Along-Track Reef Imaging System (ATRIS)

U.S. Department of the Interior Fact Sheet 2006-3051
U.S. Geological Survey January 2006

The U.S. Geological Survey has developed the Along-Track Reef Imaging System (ATRIS), a boat-based sensor package for rapidly mapping shallow water (<10 m) benthic environments. ATRIS acquires high resolution, color digital images that are accurately geo-located in real-time. For a typical mission, 1,000 ATRIS images are captured per hour at a survey speed of 1 knot.

Features
- Geo-located, scaled digital images
- Easily deployed from small boats
- Frame-of-reference video providing an oblique view
- Interactive, geographic browsing of boat position and acquired images

Applications
- Mapping
- Monitoring
- Habitat classification
- Change detection
- Impact assessment

Ongoing Development
- Unsupervised classification algorithms
- Topographic complexity estimation
- Database with web-interface

ADAPT Software
Complementing the acquisition system is the ATRIS Data Analysis and Processing Tool (ADAPT) software package. ADAPT makes it easy to examine and analyze the massive amounts of data collected on a typical ATRIS mission. ADAPT is based on open-source LINUX software and enables interactive geographic browsing, scaling, and extraction of specific images for further quantitative analysis. With the integrated Hypack navigational software component, vessel tracks can be plotted, allowing for spatial navigation of the images. Clicking on a point along a track loads the corresponding ATRIS image.

Specifications
- Camera: 12.4 Megapixel
- Geo-location accuracy: >~50cm
- Depth sounder accuracy: ~1cm
- Operating depth range: 3-10m
- Power: 2 kW AC provided by portable generator.
- Boat: 25' with dry cuddy cabin. Room to mount ATRIS on transom.

Collaboration Opportunities
Work with us! The USGS actively seeks partnerships to foster further development and application of the ATRIS. Projects involving benthic habitat mapping and/or monitoring will benefit from the geo-located imagery collected with ATRIS. Join the growing ATRIS community!

For more information, contact:

Dr. John Brock
jbrock@usgs.gov

Dr. Dave Zawada
dzawada@usgs.gov

Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies
U.S. Geological Survey
600 Fourth Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 803-8747

Figure 1: The ATRIS System. The cameras, depth sounder, and GPS receiver are mounted on an adjustable pole. The system is easily mounted to the transom of most moderately-sized boats (~25 ft long).

Figure 2: ADAPT software. Clicking on a vessel track (left) loads the corresponding ATRIS image (right). The bottom window displays the Latitude & Longitude coordinates for the scene.