What is photogrammetry?
3D model from photogrammetry of a 150 m² coral reef on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean
Live coral cover has historically been assessed worldwide using transects (Loya 1972) and quadrats (English, Wilkinson, and Baker 1997), which do not take into account the 3D structure of coral reefs (Urbina-Barreto et al. 2021). However, major ecological processes in reef ecosystems are determined by habitat complexity, and its loss is one of the most reliable indicators of reef degradation (Graham and Nash 2013; Fukunaga and Burns 2020).
📸 Photogrammetry overcomes this shortage by generating a 3D digital twin from underwater pictures (Westoby et al. 2012; Bayley and Mogg 2020). The major ecological processes of a coral reef are determined by this habitat complexity (Fukunaga and Burns 2020), which can only be assessed through photogrammetry.
Photogrammetry is standardised and therefore enables the long-term monitoring of changes in the 3D structure of reefs and the detection of losses or gains in complexity over time (Ferrari et al. 2017).
| Transects and quadrats | Drone | Photogrammetry | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coral cover | |||
| Standardised | Somewhat | ||
| Objective | Divers' subjectivity | ||
| Replicable | |||
| Surface complexity | |||
| High spatial coverage | |||
| Precise growth tracking | |||
| Accessible |
Pricing
We recommand one photogrammetry monitoring session every year. You can do it more often if you need finer temporal details.
All pricings exclude VAT and are subject to change.
Our photogrammetry is offered free-of-charge with our all-inclusive yearly UPAM plan for acoustic monitoring.
Cost
USD 2900 / site
- 100 to 200 m² of 3D reconstruction
- Image and colorimetry correction
- 3D point cloud
- Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
- Orthomosaic
- Data backup on 2 continents
Option - Deployment
USD 0-3900
- We share our picture taking protocol
- You can take the pictures yourself with your own camera
- If you still need assistance for taking the pictures, our team of professional divers (IDSA level 3) is here to help! The cost depends on the mission location
Educational discount
20 %
- Are you a student, a scientist, or an NGO? We offer a 20 % discount on the hardware cost!
Our monitoring projects via photogrammetry ↗
🇷🇪 Reunion Island - REACT
Coral reef restoration in Reunion Island by emitting ambient sounds recorded in healthy reefs.
All our achievements
Operational since 2021, Reef Pulse has no less than 9 monitoring and restoration achievements, spanning 6 islands and 3 oceans.