A Method for Accurate Absolute Georeferencing of Underwater Photogrammetric Data for Coral Reef Change Analysis.

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Title:	A Method for Accurate Absolute Georeferencing of Underwater Photogrammetric Data for Coral Reef Change Analysis.
Authors:	Lambert, Selina E.¹ (AUTHOR) lamberse@oregonstate.edu, Parrish, Christopher E.¹ (AUTHOR), Dijkstra, Jennifer A.² (AUTHOR)
Source:	Journal of Coastal Research. 2026, Vol. 42 Issue 4, p735-747. 13p.
Subjects:	Coral reefs & islands, Multisensor data fusion, Underwater photography, Bathymetry, Calibration, Landscape changes, Marine resource management, Oceanographic maps
Abstract:	Lambert, S.E.; Parrish, C.E., and Dijkstra, J.A., 2026. A method for accurate absolute georeferencing of underwater photogrammetric data for coral reef change analysis. Journal of Coastal Research, 42(4), 735–747. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Three-dimensional seafloor geospatial datasets with centimeter-level spatial resolutions and subdecimeter absolute accuracies have the potential to greatly facilitate marine resource management by enabling change detection at the level of individual corals. Stereo photogrammetry using underwater imagery collected by divers can achieve the required resolution. However, the absolute accuracy is often degraded by lack of underwater control points and by deformations, such as warping of the reconstructed surface. To address these challenges, this study investigated a fusion approach using comparatively low-resolution but high-accuracy sonar data and high-resolution but low-accuracy underwater imagery. This study investigated novel coregistration techniques using a combination of cloud-based alignment and polynomial fitting. The methods were tested on three coral reef outplant sites in the Florida Keys with varying degrees of bathymetric complexity, rugosity, and spatial extents. Results show that the methods enable statistically significant improvement in the accuracy of resultant bathymetric surfaces and a substantial reduction in deformation, although small levels of deformation may remain. These improvements are anticipated to assist in site selection for coral reef outplanting and in ecological analysis by allowing consistent comparison between annual surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Journal of Coastal Research is the property of KnowledgeWorks Global, Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Engineering Source

Description
Abstract:	Lambert, S.E.; Parrish, C.E., and Dijkstra, J.A., 2026. A method for accurate absolute georeferencing of underwater photogrammetric data for coral reef change analysis. Journal of Coastal Research, 42(4), 735–747. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Three-dimensional seafloor geospatial datasets with centimeter-level spatial resolutions and subdecimeter absolute accuracies have the potential to greatly facilitate marine resource management by enabling change detection at the level of individual corals. Stereo photogrammetry using underwater imagery collected by divers can achieve the required resolution. However, the absolute accuracy is often degraded by lack of underwater control points and by deformations, such as warping of the reconstructed surface. To address these challenges, this study investigated a fusion approach using comparatively low-resolution but high-accuracy sonar data and high-resolution but low-accuracy underwater imagery. This study investigated novel coregistration techniques using a combination of cloud-based alignment and polynomial fitting. The methods were tested on three coral reef outplant sites in the Florida Keys with varying degrees of bathymetric complexity, rugosity, and spatial extents. Results show that the methods enable statistically significant improvement in the accuracy of resultant bathymetric surfaces and a substantial reduction in deformation, although small levels of deformation may remain. These improvements are anticipated to assist in site selection for coral reef outplanting and in ecological analysis by allowing consistent comparison between annual surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	07490208
DOI:	10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-26TM1-00003.1