These unix-style manual pages are written in troff format and available on a terminal command line using the "man" command. Both html and pdf versions are available on this page.      

Manual Page for the MB-System package:

• mbsystem (html)(pdf)

• mbio (html)(pdf)

Primary Processing Programs:

• mbpreprocess (html)(pdf): Perform preprocessing of the logged data comprising a survey, including applying lever arm corrections (if necessary) and setting up the MB-System processing environment.
• mbprocess (html)(pdf): Process swath sonar data files, including merging navigation, applying bathymetry edits, recalculating bathymetry by raytracing, and applying a variety of other corrections.

Edit and Filter Bathymetry Soundings: 

• mbareaclean (html)(pdf): Identifies and flags bad beams in swath sonar bathymetry data within a specified area.
• mbclean (html)(pdf): Identifies and flags bad beams in swath sonar bathymetry data.
• mbdumpesf (html)(pdf): mbdumpesf reads an MB-System edit save file and dumps the contents as an ascii table to stdout.
• mbedit (html)(pdf): Interactive editor used to flag bad beams in swath sonar bathymetry data.
• mbeditviz (html)(pdf): Interactive 3D visualization bathymetry editing and attitude bias patch test.
• mbgetesf (html)(pdf): Extract bathymetry edits in edit save file format.
• mbvoxelclean (html)(pdf): mbvoxelclean identifies and flags artifacts in swath bathymetry data using a 3D density filter. .

Sound Speed Modeling and Bathymetry Recalculation: 

• mbctdlist (html)(pdf): List CTD data in swath sonar data files.
• mbsvplist (html)(pdf): Extract water sound velocity profiles (SVPs) from swath data files.
• mbsvpselect (html)(pdf): Select the best available sound speed model for each swath file in a survey according to user specified criteria.
• mbvelocitytool (html)(pdf): Interactive program for modeling the affect of the water velocity profile on swath sonar bathymetry calculations.
• mbm_makesvp (html)(pdf): Generate a sound velocity profile model from sound speed and depth values in swath files.
• mbm_xbt (html)(pdf): Processes a Sparton XBT data file and outputs a sound velocity profile file which can be used to process swath sonar data.

Edit and Adjust Navigation: 

• mbnavadjust (html)(pdf): Package that solves for optimal navigation by matching bathymetry of overlapping swathes.
• mbnavadjustmerge (html)(pdf): Merge two mbnavadjust projects.
• mbnavedit (html)(pdf): Interactive editor used to fix problems with navigation in swath sonar data files.

Sidescan/Backscatter Correction and Processing: 

• mbbackangle (html)(pdf): Generates corrections for sidescan and/or amplitude data by calculating average amplitudes as a function of the seafloor grazing angle.
• mbextractsegy (html)(pdf): Extract subbottom profiler or center beam reflection data to segy files.
• mbfilter (html)(pdf): Apply one or more simple filters to sidescan and/or beam amplitude data.
• mbmosaic (html)(pdf): Mosaic sidescan and amplitude data.
• mbsslayout (html)(pdf): Translate time-based sidescan sonar data into backscatter laid out into a regular array of pixels on the seafloor by projecting onto a topographic model.

Grid or Mosaic Data: 

• mbgrid (html)(pdf): Grid bathymetry, amplitude, and sidescan data from swath sonar data files.
• mbmosaic (html)(pdf): Mosaic sidescan and amplitude data.
• mbm_arc2grd (html)(pdf): Convert an ArcView ASCII grid file to a GMT grid file.
• mbm_grd2arc (html)(pdf): Convert a GMT grid file to an ArcView ASCII grid file.
• mbm_grdcut (html)(pdf): Extract a subarea of a GMT grid file.
• mbm_grdinfo (html)(pdf): Get information regarding a GMT grd file when the region of interest is a subset of the area covered in the input file.

Generate GIS Objects:: 

• mbgrid (html)(pdf): Grid bathymetry, amplitude, and sidescan data from swath sonar data files.
• mbmosaic (html)(pdf): Mosaic sidescan and amplitude data.
• mbm_arc2grd (html)(pdf): Convert an ArcView ASCII grid file to a GMT grid file.
• mbm_grd2arc (html)(pdf): Convert a GMT grid file to an ArcView ASCII grid file.

