Tag: software

Polygon editing and other processing improvements

With BioBase, we continue to make the process of creating aquatic maps faster and better and deliver data to practitioners that will make them better at their craft. A better lake manager, means better outcomes for clients/stakeholders and conservation. Here, we focus on our new Polygon Edit feature.

We’ve improved the process of creating polygons on user maps that allows them to analyze sections of a map and extract important information for research and management. The polygon feature is one of our most popular features used over a thousand times a year by BioBase users to calculate water volumes for herbicide treatments, dredge areas, sizing aeration systems, quantifying fish aggregations, etc.

First, for new comers to BioBase, review the basics of the polygon feature in the EcoSound User Manual found on our Support Resources page or watch a quick how to video.

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Using the BioBase Fish Layer to Map Fishing Spots

Since the launch of EcoFish™ in May 2025, we’ve focused primarily on how much the product can help Fisheries Researchers and Managers understand more about the critters they are charged with managing, especially how many fish are where and how are they relating to habitat. Well, in addition to managing the fish and habitat in private ponds, managers can also help their clients and guests find and catch more fish with BioBase tools. Specifically, our newly enhanced waypoint feature coupled with the EcoFish layer and Lowrance®/Simrad® Chart Export tool can help put anglers on fish!

Right click on the Fish Abundance layer over fish congregations and create a waypoint. Make some notes about the waypoint
You can view and edit details about waypoints and upload or download waypoints as csv or gpx from or to your chartplotter (any brand)
View and share information about the fish data in the automated reports. In order to get the waypoints into the report, just reprocess the report after adding waypoints (Tools – Trip Reprocessing). These reports can be shared with anyone with the link.
Export Depth, Vegetation, and Bottom Hardness layers as Chart file (AT5) formatted for Lowrance or Simrad chartplotters.
Import the waypoint gpx file downloaded from BioBase to a MicroSD card. Also extract the folder of AT5 files and add to the card. View the custom made contour and vegetation maps along with the fish waypoints on your Lowrance and Simrad while you fish

Announcing the BioBase Fish Mapping Layer: EcoFish!

 

Announcing EcoFish TM! A Game-Changing BioBase fish mapping layer powered by Echoview Software, the industry leader in fisheries hydroacoustic processing technology.

Now, anyone with a Lowrance® or Simrad® depth finder can generate detailed counts, depths, relative size, and location of fish. Not only that, but also at the same time with no additional work, acquire critical habitat details including surface water temperature, depth contours, bottom hardness, aquatic vegetation abundance, and detailed side-scan imagery of habitat. If you want the webinar version to learn more, check it out on our YouTube Channel, otherwise read on…

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Revealing the underwater mystery of maar volcanoes with BioBase mapping: from violent explosions to peaceful lakes

Guest Blog by

Dr. Jaime A. Cavazos-Álvarez

Volcanologist and Postdoctoral Researcher
Instituto de Geociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)

jcavazos@geociencias.unam.mx

When gazing at a peaceful lake, have you ever wondered about its origin? What natural treasures are hidden underwater? How are rocks and life continuously adapting? Well, usually the answers to these questions are far from their characteristic steady landscapes. The answers to these questions lie underwater, usually leaving much to our imagination. Now, with BioBase we are closer than ever in seeing what’s inside these lakes. And, as expected, while solving these questions many others emerged. I will take this opportunity to share a couple of case studies of fascinating lakes in Mexico, and how BioBase has opened new paths towards their understanding.

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Tips and Tricks – Optimizing GPS Heading for Accurate Data and Side-Scan Imagery

Optimizing GPS Heading for Accurate Data

“Discover how the correct heading of your portable GPS puck in the BioBase portable kit can dramatically impact the accuracy of your maps and data outcomes. In this tutorial, we guide you through the importance of proper alignment and demonstrate the effects of incorrect positioning on your aquatic habitat maps. Perfect for aquatic habitat managers and anyone using the BioBase portable kit, this video ensures you get the most precise data from your GPS setup. Watch now to optimize your mapping accuracy!”

For more tips and tricks or how to use BioBase visit our support resources page, or other tips and tricks like Tips and Tricks – Upload Trips Remotely

 

Mapping Is Managing Part 2 : Water Resource Management

Mapping is Managing Part 2: Water Resource Management

Continuing our exploration in the “Mapping is Managing” series, we turn our attention to the the pricelessness of freshwater and the pivotal role mapping plays in ensuring its effective management.

Reservoirs and Conduits of Freshwater

Lakes and other natural and artificial waterways, beyond their scenic beauty and ecological importance, function as vital reservoirs of freshwater. Their significance extends far beyond providing postcard-perfect landscapes; they are lifelines for communities, supporting diverse needs such as drinking water, irrigation, and industrial processes. The challenge lies in managing this precious resource efficiently. The Central Arizona Project demonstrates a perfect example of how rapid mapping with BioBase technology helps deliver life-blood water to a city in the desert of Arizona

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Mapping Remote Wilderness Lakes with BioBase

BioBase has become famous for its capability to easily map almost any type of waterbody with very little know-how and hardly any equipment. One of the applications that strikes at the core of any explorer is literally mapping uncharted waters. There should be no reason now why we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the globe’s underwater environments!

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Mapping Is Managing Series Part 1: The Power of BioBase

Mapping is Managing: The Power of BioBase in Environmental Stewardship

At the heart of environmental conservation lies the principle that effective management starts with accurate mapping. BioBase is at the forefront of this movement, providing cutting-edge solutions for various ecological challenges. Let’s dive into the critical use cases of BioBase.

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Tips and Tricks – Upload Trips Remotely

There was a company Back in the Day whose slogan that went something like “We don’t make a lot of the products you buy, we make them better.” Well, same goes for BioBase. For instance, now web connectivity is broader, stronger, faster, cheaper and accessing sites remotely is now easier than ever. Your phone might be more powerful than your laptop. You can stream GB’s of movies on your $50/mo cell phone plan compared with 10 years ago when your plan was $200/mo with 1 GB of shared data and 50min of talk and text. What does this have to do with Mapping and BioBase? Well, get yourself a $10 USB Micro-C/SD Card adapter (or see us at our next tradeshow for a piece of swag that’s actually useful!). Stick the doohicky in your phone, log into BioBase on your phone’s browser and upload your BioBase trip while still on the water. If you have the premium Habitat+ plan with priority processing, your trip will likely be done processing in 20min and you can check to see if you got the coverage you needed or if you need to go patch the map up in a few places. Better to do it on the water, then drive hours back to the office to upload to later learn you need to return to fill in the gaps. BioBase’s Product Expert Ray Valley shows you how to upload remotely.

For more tips and tricks look for the Tips and Tricks logo on the blog or see our most recent hypsometric curve tips and tricks. Tips and Tricks: Hypsometric Curve Walkthrough

 

Fit for Purpose: results from alternative sonar mapping platforms

Ray Valley(a) and Eli Kersh(b)

(a) BioBase Product Expert and Aquatic Biologist

(b) BioBase Ambassador, Certified Lake Manager, and President of LakeTech Inc.

The term “Fit for Purpose” has recently become a popular term in our circles in the context of mapping and surveying water bodies, and it refers to utilizing the appropriate equipment, methods, and budget for the task at hand.

This principle acknowledges that one type of equipment and method may not be suitable for every scenario. For instance, whether you’re assessing the storage volume of municipal stormwater ponds or maintaining a river channel for commercial navigation, the required level of accuracy will and should be different. While high accuracy and precision may be crucial for certain projects, it might not be necessary for others.

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