Total Shallow-Water Survey Through Airborne Hydrography

摘要

Eight years of SHOALS (Scanning Hydrographic Operational Airborne Lidar Survey) operations have proven that airborne bathymetric lidar is an ideal tool for rapidly measuring shallow water depths and nearshore land elevations. The next generation Compact Hydrographic Airborne Rapid Total Survey (CHARTS) and Bathymetric And Topographic Survey (BATS) systems are fully integrated suites of airborne sensors, including bathymetric lidar, topographic lidar, and digital imagery. The flight parameters and sensor suites of the new systems are ideal for further integration with other airborne sensors like hyperspectral imagers. The new systems allow not only collection of shallow water depths, but also classification of shoreline features and shoreline position essential to a complete hydrographic mission. This paper outlines the future of airborne hydrography through a description of CHARTS and BATS. The current research and development efforts that support the creation of the new systems will result in a new era of total shallow-water survey from an airborne platform.