Inspecting and identifying damage in underwater pipes is time-consuming and expensive. Pipeline service companies deploy underwater cameras to scan miles of pipe looking for damage. The inspector needs to detail the damage and its precise location so that they can direct emergency repair teams to the right location. The telemetry data from the underwater cameras is not designed for pinpoint accuracy, and location information can be off by as much as several meters. This can translate to significantly more search time for the repair teams. Accuracy can be greatly improved by relating the location of the damage to the location of the nearest joint or fitting on the pipe, but the cameras pass so close to the pipe that they don’t capture a wide enough field of view to provide those visual reference points.

Our Forensic software creates a seamless “mosaic” image where every frame of video is stitched with the previous frames to create an image of the entire pipe, such as the one you see here. With this image product, precise measurements can be derived from the position of the damaged area relative to the nearest joints and fittings.