Display or Plot Data: 

• mbgrdviz (html)(pdf): Vizualize GMT grids.
• mbcontour (html)(pdf): GMT plug-in that generates GMT Postscript color contour plots of swath bathymetry.
• mbgrdtiff (html)(pdf): GMT plug-in that generates a GeoTIFF image from gridded data.
• mbswath (html)(pdf): GMT plug-in that generates GMT compatible Postscript color and color shaded relief plots of swath bathymetry and backscatter data.
• mbgrd2obj (html)(pdf): GMT plug-in that translates a topography grid to an OBJ format 3D model file for visualization and 3D printing
• mbm_grd3dplot (html)(pdf): Reads a GMT GRD grid file and writes a shellscript which will generate a GMT 3D perspective view of the data.
• mbm_grdtiff (html)(pdf): Reads a GMT GRD grid file and writes a shellscript which will generate a TIFF image of the data.
• mbm_grid (html)(pdf): Reads a swath sonar data file and writes a shellscript which will grid bathymetry data or mosaic sidescan (or amplitude) data using reasonable guesses at the appropriate grid bounds and bin size.
• mbm_histplot (html)(pdf): Create an executable shellscript which will generate a GMT histogram plot of a dataset.
• mbm_plot (html)(pdf): Reads a swath sonar data file and writes a shellscript which will generate a swath and/or contour plot of the data.
• mbm_route2mission (html)(pdf): Translate an mbgrdviz survey route file into an MBARI AUV mission script.
• mbm_xyplot (html)(pdf): Reads one or more xy data files and writes a shellscript which will generate GMT plot of the data.

Visualization: 

• mbgrdviz (html)(pdf): Vizualize GMT grids.

Tide Modeling and Correction: 

• mbotps (html)(pdf): Generate open ocean tidal model for specified time and location using the Oregon State Tidal Prediction Software (OTPS) package.

Essential Utilities:

• mbabsorption (html)(pdf): Calculates water sound absorption as a function of water properties.
• mbconfig (html)(pdf): Provides command line access to the MB-System version and to the locations of the levitus database and the OTPS tidal correction software.
• mbcopy (html)(pdf): Copy swath sonar data files.
• mbdatalist (html)(pdf): Parses recursive datalist files and outputs the complete list of data files and formats.
• mbdefaults (html)(pdf): Set or list default mbio parameters for reading and writing swath sonar data
• mbformat (html)(pdf): List information about swath sonar data formats supported by the MBIO library.
• mbinfo (html)(pdf): Output some basic statistics of swath sonar data files.
• mblevitus (html)(pdf): Create a water velocity profile which is representative of the mean annual water column for a specified 1 degree by 1 degree region.
• mblist (html)(pdf): List data in swath sonar data files.
• mbmakeplatform (html)(pdf): Create or modify an MB-System platform file, which represents a survey system as a set of sensors with positional and angular offsets.
• mbnavlist (html)(pdf): List navigation data in swath sonar data files.
• mbset (html)(pdf): Create and modify parameter files used to control mbprocess.
• mbtime (html)(pdf): Converts between calendar time and unix time.

Subbottom Profiler Data Processing: 

• mbsegygrid (html)(pdf): Generate time vs. trace number grids of seismic data from segy files.
• mbsegyinfo (html)(pdf): Output some basic statistics of segy seismic data files.
• mbsegylist (html)(pdf): List selected header values in segy seismic data files.
• mbsegypsd (html)(pdf): Calculates the power spectral density function of each trace in a segy data file, outputting the results as a GMT grid file..

Graphical Interactive Programs: 

• mbedit (html)(pdf): Interactive editor used to flag bad beams in swath sonar bathymetry data.
• mbeditviz (html)(pdf): Interactive 3D visualization bathymetry editing and attitude bias patch test.
• mbgrdviz (html)(pdf): Vizualize GMT grids.
• mbvelocitytool (html)(pdf): Interactive program for modeling the affect of the water velocity profile on swath sonar bathymetry calculations.
• mbnavadjust (html)(pdf): Package that solves for optimal navigation by matching bathymetry of overlapping swathes.
• mbnavedit (html)(pdf): Interactive editor used to fix problems with navigation in swath sonar data files.

