15. Application of the Multi-sensor Fusion Method for Underwater Landscape Modeling

This paper presents application of multi-sensors data fusion to underwater landscape modeling.

It first deals with multi-sensors mini-oceanographic survey unit devoted to sea bottom mapping and monitoring developed by SEMANTIC TS. Then it presents research tasks conducted by SEMANTIC TS to develop a mapping method for underwater seabed. First stage is to develop methods for characterizing vegetation and sediment on the seabed using the acoustic response from a conventional single beam echo sounder. These new methods are then operated simultaneously with multi-beams sonar producing micro-relief information and side scan sonar providing gray scale levels associated with bottom reflectivity. Then fusion of these data is processed. We show efficiency of these multi-sensors survey unit and multi-sensors data fusion concepts to get very precise 3D bottom mapping allowing monitoring, in a way optimizing truth control (video and diving investigations). Examples are given on diving spot places showing results of these methods for underwater landscape modeling.