Patent Application: US-201314028095-A

Abstract:
a synthetic underwater visualization system comprising a real - time graphics software engine , a sophisticated underwater environmental sensor , a fixed - base database , and a retrieval system designed to accept and assimilate into a common database bathymetric and environmental information acquired from around the world by components of other deployed suvs sensing systems . suvs is capable of sensing , modeling , and realistically displaying underwater environments in real - time , and will foster widespread utilization in the areas of homeland security , commercial and recreational maritime navigation , bathymetric data collection , and environmental analysis . the technology will also be readily adaptable and highly desirable in non - marine applications .

Description:
for the purposes of this specification , the following terms have been defined : 3d three dimensional ai artificial intelligence ig image generator alb airborne lidar bathymetry apd avalanche photodiode api application program interface ar augmented reality asic applications specific integrated circuit cpu central processing unit darpa defense advanced research projects agency eutrophic shallow , warm , mud bottom lakes with high sediment levels and which are high in nutrients faa federal aviation administration fcs future combat systems gis geographic information systems gnss global navigation satellite system gps global positioning system gpu graphics processing unit ig image generator jalbtcx joint airborne lidar bathymetry technical center of expertise lidar laser identification detection and ranging lod level of detail mems micro electro - mechanical systems mmog massively multi - player on - line games nd : yag neodymium — yttrium aluminum garnet ( laser ) oem original equipment manufacturer oligotrophic a newly formed lake that is poorly nourished , with small quantities of nutrients that plants need to grow pc personal computer pin pin photo diode shoals scanning hydrographic operational airborne lidar survey sonar sound navigation and ranging suvs synthetic underwater visualization system taws terrain awareness and warning usace us army corps of engineers waas wide area augmentation system yag yttrium aluminum garnet ( laser ) augmented reality ( ar ) is a created environment that includes elements of both virtual reality and the real world . a simple example of this is the yellow first - down line that is artificially created and “ painted ” on top of the field in televised football games . the synthetic underwater visualization system ( suvs ) of the present invention combines real - world data , including sensed terrain and underwater objects , with virtual elements , such as predefined library graphics and animations , to create an unparalleled real - time graphic depiction of sensed underwater environments . the principal components of the suvs system are an advanced , miniaturized , underwater scanning lidar / sonar sensor and a high - resolution display console . suvs can manipulate existing bathymetric data in real - time , transforming it into a very realistic three - dimensional view of the underwater environment in the immediate vicinity of the system , using information acquired from the advanced sensor system . the operator console displays this image on a daylight - readable , color liquid crystal display or any appropriate display type . the operator is able to view the rendered scene from virtually any “ camera ” angle , and discern vehicle location and orientation very accurately in relation to the actual environment . the operator &# 39 ; s location and position in space are determined by components within the advanced lidar sensor , which include an augmented location sensor ( such as a global positioning system , or gps , sensor , or other global navigation satellite system ( gnss ) augmented with a supplementary signal from a wide - area augmentation system , or waas ) and mems - based attitude sensors . suvs acquires real - time data from a newly - created , innovative , underwater sensor . in one embodiment , this sensor uses lidar adapted for use underwater to very rapidly scan the environment by sending out millions of pulses of light in a hemispherical pattern and measuring the light returning to the system . pulsed sonar is used to acquire additional information , including current depth and the type of the bottom surface soil . as this high - resolution data is received , the on - board processing unit uses artificial intelligence ( ai ) algorithms to identify objects based on various sensed attributes . when the objects are identified , suvs loads graphics elements from a predefined library of known underwater objects and displays these elements with the proper location , size , animation and orientation relative to the environment so as to create a highly realistic image . terrain information that is acquired by this system that differs significantly from pre - existing bathymetric information will be used to correct information for subsequent use . the major elements of the present invention ( suvs ) are identified in the following paragraphs . in one embodiment , the display console consists of a daylight - readable color display , computing platform , non - volatile storage , and short and long - range wireless transceivers . the short - range transceivers will be used to communicate with the suvs sensor ( described below ), while the