CORSTITCH - A free, open source software for stitching and georeferencing underwater coral reef videos
This addresses the need for efficient spatial analysis of coral reef surveys for marine researchers, though it is incremental as it applies existing methods to a specific domain.
The authors tackled the problem of creating accurate georeferenced reef mosaics from underwater video transects by developing CorStitch, an open-source software that automates stitching and georeferencing, with validation showing consistent and reliable performance.
CorStitch is an open-source software developed to automate the creation of accurate georeferenced reef mosaics from video transects obtained through Automated Rapid Reef Assessment System surveys. We utilized a Fourier-based image correlation algorithm to stitch sequential video frames, aligning them with synchronized GNSS timestamps. The resulting compressed Keyhole Markup Language files, compatible with geographic information systems such as Google Earth, enable detailed spatial analysis. Validation through comparative analysis of mosaics from two temporally distinct surveys of the same reef demonstrated the software's consistent and reliable performance.