Drone Bathymetry in India
A drone with an echo sounder maps the depth and bed of reservoirs, rivers, ponds and tailings dams without putting a boat or crew on the water. HobiTech supplies SPH Engineering's drone bathymetry systems in India: single-beam and multibeam echo sounders and side-scan sonar, with SkyHub, UgCS and processing software.
What drone bathymetry is used for
In India, the buyers are irrigation and water resources departments, hydropower and dam operators, mining companies with tailings and mine-water ponds, port and river engineering consultants, and survey firms.
Reservoirs and dams
Measure capacity and siltation without a boat. Tracking reservoir volumes through a drought.
Mine water and tailings
Survey ponds that are unsafe to enter. Tailings pond monitoring at Oyu Tolgoi.
Rivers and bridges
Map water and sediment depth in fast or shallow rivers. Bow River survey for a bridge expansion.
Accuracy you can check
A road-agency study measured 6.6 cm RMSE vertical accuracy. NCDOT and Mississippi State validation.
Storm ponds and wetlands
Cut field time on small water bodies. 75% less field time with a drone echo sounder.
Coast and search
Near-shore mapping and finding objects underwater. Coastal erosion monitoring in Greece · Locating a sunken boat.
The echo sounders and sonars
Single-beam sounders hang on a rope below the drone and measure depth straight down. Multibeam measures a swath of depths across each line, and side-scan sonar images the bottom.
Dual-frequency single-beam echo sounder, the only SPH sounder with a 50 kHz channel.
- 50 / 200 kHz, 1.0–200 m (50 kHz), 0.5–200 m (200 kHz)
- 27° / 7° beam, accuracy 0.2% of depth
- 460 g sounder, 2.7 kg complete kit
Dual-frequency single-beam echo sounder.
- 200 / 450 kHz, 0.5–200 m (200 kHz), 0.15–100 m (450 kHz)
- 10° / 5° beam, accuracy 0.2% of depth
- 280 g sounder, kit 1.6 kg or 2.6 kg
The lightest single-frequency sounder.
- 450 kHz, 0.15–100 m, 5° beam
- Accuracy 0.2% of depth
- 275 g sounder, kit 1.6 kg or 2.6 kg
Every exposed part, cable included, is PTFE (Teflon).
- 450 kHz, 0.15–50 m, 5° beam
- SPH lists it for low-pH water around pH 2
- 0.5 kg sounder, 1.1 kg system
SPH Engineering's drone multibeam echosounder.
- 240 kHz, 0.5–50 m range, 80° cross-track swath
- 16 receive elements
- 1.8 kg sounder, 2.4 kg all components
Drone side-scan sonar with two transducers.
- 2 × Cerulean Omniscan 450SS, 450 kHz
- Range up to 150 m
- 1.8 kg payload, 2.4 kg all components
Side by side
| System | Type | Frequency | Range | Sounder weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECT D052S | Single-beam, dual frequency | 50 / 200 kHz | 1.0–200 m / 0.5–200 m | 460 g |
| ECT D24S | Single-beam, dual frequency | 200 / 450 kHz | 0.5–200 m / 0.15–100 m | 280 g |
| ECT 400S | Single-beam | 450 kHz | 0.15–100 m | 275 g |
| ETF 400S | Single-beam, PTFE | 450 kHz | 0.15–50 m | 0.5 kg |
| EchoNIMBUS-MBES | Multibeam | 240 kHz | 0.5–50 m | 1.8 kg |
| EchoNIMBUS-SSS | Side-scan sonar | 450 kHz | Up to 150 m | 1.8 kg |
What a complete system includes
The sounder is one part. We quote the whole configuration so it works on day one.
1. The echo sounder
One of the systems above, chosen for depth, water type and the output you need.
2. A mount for your drone
The universal mount for heavy payloads hangs a sounder on a rope below a DJI M350/M300 RTK; the EchoNIMBUS payloads fly on the DJI M400, M350 RTK, M300 RTK or Pixhawk/Cube drones.
3. SkyHub and an altimeter
The SkyHub onboard computer with the echo sounder package logs every depth with position; a radar altimeter keeps the height steady over water.
4. UgCS flight planning
Plan survey lines and fly them automatically with UgCS.
5. Processing software
Hydromagic Survey for single-beam depth maps, BeamworX Suite for EchoNIMBUS-MBES data. See bathymetry software.
Accessories
Hi-speed fairings and an echo sounder USB converter for testing and boat use. See mounts and cables.
Which one do you need
The ECT 400S or ECT D24S: light single-beam sounders for shallow, clear water.
The ECT D052S. Its 50 kHz channel reaches deeper and works better through soft sediment.
The ETF 400S, with every exposed part in PTFE.
The EchoNIMBUS-MBES multibeam, processed in BeamworX.
The EchoNIMBUS-SSS side-scan sonar, for wrecks, pipelines and debris on the bottom.
Tell us the water body, its likely depth and the drone you fly. We will suggest a configuration.
Buying drone bathymetry in India
HobiTech is an Official Partner of SPH Engineering in India.
One quote for the whole system
Sounder, mount, SkyHub, altimeter, UgCS and software quoted together in rupees.
Training and certification
SPH Engineering's bathymetry courses, including the multibeam exam. See bathymetry training.
Support from Bengaluru
First-line questions come to us, and go to SPH Engineering only when they need to.
The rest of the SPH range
GPR, magnetometers, methane detectors and hydrology sensors on the same SkyHub. Water sampling and hydrology · Drone GPR · all SPH systems.
Get a drone bathymetry quote
Name, mobile and the water body you need to map. A specialist calls you back with the right system for your drone.
Drone bathymetry FAQs
Where can I buy a drone echo sounder in India?
HobiTech supplies SPH Engineering's drone bathymetry systems in India: EchoLogger single-beam sounders, the EchoNIMBUS-MBES multibeam and the EchoNIMBUS-SSS side-scan sonar, with SkyHub, UgCS and processing software. Send us your survey details and we will quote the full configuration.
How accurate is drone bathymetry?
The EchoLogger sounders have a nominal accuracy of 0.2% of the depth. In a joint NCDOT and Mississippi State study, a drone echo sounder system reached 6.6 cm RMSE vertical accuracy.
How shallow and how deep can it measure?
It depends on the sounder: from 0.15 m with the 450 kHz models to 200 m with the ECT D052S and ECT D24S. The sensor must be submerged, so the practical minimum is about 15 cm deeper than the listed range.
Single-beam, multibeam or side-scan?
Single-beam measures depth straight down along each line and is the lightest. Multibeam measures a swath across each line for a full 3D model. Side-scan sonar makes an image of the bottom rather than a depth model.
What do I need to fly it legally in India?
The rules apply to the drone, not the sensor: it needs a UIN on Digital Sky, and commercial flights need a remote pilot certificate. Check the site's airspace zone on the Digital Sky map before each job.
What does a drone bathymetry system cost?
Every system is quoted per configuration, because the sounder, mount, software and training differ by job. Ask for the current lead time with your quote.
Tell us what water you need to map
Share the water body, its likely depth and the drone you fly. We will recommend a sounder and quote the full system in rupees.
Product and software details on this page use data from SPH Engineering, the manufacturer.