Fugro N.v.

Carl James Sonnier

Arnoud Marc Jongsma

Eric Carroll Lissard

Mark L Sanford

James J Reis

Edward Saade

Robert Kingdon

Joe Jones

Detang Zhong

Aspects of the subject technology relate to a method of correcting sensor position. The method comprises transmitting one or more first pulses of a first frequency range towards a first portion of a seabed and one or more second pulses of a second frequency range towards a second portion of the seabed, and receiving a first set and second set of backscattered data. The method further includes processing the first and second set of backscattered data to form a first and second set of image data and comparing the first set and second set of image data. The method further includes creating one or more error vectors between the first set and second set of image data, and updating the first set of backscattered data based on the one or more error vectors to produce an updated set of image data.

Position correction using towed sensor

An underwater positioning system provides position information for a rover, moveable within a reference frame. The system may comprise: at least one beacon having a light source, located at a fixed position within the reference frame; an underwater imaging device, moveable with the rover in the reference frame to observe the light source from different viewpoints and determine direction data representing a direction or change in direction of the light source with respect to the imaging device; an orientation sensor, associated with the imaging device to determine an orientation of the imaging device with respect to the reference frame and generate orientation data; and a scaling element for providing scaling data representative of a distance between the imaging device and the light source. Various different beacons may be provided. In alternative system implementations, the locations of light source(s) and underwater imaging device are reversed between rover and beacon(s).

Underwater positioning system

X-band and P-band synthetic aperture radars are used to simultaneously gather swaths of reflected radar data over a specific area simultaneously. The P-band is used to penetrate surface clutter that may be on the top of an ice formation as well as to penetrate an ice mass. X-band is used to map surface clutter on the top of an ice formation as well as to map the top of snow that may appear on an ice formation. Digital elevation maps of the top of the snow or ice clutter, the top of the ice, and the bottom of the ice and or ice thickness are constructed. By summing these various digital elevation maps a measurement of the thickness of sea ice can be determined. Further analysis of DEM, MAG and CRV layers provides an indication of the quality of the ice, for example cracks and pressure ridges, and its weak points.

Method and apparatus for mapping and characterizing sea ice from airborne simultaneous dual frequency interferometric synthetic aperture radar (IFSAR) measurements

Airborne gravity measurements may be added to the collection of airborne LiDAR so that it may be used to produce a digital elevation model (DEM), which may be used along with gravity data to produce an improved geoid, which may be used to produce an improved DEM based on the improved orthometric heights. A computing device may be configured to receive airborne navigation, gravity and LiDAR data, generate position information based on the navigation data, generate gravity field information based on the gravity data and the position information, generate orthometric height information based on the LiDAR data and the position information, and generate a geoid based on the gravity field and orthometric height information. The computing device may also generate a geoid model based on the gravity field and an existing DEM, and generate the orthometric height information based on the LiDAR data, position information, and geoid model.

Growing community of inventors

Lafayette, LA, United States of America

Carl James Sonnier