At this week’s 2017 National Conference on Beach Preservation Technology in Stuart, Florida, scientists from CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) will describe the collection, processing, and analysis of subsea and aerial imagery using Full Motion Video (FMV) tools and other software to examine local and regional environmental issues along our Florida shorelines and waterways, including algal blooms, hardbottom and seagrass mapping, and beach dynamics.

CSA is committed to examining environmental issues that affect our coastlines and oceans—from our local communities to international settings. Identifying emerging technologies and their potential applications in examining environmental issues is a core component of CSA’s Environmental Data and Geospatial Services (EDGS).

“The key for us is the geospatial aspect,” stated Dr. Jodi Harney of CSA, co-author of the study and a speaker at the conference. “When we can use relatively simple methods to integrate spatial data and imagery, we create a compelling and relevant tool for analysis and visualization in the nearshore environment, both subsea and aerial.”

For example, use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones) to collect still or video imagery enables rapid deployment and assessment to improve situational awareness during an environmental crisis such as an oil spill or toxic algae bloom. FMV-compliant imagery with integrated spatial data collected using a drone, diver, helicopter, or other platform can be used to create orthomosaics, run image classifications, and play video over spatial data layers in a web-based platform.

CSA brings 47 years of specialized experience in marine environmental consulting, working on environmental assessments worldwide through offices in the United States, the Eastern Mediterranean, Qatar, Trinidad, Brazil, Singapore, and Australia. CSA’s expertise in coastal, marine, and deep ocean surveys, sampling, monitoring, assessment, and mitigation is built on the integration of science, operations, and an understanding of environmental data collection, management, and analysis within geospatial domains.