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Ministry of Culture
Laws and Regulations Retrieving System

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Title: Technical Directions of Investigation Operations and Instrument Detection of Underwater Cultural Heritage Ch
Date: 2017.07.14
Legislative: Announced on Jul. 14th,2017
Content: 1.To establish the description of underwater cultural heritage investigation operations and its suggested methods for the references of the relevant developers and governmental agencies when planning and enforcing, the Ministry of Culture (hereinafter referred to as “this Ministry”), referring to Article Seven of the Regulations for Investigation and Handling of Underwater Cultural Heritage before Exploiting and Utilizing in Waters (hereinafter referred to as “these Regulations”), enacted the Technical Directions of Investigation Operations and Instrument Detection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (hereinafter referred to as “these Directions”).

2.Description of underwater cultural heritage investigation operations
Underwater cultural heritage investigation operations include Article Six of these Regulations providing that prior to the investigation, the projects should be submitted to the competent authority for review; Article Seven providing that the investigation methods should comply with these Directions; Article Eight providing that after the investigation, the reports, basic information sheet of underwater cultural heritage investigation, and original data should be submitted to the competent authority for review; and Article Nine providing that as necessary, personnel may be dispatched or professional agencies (institutions) may be commissioned to the site for investigation.
Underwater cultural heritage investigation prior to the exploitation needs to commission the professional teams to conduct the preliminary investigation with full-coverage side scan sonar investigation. To compare, the investigation should further adopt high-density depth detection, magnetic and sub-bottom profiling detections, and other appropriate instruments. When the suspected underwater cultural heritage (hereinafter referred to as the “target”) is found during comparison, high resolution and data-density means should be adopted in the target area to conduct high-precision side scan sonar detection, high-density depth detection plus magnetic and sub-bottom profiling detections. When necessary, could be further adopted are underwater vehicles and auxiliary systems such as photography and diving detection to determine the characteristics of the target for further review and explaining the suspected underwater cultural heritage conditions. Also included are the impact assessments on the exploitation and utilization projects, along with alternatives or amendments and suggestions. The investigation reports shall be submitted to the competent authority for review.
Prior to the exploitation, as the request of the competent authority, shall be investigated are the handling conditions of the underwater cultural heritage. About the amendments of exploitation projects, shall be investigated include the amended exploitation range. The investigation methods are the same as those prior to the exploitation.
If the target is found at the stage of exploitation and utilization, reports should be submitted to this Ministry for handling based on Article Ten of these Regulations.

