Improvements to a graphical technique for seafloor image mosaicking

A technique was developed by which seafloor images gathered by a hovering AUV can be mosaicked based on the vehicle position at each image. In the first phase of development, software was produced to interpret the AUV logs and output parametric files for each image. The images and their parameters are then assembled into a mosaic using GIS software. The improvements to the overall chain of mosaic production span from operational changes in the way the vehicle performs to revisions in the mosaicking operations themselves. Postprocessing of AUV navigation using tie points within an intermediate mosaic is a significant improvement, although similar results can be obtained in future developments by utilizing the multibeam sonar bathymetry that is acquired along with the imagery.