ESP3: an open-source software for the quantitative processing of hydro-acoustic data

ESP3 is an open-source software to process single-beam and split-beam echosounder data. Multiple displays, analysis tools parameterizable algorithms are available to the user to scrutinise their data, and a scripting module allows applying these to entire surveys in batch processing. The software infrastructure is designed to handle large datasets with efficiency and consistency. With ESP3, one can implement robust workflows combining automated methods and expert decision-making to produce quantitative analysis of acoustic backscatter. While originally designed to process acoustic surveys for fish biomass estimation, ESP3 has also been used for studies of marine ecosystems and marine geophysical applications.