange of geoscientists from federal (BOEM), state (SC & GA), private (GeoDynamics) and academic entities (ECU and CSI). In truth, SonarWiz is a powerful yet very user-friendly software sold by Chesapeake Technology (https://www.chesapeaketech.com/products/sonarwiz-sidescan/). The trainees were fortunate to have John Gann, its primary developer and a patient and persistent instructor, in Wanchese to guide the Earth explorers in their educational efforts. J.P. Walsh, a faculty member in the ECU Department of Geological Sciences and a Program Head of Coastal Processes at CSI, coordinated the training and is the lead PI for the federal grant that enabled the opportunity. Participants will be using the software over the next couple years to better understand offshore sand resources potentially available for beach nourishment. And yes, even wizards have to eat…the group enjoyed a nice sunset dinner at Pamlico Jack’s.