Overlapping seabed images and location data acquired using the SQUID-5 system at Looe Key, Florida, in July 2021, with structure-from-motion 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 Looe Key, a coral reef located within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary approximately eleven kilometers south of Ramrod Key, Florida. SQUID-5 was towed through the survey area using the 25' R/V Sallenger USGS support vessel during the data collection from July 15-July 19, 2021. The images and position data acquired by the SQUID-5 system were then processed using SfM photogrammetry techniques to generate the point cloud, digital elevation model, and full-color orthomosaic data products presented here. The goal of this work was to generate very high (millimeter scale) resolution maps and precisely co-registered, full-color, orthomosaic imagery of the seabed at Looe Key with accurate geospatial location to support ongoing USGS research, including seafloor elevation and stability modeling, and small-scale hydrodynamic flow modeling at millimeter scales over short time frames (event-driven and storms). These data will also enable other researchers and stakeholders to co-register and validate their imagery and ecological data in the area.