[Coral-List] Collaboration Opportunity – New tool for Benthic Imaging

[Dave Zawada]

The U.S. Geological Survey has recently developed the Deep Along-Track
Reef-Imaging System (Deep ATRIS) to support its mapping activities and
the ground-truthing of acoustic, lidar, and satellite imagery of
submerged coastal environments.  Deep ATRIS is capable of surveying to
depths of 30 m and acquiring 12-bit color digital images at 9 frames/s.
Typically, 44 km of transect lines can be surveyed in a day at a tow
speed of 2 m/s, yielding more than 74,000 images.  A limited capability
exists for integrating additional instruments.

We wish to announce the availability of Deep ATRIS, on a cost-sharing
basis, to other researchers and resource managers.  Possible
applications include characterizing essential habitat, assessing the
impact of disastrous events (storms, ship groundings, etc.), monitoring
the progress of restoration efforts, and surveying submerged cultural
resources.

System details and sample images are available at

http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/remote-sensing/advancedmethods/deepatris.html

For more information, contact Dr. Dave Zawada (dzawada at usgs.gov).


Cheers,

Dave Zawada, Ph.D.
US Geological Survey
600 4th Street South
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
p: 727.803.8747 x3132