Abstract
Underwater laser-based imaging systems and data-processing techniques matured during the past decade. Active imaging systems can, nowadays, be integrated into platforms like remote-operated vehicles (ROV) or autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). This article gives an overview of different civil and naval applications in underwater imaging with respect to underwater laser scanning (ULS) and laser gated viewing (LGV). Special emphasis has to be given to the environmental conditions, for example, the influence of the local and seasonal dependence of the turbidity with regard to the optical underwater channel. On the basis of tank and sea experiments, advanced techniques for 3D laser oblique scanning (LOS) and possibilities of contrast enhancements for gated viewing are presented.
