A landscape mosaic is simply a series of many overlapping images that have been stitched together to make a single larger image. The three general steps required to make a mosaic are:
-- Acquirenumerous overlapping images with a downward looking camera.
-- Registerthe images so that they are in the proper position relative to one another.
-- Blendthe individual images together to make a single larger image.
The technique we use for registering the images relies only on the information contained in the images; no external sensors (e.g. compass, roll, pitch etc...) are necessary. This is an advantage because it means that many different platforms can be used to acquire the images. The first two images below show video of the same test plot being acquired by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and by a diver. The third image below shows the resulting mosaic of this test plot. The video above shows the individual frames being placed into a mosaic of this plot.
