• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2022

Exploration has always been an instinct of humans, and underwater life is as fascinating as it seems. So, for studying flora and fauna below water, there is a need for high-quality images. However, the underwater images tend to be of impaired quality due to various factors, which calls for improved and enhanced underwater images. There are various Histogram Equalization (HE) based techniques which could aid in solving these issues. Classifying the HE methods broadly, there is Global Histogram Equalization (GHE), Mean Brightness Preserving HE (MBPHE), Bin Modified HE (BMHE), and Local HE (LHE). Each of these HE extensions have their own pros and cons and thus, by considering them we have considered BBHE, CLAHE, BPDHE, BPDFHE, and DSIHE enhancement algorithms, which are based on Mean Brightness Preserving HE and Local HE, for this study. The performance is evaluated with non-reference performance measures like Entropy, UCIQE, UICM, and UIQM. In this study, we apply the enhancement algorithms on 300 images from the UIEB benchmark dataset and then apply the techniques of cascading fusion on the best-performing algorithms.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.214-220
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• 2016

Imaging sonars such as side-scanning sonar or forward-looking sonar are becoming fundamental sensors in the underwater robotics field. However, using sonar images for underwater perception presents many challenges. Sonar images are usually low resolution with inherent speckled noise. To overcome the limited sensor information for underwater perception, we investigated preprocessing methods for sonar images and feature detection methods for a nonlinear scale space. In this paper, we focus on a comparative analysis of (1) preprocessing for sonar images and (2) the feature detection performance in relation to the scale space composition.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.203-208
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• 2010

In this paper, we convert underwater acoustic signal made by sonar system into digital image. We propose the algorithm that detects target candidate and emphasizes information of target introducing image processing technique for the digital image. The process detecting underwater target estimates background noise in underwater acoustic signal changing irregularly, recomposes it. and eliminates background from original image. Therefore, it generates initial target group. Also, it generates weighted map through proceeding doppler information, ensures information for target candidate through filtering using weighted map for image eliminated background noise, and decides the target candidate area in the single frame. In this paper, we verified that proposed algorithm almost had eliminated the noise generated irregularly in underwater acoustic signal made by simulation, targets had been displayed more surely in the image of underwater acoustic signal through filtering and process of target detection.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.23 no.7
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• pp.926-932
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• 2017

Image distortion can occur when photographing deep sea targets with an optical camera. This problem arises because sunlight is not sufficiently transmitted due to seawater and various floating particles of dust. Particularly, color distortion takes place, causing green and blue color channels to be over emphasized due to water depth, while distortion of boundaries also occurs due to light refraction by seawater and floating particles of dust. These distortions degrade the overall quality of underwater images. In this paper, we analyze underwater images of the bottom of vessels. Based on the results, we propose a technique for color correction and edge enhancement. Experimental results show that the proposed method increases edge clarity by 3.39 % compared to the effective edges of the original underwater image. In addition, a quantitative evaluation and subjective image quality evaluation were concurrently performed. As a result, it was confirmed that object boundaries became clear with color correction. The color correction and contour enhancement method proposed in this paper can be applied in various fields requiring underwater imaging in the future.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.39 no.6_1
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• pp.1353-1369
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• 2023

In the event of a disaster accident at sea, the scale of damage will vary due to weather effects such as wind, currents, and tidal waves, and it is obligatory to minimize the scale of damage by establishing appropriate control plans through quick on-site identification. In particular, it is difficult to identify pollutants that exist in a thin film at sea surface due to their relatively low viscosity and surface tension among pollutants discharged into the sea. Therefore, this study aims to develop an algorithm to detect suspended pollutants on the sea surface in RGB images using imaging equipment that can be easily used in the field, and to evaluate the performance of the algorithm using input data obtained from actual waters. The developed algorithm uses image enhancement techniques to improve the contrast between the intensity values of pollutants and general sea surfaces, and through histogram analysis, the background threshold is found,suspended solids other than pollutants are removed, and finally pollutants are classified. In this study, a real sea test using substitute materials was performed to evaluate the performance of the developed algorithm, and most of the suspended marine pollutants were detected, but the false detection area occurred in places with strong waves. However, the detection results are about three times better than the detection method using a single threshold in the existing algorithm. Through the results of this R&D, it is expected to be useful for on-site control response activities by detecting suspended marine pollutants that were difficult to identify with the naked eye at existing sites.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.110-117
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• 2023

Reconstructing underwater geometry in real time with forward-looking sonar is critical for applications such as localization, mapping, and path planning. Geometrical data must be repeatedly calculated and overwritten in real time because the reliability of the acoustic data is affected by various factors. Moreover, scattering of signal data during the coordinate conversion process may lead to geometrical errors, which lowers the accuracy of the information obtained by the sensor system. In this study, we propose a three-step data processing method with low computational cost for real-time operation. First, the number of data points to be interpolated is determined with respect to the distance between each point and the size of the data grid in a Cartesian coordinate system. Then, the data are processed with a nonlinear interpolation so that they exhibit linear properties in the coordinate system. Finally, the data are transformed based on variations in the position and orientation of the sonar over time. The results of an evaluation of our proposed approach in a simulation show that the nonlinear interpolation operation constructed a continuous underwater geometry dataset with low geometrical error.

• Proceedings of the Korean Information Science Society Conference
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• 2012.06b
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• pp.483-485
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• 2012

본 논문에서는 수중 영상 환경에 특화된 자동 수중 영상 보정 시스템을 제안한다. 수중 영상은 빛 희석(light attenuation)을 인한 가시거리 제한, 낮은 영상 대비(low contrast) 그리고 부유물질과 같은 영상의 노이즈 등의 특수한 환경적 제약이 따른다. 기존의 수중 영상 보정 알고리즘은 색 및 대비(contrast) 보정, 가시거리 확장 및 노이즈 제거 기법등을 이용한 부분적으로 보정 연구가 진행되어 왔는데, 부분적 영상 보정 기법으로는 선명한 영상의 결과를 얻기 힘들다. 제안한 통합 수중 영상 보정 시스템은 색 및 대비 보정, 부유물질 제거를 위한 노이즈 필터링, 객체 윤곽선 강화를 위한 기법들을 통합하여 수중 영상에 특화하였다. 실험을 통하여 제안된 수중 영상 보정 시스템의 효율성을 확인하였다.