Optimization of multispectral sensors for bathymetry applications

The Naval Oceanographic office has proposed to augment current capabilities with an airborne MSS system capable of conducting hydrographic surveys of shallow and clear oceanic waters for purposes of determining ocean depth and identifying marine hazards. Recent efforts have concentrated on development of an active/passive system, where the active system will be used to calibrate a passive multispectral sensor. In this paper, parameters which influence collection-system design and depth-extraction techniques have been used to describe the practical bounds to which MSS technology can support coastal bathymetric surveying. Performance is estimated in terms of expected S/N and depth-extraction errors.