Three-Dimensional Map Generation From Side-Scan Sonar Images

The generation of three-dimensional images and map building are essential components in the development of an autonomous underwater system. In this paper an overview is presented on the type of sonar systems that are available for underwater remote sensing, and then a technique is presented which demonstrates how through simple geometric reasoning procedures, 3-D information can be recovered from side scan-type (2-D) data. Also presented is the procedure to perform map building on the estimated 3-D data