China's state owned Guangdong Construction Engineering Group (GCEG) has purchased JW Fishers side scan sonar system. The sonar is being used to the map the bottom of various waterways before and after construction projects. It is providing engineers with information on the make up of the bottom (mud, sand, rock, etc.), as well as helping to locate and identify debris or any obstructions.

GCEG was founded in 1953 and is the largest corporation in the province in terms of size and scale of construction projects. It consists of 38 subsidiary companies that are spread throughout China and abroad with 39,000 employees and 11.5 billion yuan in assets. The group is responsible for number of high-profile, award winning projects such as the Guangdong International Hotel, Guangzhou Haiyin Bridge, Shantou International Finance Hotel, Guangzhou City Mansion, and the China-Guangdong Olympic Stadium. The company has also played a key role in water conservation and hydroelectric projects including the Feilaixia Structure Project and the Dongjiang-Shenzhen Water Supply Project. They have a First Grade Certification for general contracting, construction, water conservancy, municipal engineering, industrial and hydropower equipment installation, and real estate development. In recent years GCEG has also become more involved in large scale engineering projects with the construction of highways, bridges, subways, and airports throughout China, Hong Kong, Macao, and other countries.

Using Fishers side scan sonar and SONAR VIEW software, GCEG engineers are able to produce detailed maps of the bottoms of rivers, lakes, and the ocean. The sonar images can be displayed on a standard laptop computer or Fishers Splashproof PC with ultrabright LCD display. The SONAR VIEW software offers a wide array features including a variety of color schemes to display images, capturing of screen shots for emailing, zoom capability and a sizing tool. The sizing tool lets the sonar operator quickly determine the length, width, and height of any object. Connecting a GPS allows position coordinates to be displayed and saved with the sonar data. Clicking the mouse on any target automatically shows its position coordinates. Stored data can be replayed at any time and the sonar images edited. The complete system is powered by a 12 volt battery, making it highly portable and easy to deploy from a small boat.

For more information on their side scan sonars or a color brochure on all of Fishers quality underwater search products, contact Christopher Combs at J.W. Fishers Mfg Inc., 1953 County St., East Taunton, MA 02718. Phone (800) 822-4744 or (508) 822-7330. Fax is (508) 880-8949. E-mail to jwfishers@aol.com or check out the website at www.jwfishers.com.