After a survey is planned, instructions are sent to the vessel in the form of survey layout with obstructions and geodetic information indicated, and processing parameters.
Survey design
The goals of survey design are to plan the survey and define its acquisition parameters. These parameters include receiver layout, source-towing lines (CSEM), source waveform (CSEM) and listening time (MT).

Planning an EM survey involves designing the survey and defining the acquisition parameters.