SQUID-5 camera system Active

Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

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.

• 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.

• 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.