BioSonics Upgrades Aquatic Habitat Mapping Software

BioSonics has released Visual Habitat 2.0 (VH2), specialized software for the assessment and mapping of aquatic habitat features including seagrass, bathymetry and various substrate types.

This upgraded version includes tools to generate full-color, interpolated maps with bathymetric contours. VH2 allows users to interpolate and form gridded data using three different methods: Triangulated Linear Interpolation, Inverse Distance Weighting and Ordinary Kriging. Users can print maps directly or export results as KML, shapefile or image files for use in Google Earth or ArcGIS. VH2 also automatically computes grid statistics including the area, water volume and plant and volume. Existing users can download VH2 at no cost and a demo version is available for new users.

BioSonics President Tim Acker explained, “The release of VH2 software provides the missing link to the complete solution for visualizing aquatic ecosystems and easily monitoring changes over time. The mapping imagery instantly generated with VH2 is quite compelling.”

“This is a game-changer for aquatic habitat resource managers and researchers,” said BioSonics spokesman Eric Munday. “VH2 brings accurate, reliable map-making without the investment and learning curve associated with using GIS. The results have been excellent when compared with previously mapped areas.”