The amount of of the information collected in the underwater surveys and its catalogation arise the need to develop an informative system dedicated to the management of submerged heritage information, carried out in order to detect and preserve artifacts and archaeological sites. To this purpose the system uses the most advanced technologies in order to link  historical data (digitalized after archival research) with scientific data (acquired in missions). This data correlation carries a double advantage: to make easier the classification and cataloguing of submerged heritage; to support the exploration planning, by highlighting the areas with a higher probability to discover new sites with historical artifacts.

Computer Vision and Robotics for the seabed exploration

Underwater and marine robotics can benefit from methods of computer vision for the navigation and the context-aware exploration of the sea. Our Laboratory is currently developing  methods and algorithms for the real-time and on-board analysis of video and acoustic data and for 3D reconstruction.

Database for the management of historical and archival data

The informative system includes a database for the management of historical and archival data. This database has been structured using  new and innovative technologies, such as Java Server Faces (JSF) and HTML5; moreover  it is accessible through a web interface. The informative system’s modeling gave the information stored a structure so as to make easy the management of any finest detail stored and to support the complex task of both cataloguing and classification of historical meaningful findings. The system provides different types of user; this way it is possible to both disseminate information and protect the exact location data of historical findings.

Database for the management of data collected in underwater exploration

The informative system includes also a database for the management of the data collected in underwater exploration. These data are stored in structured folders and linked to metadata. The metadata are created to let search and retrieval in the system. The database is populated with raw data acquired during an underwater mission, and with the outputs of algorithms performed to detect geometric shapes in the scene. Moreover, the database provides 3D immersive and navigable reconstruction of the underwater scene explored.