1. Towards new applications of underwater photogrammetry for investigating coral reef morphology and habitat complexity in the Myeik Archipelago, Myanmar
- Author
-
Roberto Colombo, Micol Rossini, Martina Anelli, Luca Fallati, Paolo Galli, Tommaso Julitta, Anelli, M, Julitta, T, Fallati, L, Galli, P, Rossini, M, and Colombo, R
- Subjects
geography.geographical_feature_category ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,Geography, Planning and Development ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,02 engineering and technology ,Coral reef ,Coral reef organizations ,01 natural sciences ,Geography ,Photogrammetry ,Oceanography ,Habitat ,Remote sensing (archaeology) ,Archipelago ,Structure from motion, photogrammetry, coral reefs, habitat complexity, habitat mapping ,Underwater ,021101 geological & geomatics engineering ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Water Science and Technology - Abstract
Photogrammetry represents a non-destructive, cost-effective tool for coral reef monitoring, able to integrate traditional remote sensing techniques and support researchers’ work. However, its application to submerged habitats is still in early stage. We present new ways to employ Structure from Motion techniques to infer properties of reef habitats. In particular, we propose the use of Digital Surface Models and Digital Terrain Models for assessing coral colonies extension and height and discriminating between seabed and coral cover. Such information can be coupled with digital rugosity estimates to improve habitat characterization. DTM, DSM and orthophotos were derived and used to compute a series of metrics like coral morphologies, reef topography, coral cover and structural complexity. We show the potentialities offered by underwater photogrammetry and derived products to provide useful basic information for marine habitat mapping, opening the possibility to extend these methods for large-scale assessment and monitoring of coral reefs
- Published
- 2017
- Full Text
- View/download PDF