Underwater image mosaicking using maximum a posteriori image registration

An underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) was developed to allow inspection process without the need for human divers to enter the water. The ROV has a video camera, a Doppler navigation sonar and gyroscope-based orientation sensor. Each image of the underwater scene is saved along with the video camera's instantaneous position and orientation. The images are then patched together into a large composite picture of the structure The method, which is based upon a Maximum a Posteriori estimation technique, combines a least-mean-squared-error estimator and a Kalman Filter. It provides smooth and robust image shifts estimation. This method has been tested and shown as a practical and potentially useful underwater inspection tool.