Miscellaneous Utilities: 

• mbauvnavusbl (html)(pdf): Merge inertial and surface tracking navigation for submerged sonar platforms (e.g. ROVs and AUVs).
• mbgpstide (html)(pdf): Generate tide files from the height above ellipsoid data in the 'h' datagrams of Kongsberg multibeam data files
• mbhistogram (html)(pdf): Obtain histogram of bathymetry, amplitude, or sidescan data from swath sonar data files.
• mbrollbias (html)(pdf): Evaluate the roll bias of a swath sonar system using two pieces of coincident bathymetry data collected with opposing ship headings.
• mbrolltimelag (html)(pdf): Estimate attitude time lag by cross correlation of apparent bottom slope with the roll time series:
• mbroutetime (html)(pdf): Outputs a list of the times when a survey passes the waypoints of a planned survey route.
• mbm_copy (html)(pdf): Translate groups of swath data files between formats
• mbm_bpr (html)(pdf): Process data from a Seabird SBE53 pressure sensor into a tidal model for use by mbprocess.
• mbm_fmtvel (html)(pdf): Scans a Hydrosweep swath sonar data file using the program mbhsdump and generates a list in columnar format with time, date, latitude, longitude, C-mean, and C-keel entrys.
• mbm_makedatalist (html)(pdf): Generates an MB-System datalist file referencing all identifiable swath files in the specified target directory.
• mbm_multicopy (html)(pdf): Translate groups of swath data files between formats using parallel processes.
• mbm_multidatalist (html)(pdf): Generates ancillary files used in data management using parallel processes.
• mbm_multiprocess (html)(pdf): Apply specified processing tasks to a swath data file using parallel processes.
• mbm_stat (html)(pdf): Runs mbinfo on a swath sonar data file and extracts beam statistics from the output of mbinfo.
• mbm_utm (html)(pdf): Performs forward and inverse UTM projections of ASCII data triples.

Alphabetical List of Programs:

These are the compiled MB-System programs.

