Celebrating 30 years
In June 2025, Echoview Software marks three decades at the forefront of hydroacoustic innovation—supporting and shaping scientific practice in active acoustics worldwide.
From our humble beginnings in Tasmania, Australia, to our role in advancing aquatic research around the world, our story is one of vision, technical excellence, and a sustained commitment to our community.
What began as a mission to support local echosounder users with improved hardware and software has grown into a trusted platform deployed across continents and disciplines—earning recognition as a leader in hydroacoustic software and solutions.
This year, we celebrate the journey that brought us here, shaped by our expertise, our technology, and our people.
Our journey
Founded in 1995 as Sonardata Tasmania Pty Ltd, Echoview Software was born from a growing worldwide need for accurate, reliable tools to process and visualize hydroacoustic data. At a time when echosounder outputs arrived in hard copy format, founders Ian Higginbottom, Tim Pauly and Mark Underwood envisioned a better way—one that transformed raw active acoustic data into actionable scientific insights.
Echoview® grew from the idea that a small team of fisheries acousticians and computer engineers could build a serious, scalable platform for professional scientists across the world. Their mission: to be the “programmers to the world fisheries acoustics community.”
Early Echoview
The first versions of Echoview were built to process large datasets from single-beam and split-beam echosounders, and designed to perform within the limited memory and computing power available at the time. Built in C++ for single-threaded performance, the software was distributed on CD-ROM and designed for Windows 95 and early Pentium processors.
Keeping pace with technology advances, it grew alongside leaps in computer graphics and hardware capabilities. From the introduction of virtual variables and sophisticated calibration tools, to support for multibeam echosounders, and the development of the intuitive Dataflow interface, Echoview set the standard for advanced, flexible hydroacoustic data processing.
By 2007 (and a change of company name to Myriax Software Pty Ltd) almost 300 professional scientists working for 181 organizations globally were using Echoview. As Echoview flourished—extending its reach and enhancing its software to support the growing active acoustics community—the company name was updated to Echoview Software Pty Ltd in 2015.
Echoview today
Today, after more than 30 years of development, Echoview is recognized as the software of choice for advanced active acoustic analysis across marine, estuarine, and freshwater environments. Its continued evolution is driven by dedicated teams across Quality Assurance, Programming, Science, and Sales & Marketing based in both Australia and the UK, serving clients and partners globally.
It is trusted by universities, government agencies, and commercial organizations worldwide to visualize, process, and interpret echosounder and sonar data for studies of the water column and seafloor.
With thousands of users across 70 countries, its impact is reflected in the ongoing vast body of published studies, reports, and peer-reviewed papers.
Collaboration is in our DNA
From our earliest days, Echoview has thrived on strong partnerships with research institutions, hardware manufacturers, and the global hydroacoustic community. We are passionate about being responsive, collaborative, and accessible—ensuring our customers feel supported at every step. These collaborations have shaped our software and services and inspired new ways to explore, analyze, and understand the underwater world. This has been key to Echoview now supporting data from over 75 products across 18 brands—including single beam and multibeam echosounders, ADCPs, and imaging sonars.
Beyond software: training, services, support
Thirty years on, Echoview is much more than software—specialized training, consulting and client services, bespoke development, and more, is backed by our expertise. Our team applies advanced techniques across diverse fields, including aquatic ecosystem research, fisheries, zooplankton and vegetation studies, aquaculture, and environmental monitoring. With deep knowledge of sonar technologies, our capacity has strengthened to provide solutions to meet a wide range of underwater scientific endeavors.
Just as collaboration with our users has shaped Echoview from the outside, it’s the dedication and teamwork within our walls that have driven our success from the inside.
Our people
At the heart of Echoview’s success is a dedicated team of highly skilled professionals—hydroacoustic specialists, scientists, developers, technicians, and business operations professionals—many of whom are internationally recognized in their fields. With several staff contributing to our journey over decades, their expertise, curiosity, and commitment to quality underpin everything we do, driving the development of robust, trusted solutions that support hydroacoustic research worldwide.
Echoview Software's Senior Management Team: Chris Free, Geoff Matt, Briony Hutton, Brett Merritt & Rowland Washington.
Brett Merritt – CEO
Brett joined Echoview Software in 2013 as CEO. With a background in software development and a strong interest in science-driven technology, he has helped guide Echoview through a period of growth and diversification. Under his leadership, we’ve expanded our product and service offerings:
“Echoview has evolved from a single-product company to one that supports a broader range of hydroacoustic needs,” Brett says. “We remain focused on delivering high-quality software and services that support our users' scientific and operational goals.”
Brett’s thoughtful leadership and long-term vision continue to guide Echoview as it celebrates 30 years.
Briony Hutton has been with Echoview since 2003 when she started as a Software Test Engineer. Today, as Chief Scientist, she leads a team of six in science, support, consulting services and documentation. With a background in marine science and a deep understanding of active acoustic data analysis, Briony has played a central role in advancing Echoview’s scientific integrity and capability.
“I love knowing that what we do at Echoview helps researchers around the world to easily extract valuable information from echosounder and sonar data,” she says. “It’s exciting to be part of a skilled and passionate team that cares deeply about getting the science right, and supports each other in doing so.”
Looking ahead
As we look to the next 30 years, we remain committed to advancing the frontiers of hydroacoustic science and software—empowering the incoming generation of experts and driving innovation for a deeper understanding of aquatic environments.
Echoview: 30 Years of Excellence in Hydroacoustics—Sound Knowledge.
Explore more
- User stories: Find out more here.
- Celebratory video: Watch the 30th anniversary video below.
