Underwater hyperspectral imaging as an in situ taxonomic tool for deep-sea megafauna.

ABSTRACT: Identification of benthic megafauna is commonly based on analysis of physical samples or imagery acquired by cameras mounted on underwater platforms. Physical collection of samples is difficult, particularly from the deep sea, and identification of taxonomic morphotypes from imagery depends on resolution and investigator experience. Here, we show how an Underwater Hyperspectral Imager (UHI) can be used as an alternative in situ taxonomic tool for benthic megafauna. A UHI provides a much higher spectral resolution than standard RGB imagery, allowing marine organisms to be identified based on specific optical fingerprints. A set of reference spectra from identified organisms is established and supervised classification performed to identify benthic megafauna semi-autonomously. The UHI data p

SUBMITTER: Dumke I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6110793 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature