Overview

Following the factory acceptance testing (FAT) and harbor acceptance testing (HAT), new multibeam mapping systems must undergo a comprehensive series of sea acceptance testing (SAT) under real-world operational conditions.

The SAT is critical to ensure full functionality (e.g., fulfilling contract and user expectations) and establish baseline performance (e.g., for planning surveys and identifying issues). The procedures vary by system, but generally include many of the separate test types described throughout the wiki, including:

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1. Hardware health documentation
2. Software/firmware updates
3. Configuration review
4. Noise testing
5. Antenna baseline calibration
6. Patch testing
7. Swath coverage
8. Swath accuracy
9. Backscatter normalization
10. Midwater feature detection
11. Interference and synchronization testing

Site selection

The MBES Test Site Database includes waypoints, settings, and related reports for a number of 'proven' test sites around the world. New sites are added as they are documented by the MAC and submitted by users.

Quality Assurance Testing

After the SAT is completed, the testing process can be repeated with routine Quality Assurance Testing (QAT) to verify performance (and more rapidly fix problems) throughout the service life of the mapping system.

Many ships conduct QATs at least once per year (e.g., at the start of the field season) to ensure full expected performance before data collection. Likewise, many contracts or science missions request or require some form of testing (e.g., patch test) beforehand to meet expectations.

Whereas SATs are typically planned immediately upon delivery of the new system, QATs can be planned opportunistically over the course of a season to take advantage of transits and 'proven' test sites near the vessel's science mission working areas.

MAC approach

The MAC generally starts with a 'standard' SAT/QAT checklist that is modified for each vessel's testing priorities, schedules, and operating areas.

This checklist provides a collaborative document for ship and MAC personnel to discuss pre-departure testing, the at-sea order of operations, and follow-up for reporting. It is provided here as an example 'starting point' for prioritizing the order of SAT and QAT activities for UNOLS vessels, and can be expanded or trimmed to address the needs of other programs.

Reports

For reference, SAT/QAT reports from the UNOLS fleet and several NOAA and other ships are hosted on the MAC website.