Ecotone - Underwater Hyperspectral Imaging

Why:

Marine environmental and sediment dispersion mapping has historically relied on manual processes, including human interpretation of still images or video. This process in inherently biased, time demanding and costly. To address these issues, Ecotone has developed an autonomous mapping tool, which provides detailed, accurate and unbiased maps from the seabed.

Above, a benthic species is detected and highlighted to show its distribution dssd

What:

The 3000 m depth rated UHI tool is used in conjunction with an external lighting system. The unit weighs 11 kg, and has a length / diameter of 355 / 135 mm. It runs off 12 to 36 V DC and uses standard ethernet communications protocols.

How:

The ROV / AUV mounted tool acquires information in the entire visible colour spectrum (370-750nm), enabling the detection of the biological and chemical characteristics of the seafloor. Objects of different colours and materials will have different spectral responses in the image. The identifying features can be used as an “optical fingerprint”, enabling sediment dispersion analysis and the assessment of the abundance / health of live species. The data archives (hyperspectral cube, navigation data, video) are stored locally and / or continuously transferred topside.