Image Registration Underwater for Fluid Flow Measurements and Mosaicking

Abstract

In this paper we present a uni$ed framework of increasing complexity that handles image registration ranging from translation only motion between images, to a full eight parameter projective transformation. Our formulation deals specijically with the constraints that are peculiar to these applications underwatel: To examine the role of translation only motion across images we look at video imagery from fluid flow across a flange at a hydrothermal vent site in Guaymas Basin in Mexico. We then show the extensions to this algorithm that are required to handle the case for 20 mosaicing, which involves translations, rotations, scale, and shear in an unstructured three dimensional underwater world. Finally, we show the e$ fectiveness of these techniques on data acquired during photographic surveys of an ancient Roman shipwreck located in the Skerki Bank region in -8OOm of water in the Mediterranean.