Diagram of the SQUID-5 towed surface vehicle and the waterproof camera housings with labeled components. The camera mounting mechanism aligns the camera axially with the dome and allows the camera to be adjusted fore and aft to accommodate various lens types and enable alignment with the glass port radius of curvature for minimal distortion.
The SQUID-5 is a Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
- 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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
- 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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
SQUID-5 Towed Surface Vehicle
Diagram of the SQUID-5 towed surface vehicle and the waterproof camera housings with labeled components. The camera mounting mechanism aligns the camera axially with the dome and allows the camera to be adjusted fore and aft to accommodate various lens types and enable alignment with the glass port radius of curvature for minimal distortion.
SQUID-5 in the water
The SQUID-5 is an acronym for a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.
The SQUID-5 is an acronym for a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.
The SQUID-5 is a Structure-from-Motion Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
- 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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
- 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
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details
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
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
SQUID-5 Towed Surface Vehicle
Diagram of the SQUID-5 towed surface vehicle and the waterproof camera housings with labeled components. The camera mounting mechanism aligns the camera axially with the dome and allows the camera to be adjusted fore and aft to accommodate various lens types and enable alignment with the glass port radius of curvature for minimal distortion.
Diagram of the SQUID-5 towed surface vehicle and the waterproof camera housings with labeled components. The camera mounting mechanism aligns the camera axially with the dome and allows the camera to be adjusted fore and aft to accommodate various lens types and enable alignment with the glass port radius of curvature for minimal distortion.
SQUID-5 in the water
The SQUID-5 is an acronym for a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.
The SQUID-5 is an acronym for a Structure-from-Motion (SfM) Quantitative Underwater Imaging Device with 5 cameras.