Segmentation and classification of shallow subbottom acoustic data, using image processing and neural networks

Subbottom acoustic profiler provides acoustic imaging of the subbottom structure constituting the upper sediment layers of the seabed, which is essential for geological and offshore geo-engineering studies. Delineation of the subbottom structure from a noisy acoustic data and classification of the sediment strata is a challenging task with the conventional signal processing techniques. Image processing techniques utilise the spatial variability of the image characteristics, known for their potential in medical imaging and pattern recognition applications. In the present study, they are found to be good in demarcating the boundaries of the sediment layers associated with weak acoustic reflectivity, masked by noisy background. The study deals with application of image processing techniques, like segmentation in identification of subbottom features and extraction of textural feature vectors using grey level co-occurrence matrix statistics. And also attempted classification using Self Organised Map, an unsupervised neural network model utilising these feature vectors. The methodology was successfully demonstrated in demarcating the different sediment layers from the subbottom images and established the sediments constituting the inferred four subsurface sediment layers differ from each other. The network model was also tested for its consistency, with repeated runs of different configuration of the network. Also the ability of simulated network was tested using a few untrained test images representing the similar environment and the classification results show a good agreement with the anticipated.