A low-cost small unmanned surface vehicle (sUSV) for very high-resolution mapping and monitoring of shallow marine habitats

In the effort to design a more repeatable and consistent platform to collect data for Structure from Motion (SfM) monitoring of coral reefs and other benthic habitats, we explore the use of recent advancements in opensource GPS-guided drone technology to design and test a low-cost and transportable small Unmanned Surface Vehicle (sUSV). The vehicle operates using Ardupilot open source software and can be used by marine managers to map and monitor marine environments in shallow areas (<20m). The imaging system uses two Sony a6300 mirrorless cameras to collect stereo photos that can be later processed using photogrammetry software to create underwater high resolution orthophoto mosaics and digital surface models. The propulsion system consists of two small brushless motors powered by lithium batteries that follow pre-programmed survey transects and are operated by a GPS-guided autopilot control board. Results from our project suggest the sUSV provides a repeatable, viable, and low-cost (<$2000 USD) solution for acquiring images of benthic environments on a frequent basis from near the water surface. These images can be used to create SfM models that provide very detailed images and measurements that can be used for monitoring changes in biodiversity, reef erosion/accretion, and assessing health conditions.