Coral reefs hosts nearly 25% of all marine species and provide food sources for half a billion people worldwide while only a very small percentage have been surveyed. Advances in technology and processing along with affordable underwater cameras and Internet availability gives us the possibility to provide tools and softwares to survey entire coral reefs. Holistic ecological analyses of corals require not only the community view (10s to 100s of meters), but also the single colony analysis as well as corallite identification. As corals are three-dimensional, classical approaches to determine percent cover and structural complexity across spatial scales are inefficient, time-consuming and limited to experts. Here we propose an end-to-end approach to estimate these parameters using low-cost equipment (GoPro, Canon) and freeware (123D Catch, Meshmixer and Netfabb), allowing every community to participate in surveys and monitoring of their coral ecosystem. We demonstrate our approach on 9 species of underwater colonies in ranging size and morphology. 3D models of underwater colonies, fresh samples and bleached skeletons with high quality texture mapping and detailed topographic morphology were produced, and Surface Area and Volume measurements (parameters widely used for ecological and coral health studies) were calculated and analysed. Moreover, we integrated collected sample models with micro-photogrammetry models of individual corallites to aid identification and colony and polyp scale analysis.
Coral studies rely on comparative research between several reference coral skeletons and living organisms imaged on reefs. However, many of these skeletons are part of collections, making extensive comparative works difficult. Nowadays, imaging technologies and image processing approaches allow acquisition of three‐dimensional (3D) datasets that can be converted to virtual models. These models can be made easily accessible and shared among collaborators or researchers using the Internet. Here, we compare high cost and low cost technologies on coral skeletons as well as imaging phantoms for accurate reference. We generated 3D models that were compared. Even though CT scanning and photogrammetry are the most accurate methods the latter is far less costly. It also allows for texture mapping, an essential tool in the field, and easy dataset handling. We submitted these 3D virtual models to experts for taxonomical identification, and they identified all specimens accurately. Finally, we further discuss applicability of our approach on museum collections, living corals, and field work.
Additive manufacturing, better known as 3D printing is becoming an easily accessible method to produce 3D objects ranging from medical devices to jet plane parts. However, this implies the creation of an accurate 3D digital model by Computer Assisted Design (CAD) or direct acquisition of a 3D model as well as a correct understanding of the various 3D printing technologies available with their pros and cons. Here, we present a method for editing and printing of 3D models of coral colonies for the generation of accurate and enhanced 3D models suitable for research and education. This is a follow-up from other papers where 3D scanning was performed on fresh coral samples from field trips and coral skeletons from museum collections using different imaging techniques (multi-image photogrammetry and Micro CT scanning). 3D scans of colonies and samples of Turbinaria sp., Leptoseris incrustans, Oulophyllia crispa, Echinopora sp., Siderastrea savignyana, and Platygira daedalea were used to produce multi-material and multi-scale 3D prints. Moreover, we studied the best practices for the 3D printing processes, and potential technologies most suitable for specific attributes in this practice. Additionally, we show the innovative application of 3D printed inert reactive corals able to indicate environmental changes, along with insights into the potential uses for the proposed method and related systems in biological fields and sharing with an online community.
It is extraordinary to realise that 98% of the ocean cell mass is unicellular. One litre of water is an individual and distinguishable entity, it is inseparable from the ocean that produced it. This is how the "tiny, the imperceptible, the invisible" are connected with the totality of the oceans and in turn, with the continents and the atmosphere. They are our past, our present and studying them is like taking the pulse of our planet.
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