3.Underwater cultural heritage investigation technical regulations and data submission formats
During the underwater cultural heritage investigation operations, regulations about side scan sonar and high-density depth detection are adopted on the basis of the Orders of Special or 1a, minimum standards established in the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Standards for Hydrographic Surveys. Details as the Attachment
I.
(1) Side Scan Sonar (SSS) Detection
i. To conduct a full-coverage search for the target in the sea-bed of the project exploitation areas at the preliminary investigation stage.
ii. To adopt 100 kHz or higher sonar frequencies.
iii. Depending on depth, the SSS slant range along the survey line can be adjusted fifty to two hundred meters at each side.
iv. Records of the target detection shall comply with the IHO Standards Orders of Special (features larger than one meter) or 1a (depth within forty meters, features larger than two meters; depth exceeds forty meters, features larger than ten percent of the depth).
v. While surveying, the speed should not exceed four knots in principle.
vi. The plane position shall comply with the IHO Standards Orders of Special (two meters) or 1a (five meters plus five percent of the depth).
vii. When the target is found, at the review stage, the target should be investigated with multi-directional survey lines, higher than 100 kHz frequency, smaller SSS slant range, and the area covering the target.
viii. Datum is TWD97 or World Geodetic System 84 (WGS84) coordinate datum.
ix. To provide digital SSS mosaic images (depending on the area size to provide sufficient-scale map that shows inclusions) and to mark the target in the mosaic map.
x. To provide the explanation of segmental images of each route.
xi. To provide the investigation images and explanations of the reviewed target area. 
xii. To provide the digital data collected in each SSS survey line (format: .JSF, .XTF or others) and original observation data, along with the explanation with sufficient inspection (such as diving photography).
(2) High-Density Depth Detection
i. To measure with the multi-beam echo sounder (MBES) or the single-beam echo sounder (area with less than five meters in depth).
ii. The plane position shall comply with the IHO Standards Orders of Special (two meters) or 1a (five meters plus five percent of the depth).
iii. At the preliminary investigation stage, the survey lines of MBES sea-bed depth detection and detection of target on the sea-bed should comply with SSS planning. Full-coverage is better.
iv. The precision of depth detection shall comply with the IHO Standards Orders of Special or 1a (  數學式, special a = 0.25 meter, b = 0.0075; ;1a level a = 0.5 meter, b = 0.013).
v. While surveying, the speed should not exceed five knots in principle.
vi. Measurement needs in situ tide correction, sound velocity correction, vessel posture correction and sounding system calibration.
vii. Datum is TWD97 or World Geodetic System 84 (WGS84). Height datum is 2001 TWVD 2001.
viii. When the target is found, at the review stage, the target should be detected with reviewing methods via multi-directional survey lines and increased density of sounding data. To be covered is the target area. The target should also be marked in the bathygram.
ix. To provide the comparison of targets recorded by MBES and SSS detections.
x. To provide digital data collected in each survey line of high-density depth  detection (format: (x, y, z)) and original observation data, as well as the target data explanation with sufficient inspected precision.
(3) Magnetic detection
i. While conducting the magnetic detection at the preliminary and review stages, the survey line needs to match the SSS planning.
ii. The plane position shall comply with the IHO Standards Orders of Special (two meters) or 1a (five meters plus five percent of the depth).
iii. The magnetometer precision should be less than 2 nT (gamma).
iv. The data obtained should be corrected via International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF), diumal variation, etc. 
v. To provide data and explanation sufficient to cover the investigated target area.
vi. When the target is found, at the review stage, the target should be detected with multi-directional survey lines and area covering the target.
vii. To provide the digital data (format: ASCII) sufficient to cover the target area, original observation data and illustration.
(4) Sub-Bottom Profiler (SBP) Investigation
i. While conducting the SBP detection at the preliminary and review stages, the survey line needs to match the SSS planning.
ii. Argillaceous sediment is less than one hundred meters deep; arenaceous sediment is less than ten meters deep.
iii. Vertical resolution should be less than fifty centimeters.
iv. The plane position shall comply with the IHO Standards Orders of Special (two meters) or 1a (five meters plus five percent of the depth) for providing the images and explanation of the target investigation.
v. When the target is found, at the review stage, the target should be detected with multi-directional survey lines and area covering the target.
vi. To provide high-resolution SBP digital data (format: SEGY), which is sufficient to cover the target area and whose survey lines include positioning, original observation data, as well as the data explanation sufficiently inspected.
(5) Underwater videography operations
i. As necessary, at the review stage, to conduct underwater videography operations.
ii. Video filming standards:
(i) Video System: National Television Standards Committee (NTSC) standard.
(ii) Video Resolution: higher than 1280*720 dpi.
(iii) Video file format: commonly used video formats such as mp4, avi, mov, and mpeg.
iii. Digital photography photo filming standards:
(i) Image resolution: higher than 3600*2400 dpi.
(ii) Image file format: JPG.
(6) Other appropriate instrument investigations.
In the waters of ports, estuaries, shoals and inland waters, after approved by this Ministry, detection can be conducted via other surface or airborne vehicles, and other appropriate instruments or methods.

4.Process of underwater cultural heritage investigation operations as reflected in Attachment II.
Data Source:Ministry of Culture Laws and Regulations Retrieving System