In the most common use of the Argos 3D Forward Looking Sonar (FLS) systems designed for real time navigation, the “vessel operator” is a human, or a crew, interacting with a computer display of the sonar output on the bridge of a vessel. However, as technology advances, vessels are moving more towards operating autonomously. In this case, “vessel operator” means something like a navigation control system. A number of projects incorporating autonomous navigation are either already in the water or currently underway.