The Innomar parametric sub-bottom profilers (SBP, also called "sediment echo sounder") are used to image sub-seabed structures or objects within the seafloor or river beds.

Innomar's narrow-beam parametric sub-bottom profilers provide unequalled high-resolution sub-bottom data while achieving excellent penetration. This product line (Innomar SBP, also known as "SES", "SES-96", "SES-2000") covers all depth ranges and can be used in water depths between less than one meter and full ocean depth. Applications include the geophysical imaging of sediments and sub-seabed structures for dredging purposes, for route and offshore site surveys and to map buried pipelines/cables.

The Innomar paramatric sub-bottom profilers generate the low-frequency sound beam due to non-linear interaction of two high-intensity sound beams at higher frequencies in the water column beneath the transducer. Compared to conventional (linear) sound generation this gives the following advantages:

• Narrow sound beams at low frequencies with small and portable transducers.
• For the same beamwidth the transducer size (area) is typically reduced by a factor of 100, depending on frequencies.
• The half-power beam width is nearly the same for all generated frequencies.
• There are no distinct side lobes for the low-frequent sound beam during transmission, the beam tapers off smoothly. This avoids ambiguities caused by sidelobe-generated spurious signals.
• The high relative bandwidth (80%) results in very short sound pings without significant ringing effects.
• Detection of sediment layers and objects with high resolution.
• Accurate water depth determination due to high-frequent channel of primary frequencies.
• Lower received reverberation levels, resulting in better penetration.

Compared to conventional towed systems there are additional benefits of the hull- or pole-mounted parametric transducers like

• no deployment or recovery of tow fishes,
• better position accuracy,
• higher availability due to increased weather window,
• better survey efficiency due to higher possible survey speed,
• improved vessel manoeuvrability.