Calibration and measurement
Live or recorded video can be calibrated for measurements either prior to use or
continuously online. Prior to use, a fixed grid with measuring bars can be placed in
front of the camera and the image recorded (underwater since the refraction index
underwater is different from that in air). The calibration will hold as long as the
view does not change. Thus, a sled-mounted camera with a fixed angle of view
and fixed distance above the focus plane can be calibrated by filming a measured
grid fixed to the seabed. The grid should be larger than the field of view so that
any aberration towards the edge of the grid in the viewed image can be noted.
In playback of recorded material the grid can be copied on to a transparent slide
and fixed on the screen of the monitor. All objects in the plane of the calibrations
can be measured fairly accurately, but there will be inaccuracies in objects above
or below the measuring plane. This method can be used effectively for density
measurements of particular features. For continual scaling, a number of lasers can
be used. Lasers produce focused beams and if two lasers are parallel-mounted at
a known distance apart, the viewed laser spots will remain parallel at the same
distance apart if directed on to a perpendicular plane. This method gives the ability
to make size measurements in the area of the projected laser beams. A third laser
can be added to make size and distance measurements. This laser forms the third
side of a right-angled triangle for the projected beams, but it is mounted at a very
slight offset angle. The distance between the third beam and the other two varies
with the distance of the projection and by using simple trigonometry, distance
is calculated as a function of the offset angle and the distance between the third
and either the first or second beam. Images can be calibrated with measurements
made by means of computer software. Several commercial systems are available
for simple measurements, e.g. Tritech Typhoon VMS system, C-Map Systems
VideoRuler and Savante Laser Scanner.