Rapid shallow coastal coral reef mapping using the teardrop system

We present a rapid shallow coastal reef mapping system using a previously developed inexpensive diver less video capture system coupled with a fast-image mosaicking technique, using an affordable GPS logging device. The system replaces the traditional manta tow system of assessing and monitoring large areas of coastal coral reefs and at the same time provides historical visual record for future references. The system utilizes Teardrop, a hollow, teardrop-shaped that houses a commercial underwater point-and-shoot camera. The camera is set to video mode and captures video of the reef while the Teardrop is being towed by a wooden fishing boat. The resulting video is parsed into frames and mosaicked by using fast image labeling. The approximate location of the mosaicked images is recorded by using an inexpensive GPS logger. The coordinates are embedded on the mosaicked images and overlaid on mapping software such as Google Earth for visual record and spatial information integration. The same points are used to compute for the total distance covered by the capturing process. The whole process from coral reef video capture to mosaicking the images and finally embedding the mosaics in mapping software can be done in as short as 1 day, providing coastal managers and local government units with a tool to rapidly visualize and monitor shallow coral reefs.