Rocky Reef Mapping by Airborne & Video Imagery Students: Lachlan Beveridge, Tom Miller & Hugh Peck Supervisors: J. Leach & M. McGoldrick Abstract:

Rickett's Point is a near-shore rocky reef in Port Phillip that has been proposed as a marine sanctuary. Currently, however, there is no map or recording that details the features of the shallow-water reef.

This project involves the implementation of various remote sensing techniques to provide a map of the shallow-water reef. The combination of hydrographic stereovideogrammetry and airborne remotely-sensed imagery will provide the data source for the production of this map.

Stereovideogrammetry techniques will be used to provide a sample of depths for the creation of a digital elevation model. The airborne imagery will be used to feature-map the reef using typical remote sensing analyses. Frame-grabbing the video imagery will provide stills to be used in identifying features making up the reef. This analysis will provide the means of ground-truthing the airborne imagery.
The final product will be a three-dimensional feature map of a sample area of the rocky reef off Rickett's Point.

While the primary focus of the project is to trial the combination of airborne remote sensing and optical hydrographic mapping, there are several auxiliary aims. The secondary objective is to provide the government body responsible for proposing the sanctuary, the Environmental Conservation Council, with a map to assist in natural resource management. The project will also attempt to justify the need to adopt new methods for underwater mapping.