Optical Bathymetry For The U. S. Navy: A Field Measurement Program

Abstract

The Naval Ocean Research and Development Activity is developing the Airborne Bathymetric Survey system to conduct surveys in coastal waters. The system. is near completion and is currently undergoing system integration and flight tests. In 1987 four missions were flown near Key West, Florida, to aid in the development of the laser sounder. These flights provided data for exercising the postflight data processing software and for correlating laser generated depths with a detailed acoustic ground truth survey. Optical and environmental ground truth measurements were also obtained coincident with the flights. These test results and plans for completion and deployment of the ABS system. are discussed.