long - range transceiver will be used to communicate from vessel to vessel and to access the bathymetric database . in one embodiment of the invention , the display console may be a dedicated , information display designed specifically for use with suvs . in an alternate embodiment , an existing mobile device , such as an ipad or a smart phone , may be used as the display console . some embodiments may utilize both a dedicated display and a mobile device in cooperation . a database and learning software suite will receive data gathered from all over the united states and / or the world by suvs - enabled systems and use this data to update existing bathymetric information so that the national and world underwater terrain accuracy increases over time . this data can then be redistributed to deployed suvs systems and other targeted recipients so that each system gains knowledge from the sum of these inputs . in some embodiments , this bathymetric database may be centralized , hosted on a primary server , while in other embodiments the bathymetric database may be distributed across a cloud - based server . occasionally , throughout this specification , the term “ centralized ” will be used to describe the database , and , when it is , the term shall be defined to mean “ a server or collection of servers and / or other storage and processing components that are tied together logically to perform a single primary function .” that is , whether the database described is located on a single physical server or distributed over various resources in a cloud , the term “ centralized ” is not meant to limit the physical implementation of the database . an innovative , unique , technically - advanced 3d sensor is the heart of the invention , and , in one embodiment , comprises the following individual elements : scanning bathymetric lidar , sonar , mems attitude sensors , a location sensor ( such as a gps receiver or similar gnss receiver ), and a magneto - resistive flux sensor . the information gathered from these components is combined through a process of sensor fusion to produce a homogeneous output rich in environmental information . this sensor enables the suvs system to create an augmented reality depiction of terrain detail unattainable in any commercially - available underwater visualization system , and is seen as one of the key technical innovations in the suvs system . another key component of the suvs system is an advanced graphics - rendering engine that operates on sparse data ( containing little detail in some locations and rich detail in others ) and displays it in three dimensions on the display console . this graphics - rendering engine uses data acquired from the suvs sensor to augment preexisting terrain maps in real - time . this software works with large , detailed datasets representing terrains in the range of several hundred thousand square kilometers on a low - cost hardware platform designed to be affordable to most users . it is only due to relatively recent developments in mems technology and advanced laser research that it has become possible to create the suvs sensor . the overall architecture of the suvs invention is shown in fig1 and the operational concept in fig2 . turning now to fig1 , we see a high - level diagram of one embodiment of the synthetic underwater visualization system , or suvs , of the present invention . the main functional component of the full visualization system described herein is the primarily mobile component called the “ suvs reporting unit ” 600 . a suvs reporting unit 600 is typically a watercraft equipped with the sensors and other components needed to sense the underwater terrain , flora and fauna , and other objects . however , a suvs reporting unit 600 may also be a buoy or other floating platform that contains similar sensors , and which has provides the same function . a buoy of floating platform may be positioned in a harbor or near important infrastructure on or near water , tethered or anchored in location to continuously monitor the underwater environment for threats . these types of suvs reporting units 600 would be largely non - mobile units . for the purposes of discussion in this specification , many of the examples given will describe the embodiment of the suvs reporting unit 600 based on a mobile watercraft , but the use of this type of example should not be considered limiting to the implementation of the invention . looking now at the expanded view of a suvs reporting unit 600 a in fig1 , we can see the subcomponents that make up a typical suvs reporting unit 600 . the main components will be mounted to or used in or near a watercraft or other floating platform 300 . the floating platform 300 in fig1 is shown as a dashed line for two reasons : ( 1 ) to allow the description of the components mounted in or on the floating platform 300 , and ( 2 ) to emphasize that the floating platform 300 may be a watercraft ( as shown ) or it may be any other appropriate type of floating platform . the suvs system has an above - water component 200 containing electronic circuitry and sensors that do not need to be under or in contact with the water . the details of the above - water component 200 are illustrated in fig4 and the corresponding text description . there is also a below - water component 100 , detailed in fig3 , containing circuitry for controlling the underwater sensors , including the lidar 340 , and the sonar 330 . the above - water