Video Mosaicing Technology Will Expedite Seabed Mapping
01 Jan 2004
Underwater navigation software originally developed for the Royal Navy is set to benefit home users of camcorders and digital video, says QinetiQ , Europe's largest science and technology organisation employing over 9,000 personnel across the UK and US.
The former Ministry of Defence agency has teamed with Tiny Red Monkey of Weymouth to launch a computer programme based on its video mosaicing technology which can convert moving digital sequences into single panoramic pictures. The programme, SnapDV, can be downloaded from the internet for £25 to produce high resolution images, including panoramas and group shots, using a roll capable printer. Until now, according to QinetiQ, the technology has only been available to professionals at a cost of thousands of pounds.
QinetiQ adds that it is continuing to develop its mosaicing technology for other commercial applications such as seabed mapping for the oil industry as well as for installation on mobile phones.
SnapDV can be downloaded from Tiny Red Monkey's website (www. tinyredmonkey. com) which also features examples of images produced by the programme, among them 360º pictures of Weymouth's harbour and Hope Square.