• mbabsorption (html)(pdf): Calculates water sound absorption as a function of water properties.
• mbareaclean (html)(pdf): Identifies and flags bad beams in swath sonar bathymetry data within a specified area.
• mbauvloglist (html)(pdf): Generate arbitrary text lists of values from MBARI AUV mission log files.
• mbauvnavusbl (html)(pdf): Merge inertial and surface tracking navigation for submerged sonar platforms (e.g. ROVs and AUVs).
• mbbackangle (html)(pdf): Generates corrections for sidescan and/or amplitude data by calculating average amplitudes as a function of the seafloor grazing angle.
• mbclean (html)(pdf): Identifies and flags bad beams in swath sonar bathymetry data.
• mbconfig (html)(pdf): Provides command line access to the MB-System version and to the locations of the levitus database and the OTPS tidal correction software.
• mbcopy (html)(pdf): Copy swath sonar data files.
• mbctdlist (html)(pdf): List CTD data in swath sonar data files.
• mbdatalist (html)(pdf): Parses recursive datalist files and outputs the complete list of data files and formats.
• mbdefaults (html)(pdf): Set or list default mbio parameters for reading and writing swath sonar data
• mbdumpesf (html)(pdf): mbdumpesf reads an MB-System edit save file and dumps the contents as an ascii table to stdout.
• mbedit (html)(pdf): Interactive editor used to flag bad beams in swath sonar bathymetry data.
• mbeditviz (html)(pdf): Interactive 3D visualization bathymetry editing and attitude bias patch test.
• mbextractsegy (html)(pdf): Extract subbottom profiler or center beam reflection data to segy files.
• mbfilter (html)(pdf): Apply one or more simple filters to sidescan and/or beam amplitude data.
• mbformat (html)(pdf): List information about swath sonar data formats supported by the MBIO library.
• mbgetesf (html)(pdf): Extract bathymetry edits in edit save file format.
• mbgpstide (html)(pdf): Generate tide files from the height above ellipsoid data in the 'h' datagrams of Kongsberg multibeam data files
• mbgrdviz (html)(pdf): Vizualize GMT grids.
• mbgrid (html)(pdf): Grid bathymetry, amplitude, and sidescan data from swath sonar data files.
• mbhistogram (html)(pdf): Obtain histogram of bathymetry, amplitude, or sidescan data from swath sonar data files.
• mbinfo (html)(pdf): Output some basic statistics of swath sonar data files.
• mblevitus (html)(pdf): Create a water velocity profile which is representative of the mean annual water column for a specified 1 degree by 1 degree region.
• mblist (html)(pdf): List data in swath sonar data files.
• mbmakeplatform (html)(pdf): Create or modify an MB-System platform file, which represents a survey system as a set of sensors with positional and angular offsets.
• mbmosaic (html)(pdf): Mosaic sidescan and amplitude data.
• mbnavadjust (html)(pdf): Package that solves for optimal navigation by matching bathymetry of overlapping swathes.
• mbnavadjustmerge (html)(pdf): Merge two mbnavadjust projects.
• mbnavedit (html)(pdf): Interactive editor used to fix problems with navigation in swath sonar data files.
• mbnavlist (html)(pdf): List navigation data in swath sonar data files.
• mbotps (html)(pdf): Generate open ocean tidal model for specified time and location using the Oregon State Tidal Prediction Software (OTPS) package.
• mbpreprocess (html)(pdf): Perform preprocessing of the logged data comprising a survey, including applying lever arm corrections (if necessary) and setting up the MB-System processing environment.
• mbprocess (html)(pdf): Process swath sonar data files, including merging navigation, applying bathymetry edits, recalculating bathymetry by raytracing, and applying a variety of other corrections.
• mbrollbias (html)(pdf): Evaluate the roll bias of a swath sonar system using two pieces of coincident bathymetry data collected with opposing ship headings.
• mbrolltimelag (html)(pdf): Estimate attitude time lag by cross correlation of apparent bottom slope with the roll time series:
• mbroutetime (html)(pdf): Outputs a list of the times when a survey passes the waypoints of a planned survey route.
• mbsegygrid (html)(pdf): Generate time vs. trace number grids of seismic data from segy files.
• mbsegyinfo (html)(pdf): Output some basic statistics of segy seismic data files.
• mbsegylist (html)(pdf): List selected header values in segy seismic data files.
• mbsegypsd (html)(pdf): Calculates the power spectral density function of each trace in a segy data file, outputting the results as a GMT grid file..
• mbset (html)(pdf): Create and modify parameter files used to control mbprocess.
• mbsslayout (html)(pdf): Translate time-based sidescan sonar data into backscatter laid out into a regular array of pixels on the seafloor by projecting onto a topographic model.
• mbstripnan (html)(pdf): Filter to remove NaN nodes.
• mbsvplist (html)(pdf): Extract water sound velocity profiles (SVPs) from swath data files.
• mbsvpselect (html)(pdf): Select the best available sound speed model for each swath file in a survey according to user specified criteria.
• mbtime (html)(pdf): Converts between calendar time and unix time.
• mbvelocitytool (html)(pdf): Interactive program for modeling the affect of the water velocity profile on swath sonar bathymetry calculations.
• mbvoxelclean (html)(pdf): mbvoxelclean identifies and flags artifacts in swath bathymetry data using a 3D density filter. .

Alphabetical List of GMT Modules:

• mbcontour (html)(pdf): GMT plug-in that generates GMT Postscript color contour plots of swath bathymetry.
• mbgrdtiff (html)(pdf): GMT plug-in that generates a GeoTIFF image from gridded data.
• mbswath (html)(pdf): GMT plug-in that generates GMT compatible Postscript color and color shaded relief plots of swath bathymetry and backscatter data.
• mbgrd2obj (html)(pdf): GMT plug-in that translates a topography grid to an OBJ format 3D model file for visualization and 3D printing

Alphabetical List of Macros:

• mbm_arc2grd (html)(pdf): Convert an ArcView ASCII grid file to a GMT grid file.
• mbm_copy (html)(pdf): Translate groups of swath data files between formats
• mbm_bpr (html)(pdf): Process data from a Seabird SBE53 pressure sensor into a tidal model for use by mbprocess.
• mbm_fmtvel (html)(pdf): Scans a Hydrosweep swath sonar data file using the program mbhsdump and generates a list in columnar format with time, date, latitude, longitude, C-mean, and C-keel entrys.
• mbm_grd2arc (html)(pdf): Convert a GMT grid file to an ArcView ASCII grid file.
• mbm_grd3dplot (html)(pdf): Reads a GMT GRD grid file and writes a shellscript which will generate a GMT 3D perspective view of the data.
• mbm_grdcut (html)(pdf): Extract a subarea of a GMT grid file.
• mbm_grdinfo (html)(pdf): Get information regarding a GMT grd file when the region of interest is a subset of the area covered in the input file.
• mbm_grdplot (html)(pdf): Reads a GMT GRD grid file and writes a shellscript which will generate a GMT map of the data.
• mbm_grdtiff (html)(pdf): Reads a GMT GRD grid file and writes a shellscript which will generate a TIFF image of the data.
• mbm_histplot (html)(pdf): Create an executable shellscript which will generate a GMT histogram plot of a dataset.
• mbm_makesvp (html)(pdf): Generate a sound velocity profile model from sound speed and depth values in swath files.
• mbm_multicopy (html)(pdf): Translate groups of swath data files between formats using parallel processes.
• mbm_multidatalist (html)(pdf): Generates ancillary files used in data management using parallel processes.
• mbm_multiprocess (html)(pdf): Apply specified processing tasks to a swath data file using parallel processes.
• mbm_plot (html)(pdf): Reads a swath sonar data file and writes a shellscript which will generate a swath and/or contour plot of the data.
• mbm_route2mission (html)(pdf): Translate an mbgrdviz survey route file into an MBARI AUV mission script.
• mbm_stat (html)(pdf): Runs mbinfo on a swath sonar data file and extracts beam statistics from the output of mbinfo.
• mbm_utm (html)(pdf): Performs forward and inverse UTM projections of ASCII data triples.
• mbm_xbt (html)(pdf): Processes a Sparton XBT data file and outputs a sound velocity profile file which can be used to process swath sonar data.
• mbm_xyplot (html)(pdf): Reads one or more xy data files and writes a shellscript which will generate GMT plot of the data.

Deprecated Programs and Macros: 

These are programs and macros that are no longer used, and are not built by default when MB-System is installed. If required, these can be built and installed with a special argument to the CMake build system.

• mbhsdump (html)(pdf): List raw information contained in Hydrosweep DS data files (formats 21 and 24).
• mbhysweeppreprocess (html)(pdf): Preprocess Hysweep HSX data (format 201), including applying time lag and biases to attitude and navigation data.
• mbkongsbergpreprocess (html)(pdf): performs preprocessing of data from third generation Kongsberg multibeam sonars (e.g. EM122, EM302, EM710).
• mbneptune2esf (html)(pdf): Extract bathymetry edits from Simrad Neptune software into edit save file format.
• mbps (html)(pdf): Simple perspective views of swath bathymetry in Postscript.
• mbswplspreprocess (html)(pdf): Preprocess SwathPlus SXP data (format 222), including applying time lag and biases to attitude and navigation data.
• mb7k2jstar (html)(pdf): Extract Jstar format (format 132) sidescan and subbottom data from Reson 7k (format 88) data files.
• mb7k2ss (html)(pdf): mb7k2ss extracts Edgetech sidescan sonar data from Reson 7k format data, bins and lays the sidescan onto the seafloor, and outputs files in the MBF_MBLDEOIH formst (MBIO format id 71).
• mb7kpreprocess (html)(pdf): Preprocess Reson 7k data (format 88), including applying time lag and biases to attitude and navigation data.
• mbm_grd2geovrml (html)(pdf): Create and execute commands which generate a TerraVision tileset and GeoVRML set of files that can be combined with other data and viewed in a web browser.
• mbm_grid (html)(pdf): Reads a swath sonar data file and writes a shellscript which will grid bathymetry data or mosaic sidescan (or amplitude) data using reasonable guesses at the appropriate grid bounds and bin size.