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References and Further Study

Items in each category are ordered roughly from accessible to advanced. Anything marked [free] is available online at no cost; anything marked [textbook] is a purchased reference book. URLs are stable as of the version date of this handbook; if a link is dead, the topic search terms still apply.

Photogrammetry: Foundations

  • Wikipedia: "Photogrammetry," "Structure from Motion," "Bundle Adjustment." [free] Useful entry-level overviews.

  • Agisoft Metashape User Manual. [free] Available from agisoft.com. Despite being a software manual, the workflow sections are a strong practical introduction to modern photogrammetry.

  • Linder, W. "Digital Photogrammetry: A Practical Course." Springer. [textbook] Standard accessible-level introduction.

  • Luhmann, T. et al. "Close-Range Photogrammetry and 3D Imaging." Walter de Gruyter. [textbook] Comprehensive reference; advanced.

Underwater Photogrammetry Specifically

  • Drap, P. et al. Multiple papers on underwater photogrammetry for archaeology. Search "underwater photogrammetry calibration" in the ISPRS Archives. [free]

  • The Nautical Archaeology Society publishes accessible introductions to wreck-site documentation, including photogrammetric methods. nauticalarchaeologysociety.org. [free briefings, paid courses]

Bathymetry and Hydrography

  • Deeper Sonar Support. support.deeper.eu. [free] Specific to your gear; read the bathymetric mapping articles in detail before the course.

  • ReefMaster Documentation. reefmaster.com.au. [free] The processing software you will use during surface intervals.

  • International Hydrographic Organization, Standards for Hydrographic Surveys (S-44). iho.int. [free] The professional standard; useful for understanding what survey-grade actually means and how recreational mapping compares.

  • NOAA Office of Coast Survey. nauticalcharts.noaa.gov. [free] U.S. hydrographic standards and educational material.

Underwater Optics

  • Wikipedia: "Snell's Law," "Total Internal Reflection," "Refractive Index of Water." [free]

  • Edge, M. "The Underwater Photographer." Focal Press. [textbook] Practical optics for underwater shooting; covers flat vs dome port behavior.

  • Treibitz, T. and colleagues. Papers on "flat refractive geometry." Search the journal Computer Vision and Image Understanding. Advanced; mathematically rigorous treatment of how flat ports affect calibration.

Registration and 3D Data Fusion

  • Wikipedia: "Iterative Closest Point." [free] Best plain-language introduction to ICP.

  • Open3D library documentation. open3d.org. [free] Python library with worked tutorials on point cloud registration; if you have Python on your laptop, this is the fastest way to get hands-on experience.

  • CloudCompare. cloudcompare.org. [free] Open-source GUI tool for visualizing and aligning point clouds and meshes. Useful for understanding what registration looks like without writing code.

  • OpenDroneMap / WebODM documentation. opendronemap.org. [free, open-source] Useful for understanding orthomosaic workflows and the limits of nadir-only image sets.

Marine Archaeology and Cultural Resource Law

  • NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. sanctuaries.noaa.gov. [free] Authoritative source for U.S. waters.

  • U.S. Sunken Military Craft Act (2004). Full text available on Congress.gov. [free] Read at least the definitions section before mapping anything that could be a military wreck.

  • UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. unesco.org. [free] Background on the international regime, including which countries are signatories.

  • Society for Historical Archaeology. sha.org. [free briefings] Professional society for historical and underwater archaeology; useful ethical framework.

Diving Safety, Task Loading, and Physiology

  • Divers Alert Network (DAN). dan.org. [free articles, membership for full resources] Authoritative source on dive medicine and incident analysis.

  • Your PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver and PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy materials. Refresh these before the course — you will rely on both.

  • Buzzacott, P. et al. "Annual Diving Report" series, DAN. [free] Statistical context for diving risk; useful for understanding why this course's mitigations exist.

Communities and Ongoing Practice

  • ReefMaster user community forum. reefmaster.com.au forum. [free] Active community of recreational bathymetric mappers; useful for processing questions.

  • OpenROV / Trident community. openrov.com (community-supported as of last check). [free] Underwater robotics community with significant overlap in mapping interests.

  • OpenAerialMap. openaerialmap.org. [free] If you produce orthomosaics worth sharing, this is one venue.

  • r/UWPhotography and r/scuba on Reddit. Practical communities, variable signal-to-noise but useful for equipment and technique questions.

Generated from the Reef Cartographer Student Handbook, version 05.008. The course documents are the authority; if these pages and they ever disagree, the documents are right.