Sonar (SOund, NAvigation and Ranging) is a technique that uses sound waves to detect and locate objects underwater. Side scan sonar is a specific type of sonar used to image the topography of the seafloor.

Side scan sonars transmit a narrow fan-shaped acoustic pulse (ping) perpendicular to its direction of travel. As the acoustic pulse travels outward from the side scan sonar, the seabed and other objects reflect some of the sound energy back in the direction of the sonar (known as backscatter). The travel time of the returned pulse is recorded together with its amplitude as a time series and sent to a topside console for interpretation and display. The topside console stitches together data from successive pulses, creating a long continuous image.