Underwater photogrammetry reconstruction : GPU texture generation from videos captured via AUV

Abstract

Photogrammetry is a useful tool for creating computer models of archaeological sites for monitoring and for general public outreach. Modeling archaeological sites found in the marine environment is particularly challenging due to danger to divers, the cost of underwater photography equipment and lighting challenges. The automatic acquisition of video footage of underwater marine archaeology sites using an AUV can be an advantageous alternative, yet also incurs its own obstacles. In this paper we present our system and enhancements for applying a standard photogrammetry reconstruction pipeline to underwater sites using video footage captured from an AUV. Our primary contribution is a GPU driven algorithm for texture construction to reduce blur in the final model. We demonstrate the results of our system on a well known wreck site in Malta