A Pilot Aid for Real-Time Vision-Based Coverage Estimation for Seabed Surveying Applications

This paper demonstrates a method for improving the calculation of coverage during a seabed survey mission. Called convolved coverage estimation (CCE), this method can provide the pilot with coverage information in real-time. CCE gives a conservative output and classifies less area as falsely covered when compared to using only the most likely vehicle position. A feature of this new method is that it takes into account vehicle position uncertainty. This ability to generate improved estimates of coverage is presented using field data gathered with the the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Ventana in Monterey Bay, California. For a sample 15m × 15m survey, false positive coverage was reduced by 46%.