USGS MIPS Altedit Documentation

USGS MIPS Altedit Documentation

This program is one of the X Windows applications that can be executed under the Applications pull-down menu in the program VISTA. ALTEDIT allows a user to interactively edit the sonar imaging system fish altitude values of the sonar image loaded using the program VISTA.

After applying the program AUTOALT to a sonar image the first bottom returns may still not be correct. ALTEDIT can be used to visually detect the location of these returns and allow the user to make corrections. This provides the user a way to look at AUTOALT results and interactively edit/modify the placement of the first returns if corrections are required. Keep in mind that the water column corrections are based on this information and the geometric accuracy of the corrections will be affected by the accuracy of the altitude values.

Show Original Altitudes

This option allows the user to display the location of the current altitude values as calculated by the program AUTOALT or from a previous ALTEDIT session. These altitude values show up as "green" pixels and can be turned off by toggling the button associated with this option.

Drawing and Erasing Altitude Information

ALTEDIT needs one of two RADIO buttons (only 1 out of the available buttons is pressed in at any one time) labeled "Draw" and "Erase" to be pressed to either replace old altitude values with new user selected ones or to erase a set of user selected altitude values.

Draw

Altitude values can be drawn anywhere in the sonar image by selecting the Draw button and using mouse button 1 (left button). These altitudes can be drawn using single mouse button 1 "clicks" or can be continuously drawn by holding down mouse button 1. Notice that user drawn altitudes show up as "red" pixels vs green for the original/starting altitudes.
Erase

Altitudes that have been drawn by the user(i.e., "red" pixels) can be erased by selecting the Erase button and using mouse button 1. Altitudes can be erased using single mouse button 1 "clicks" or can be continuously erased by holding down mouse button 1.

Edit Left and Right Altitudes

These options allow the user to edit the altitudes on the left, right or both sides of the sonar image. By selecting the appropriate buttons, altitudes on one side of the image can be chosen to be edited without affecting the ones on the other side and vice-versa. This is particularly useful over highly varying topographic terrain that has extemely different slopes on right versus the left sides. Usually both sides of the sonar image are simultaneously selected/or erased in a mirror fashion(selecting or erasing an altitude on one side will also select or erase the one on the other side of the sonar image).

Save

Selecting the "Save" option from the pull-down menu saves in the image's navigation file the modifications made to the altitude values.

Exiting Altedit

Selecting the "Exit" option from the pull-down menu will cause ALTEDIT to terminate and prompts the user whether or not to save any changes made during this session.