The SQUID-5 is a Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.
SQUID-5 is a towed surface vehicle with an onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and five downward-looking cameras with overlapping views of the seafloor.
The cameras are tightly synchronized with both the GNSS and each other to collect photo sets simultaneously with their precise location at the instant of collection. Structure-from-Motion (SfM) software is then used to process the digital imagery and generate accurate bathymetric (sea bed elevation) data and co-registered orthomosaics of complex seafloor types such as coral reef and sand ripple fields located in relatively shallow water (2 – 9 meters) with good visibility. Because of high data density mapping is limited to small areas of several hundred square meters. The resulting data products have resolutions on the order of millimeters and can be used to measure mm-to-cm scale changes in the morphology and location of seafloor features over time.
Specifications
- Manufacturer – Designed and built by Gerry Hatcher at the USGS PCMSC Marine Facility
- Model - SQUID-5 V1.1
- Weight - 52kg in air
- Dimensions – W 1.5 m, L 1.25 m, H 0.9 m
- Power Requirements 120 VAC – 240 VAC, total system consumption 300 watts max.
Operational Characteristics
- Minimum Operational Depth - limited by near focus to water depths deeper than 1 meter
- Maximum Operational Depth - limited by water clarity
- Limitations - maximum tow speed of 3 knots, sea state 1.5 meters or less, water depth & clarity limit acceptable areas of operation
- Power Outputs / Freq. Ranges – N/A, It is a passive camera system
- Ship’s Requirements - light lifting and towing capability, low speed maneuverability
Additional Equipment Required
A support vessel, a GNSS base station or GNSS reference network for post processing position data.
Complementary Systems
SwathPlus 468kHz Seafloor Mapping System
Learn more about USGS equipment and the teams that design, build, and operate instruments for data collection.
PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities
PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)
Data from SQUID-5
Overlapping seabed images and location data acquired using the SQUID-5 system at Eastern Dry Rocks coral reef, Florida, in May 2021, with derived point cloud, digital elevation model and orthomosaic of submerged topography
Point clouds, bathymetric maps, and orthoimagery generated from overlapping lakebed images acquired with the SQUID-5 system near Dollar Point, Lake Tahoe, CA, March 2021
Overlapping lakebed images and associated GNSS locations acquired near Dollar Point, Lake Tahoe, CA, March 2021
SQUID-5 structure-from-motion point clouds, bathymetric maps, orthomosaics, and underwater photos of coral reefs in Florida, 2019
Read our publication about SQUID-5.
Accurate bathymetric maps from underwater digital imagery without ground control
- Overview
The SQUID-5 is a Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.
The SQUID-5 camera system on the boat deck, ready for deployment, and its computer monitor setup on board the boat. SQUID-5 is a towed surface vehicle with an onboard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and five downward-looking cameras with overlapping views of the seafloor.
The cameras are tightly synchronized with both the GNSS and each other to collect photo sets simultaneously with their precise location at the instant of collection. Structure-from-Motion (SfM) software is then used to process the digital imagery and generate accurate bathymetric (sea bed elevation) data and co-registered orthomosaics of complex seafloor types such as coral reef and sand ripple fields located in relatively shallow water (2 – 9 meters) with good visibility. Because of high data density mapping is limited to small areas of several hundred square meters. The resulting data products have resolutions on the order of millimeters and can be used to measure mm-to-cm scale changes in the morphology and location of seafloor features over time.
Specifications
Curious dolphins frolic near the SQUID-5 in the Florida Keys. - Manufacturer – Designed and built by Gerry Hatcher at the USGS PCMSC Marine Facility
- Model - SQUID-5 V1.1
- Weight - 52kg in air
- Dimensions – W 1.5 m, L 1.25 m, H 0.9 m
- Power Requirements 120 VAC – 240 VAC, total system consumption 300 watts max.
Operational Characteristics
Diagram of the SQUID-5 towed surface vehicle and the waterproof camera housings with labeled parts. Credit: Gerry Hatcher, USGS - Minimum Operational Depth - limited by near focus to water depths deeper than 1 meter
- Maximum Operational Depth - limited by water clarity
- Limitations - maximum tow speed of 3 knots, sea state 1.5 meters or less, water depth & clarity limit acceptable areas of operation
- Power Outputs / Freq. Ranges – N/A, It is a passive camera system
- Ship’s Requirements - light lifting and towing capability, low speed maneuverability
Additional Equipment Required
A support vessel, a GNSS base station or GNSS reference network for post processing position data.
Complementary Systems
SwathPlus 468kHz Seafloor Mapping System
Mitch Lemon (USGS, St. Petersburg, FL; at left) and Gerry Hatcher (USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA; at right) deploy SQUID-5 in Tampa Bay for testing, in preparation for field work in the Florida Keys, where it will be used to measure seafloor erosion. - Science
Learn more about USGS equipment and the teams that design, build, and operate instruments for data collection.
PCMSC MarFac Field Equipment and Capabilities
Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility’s vast array of field equipment, sampling devices, and mapping systems, and our capabilities. Our engineers, designers, mechanics, and technicians have also designed and developed some of the specialized field equipment we use in field operations in the nearshore, in the deep sea, and on land.PCMSC Marine Facility (MarFac)
Learn about the USGS Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center Marine Facility, or MarFac - Data
Data from SQUID-5
Overlapping seabed images and location data acquired using the SQUID-5 system at Eastern Dry Rocks coral reef, Florida, in May 2021, with derived point cloud, digital elevation model and orthomosaic of submerged topography
Underwater images were collected using a towed-surface vehicle with multiple downward-looking underwater cameras developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The system is named the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with Five Cameras (SQUID-5). The raw images and associated navigation data were collected at Eastern Dry Rocks, a coral reef located within the FloPoint clouds, bathymetric maps, and orthoimagery generated from overlapping lakebed images acquired with the SQUID-5 system near Dollar Point, Lake Tahoe, CA, March 2021
Underwater images were collected in Lake Tahoe, CA, using a recently developed towed-surface vehicle with multiple downward-looking underwater cameras. The system is named the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with Five Cameras (SQUID-5). The data were collected March 10th and 11th of 2021 to assess the accuracy, precision, and effectiveness of the new SQUID-5 cameOverlapping lakebed images and associated GNSS locations acquired near Dollar Point, Lake Tahoe, CA, March 2021
Underwater images were collected using a recently developed towed-surface vehicle with multiple downward-looking underwater cameras. The system is named the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with Five Cameras (SQUID-5). However, there were only 4 cameras operational for this collection due to a cable failure. Images were collected March 10th and 11th of 2021 by towSQUID-5 structure-from-motion point clouds, bathymetric maps, orthomosaics, and underwater photos of coral reefs in Florida, 2019
The new structure-from-motion (SfM) quantitative underwater imaging device with five cameras (SQUID-5) was tested in July 2019 at Crocker Reef in the Florida Keys. The SQUID-5 was developed to meet the unique challenges of collecting SfM underwater imagery, including multiple cameras with different perspectives, accurate geographic locations of images, accurate and precise scaling of derived surfa - Multimedia
- Publications
Read our publication about SQUID-5.
Accurate bathymetric maps from underwater digital imagery without ground control
Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry can be used with digital underwater photographs to generate high-resolution bathymetry and orthomosaics with millimeter-to-centimeter scale resolution at relatively low cost. Although these products are useful for assessing species diversity and health, they have additional utility for quantifying benthic community structure, such as coral growth and fineAuthorsGerry Hatcher, Jonathan Warrick, Andrew C. Ritchie, Evan Dailey, David G. Zawada, Christine J. Kranenburg, Kimberly K. Yates - News