11 Sep 2024

Bathymetric Inversion from Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Video on Inland Waters, Port Huron, Michigan

Abstract: This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) presents a proof of concept for the use of the cBathy algorithm to estimate bathymetry in an inland water environment. The document summarizes the methods used in collecting and analyzing stationary UAS (unmanned aircraft system) video taken at the Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Park in Port Huron, Michigan, a shoreline overseen by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Detroit District (LRE). The results presented in this report show that the cBathy algorithm has the potential to measure bathymetry in areas of inland water with sufficient fetch to generate wind swell, similar to how cBathy has been used in open-coast nearshore environments.

29 Jul 2024

Rectifying and Stabilizing Planet SkySat Video Collects for Bathymetric Inversions from Space

Abstract: This Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) presents the development of a workflow to process Planet SkySat videos collected from space at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL), Field Research Facility (FRF), in Duck, North Carolina, to derive wave kinematics and perform bathymetric inversions. The document summarizes the nine 30–60 s* satellite video collections, demonstrates the accuracy of an automated rectification and stabilization workflow, and applies a new short-dwell version of a common inversion algorithm (cBathy) to demonstrate the utility of short-dwell videos from space providing an initial out-of-the-box assessment of errors for one of the collections, and recommends future avenues of research for improving bathymetric predictions.