component 200 and the below - water component 100 communicated with each other over communications pathways 215 and 235 . communications pathway 215 is used in this embodiment to bring compass and gnss values from the above - water component 200 to the below - water component 100 . communications pathway 235 brings data from the below - water component 100 to communications circuitry of the above - water component 200 for transmission to external systems . it should be noted that , in other , alternate embodiments of the present invention , the above - water component 200 and the below - water component 100 may be combined into a single enclosure , or that the circuits and sensors shown housed in each different component ( as shown and detailed in fig3 and 4 ) might be divided between the two components ( 100 and 200 ) differently than shown in this example embodiment , without deviating from the intent of the present invention . finally , the suvs reporting unit 600 ( 600 a ) contains a display 500 for showing the underwater environment as detected by the system sensors and as augmented with additional detail supplied by the system . the display 500 is connected to the above - water component 200 by communications means 510 , which may be a wired connection or a wireless connection . the display 500 may be a dedicated , special purpose computer display , or it may be a mobile device such as an ipad , smart phone , a tablet computer , or a laptop , or any other appropriate device with a suitable display . one or more suvs reporting units 600 may be deployed in a body of water , or dispersed over different bodies of water . each suvs reporting unit 600 connects data , such as bathymetric data and data describing flora , fauna , and other underwater objects , and transmits this data to a centralized database 400 . this data is transmitted over a wireless two - way communications path 450 , and is processed and assimilated by the centralized database 400 into a global repository . data contained in the centralized database 400 can be transmitted back to each suvs reporting unit 600 in the form of updated bathymetric maps and other data . fig2 describes the suvs invention of fig1 in an example operational scenario . the below - water component 100 is directly mounted to the bottom of a watercraft ( or fixed buoy ) or other floating platform 300 , or , in alternate embodiments , can be connected to the floating platform 300 by a tether and otherwise allowed to be free - floating . a scanning lidar system 330 is used to acquire data about the underwater environment 305 immediately surrounding the below - water component 100 . the fusion of this information with that from other sensor elements within the suvs enables the creation of extremely detailed graphic renditions of underwater features , including manmade objects and marine life . movement of the floating platform 300 , such as rocking caused by waves or movement within the floating platform 300 , is detected by the suvs system and can be accounted for in the resulting displayed images in some embodiments of the present invention ( that is , the display of the images can be presented such that the moments of the floating platform 300 or of an operator holding the display can be taken out of the visual presentation .) the sonar component 340 of the suvs sensor will be used to calculate depth and bottom type . this information will allow for dynamic calibration of the lidar sensor 330 so as to assist in compensating for water turbidity , and as a means for the graphics software to determine what bottom type is to be displayed . the sonar 340 and lidar 330 are used in conjunction to create a clear sensory image of the underwater environment 305 . the sonar 340 typically uses a relatively focused ( narrow ) “ beam ” of sound waves 340 a directed at the underwater terrain 310 to aid in the detection of the shape and distance of the terrain 310 . the lidar 330 is directed in a scanning pattern 330 a that is broad ( nearly hemispherical ) in the area just below and around the floating platform 300 ( or just below the lidar 330 if the lidar is suspended or tethered to the floating platform 300 . the scanning pattern 330 a of the lidar 330 allows the suvs to acquire detailed images of the area captured within the scanning pattern 330 a , while the sonar 340 is used to capture data about the terrain 310 and typically has more range than the lidar 330 , especially in turbid , murky water . data from the two sensing systems are combined to create a more complete picture of the surrounding environment 305 . the creation of a lightweight , low power , and affordable bathymetric scanning lidar system 330 with capabilities similar to the shoals systems is a significant development . in one embodiment , the lidar 330 may utilize a solid - state diode pumped laser , emitting light at a wavelength of 532 nanometers ( the wavelength that is least attenuated by water ). the lidar 330 is designed so as to avoid eye injury to marine life and human divers . because the suvs lidar 330 is mounted underwater , not on an aircraft , and because the target depth for operation is 50 meters or less , the very high - power yag lasers and expensive photomultiplier tubes used by the shoals system will not be required . rather , the present invention , in one embodiment , uses solid state avalanche photodiodes ( apds ) as light detectors . returning to fig2 , the combined data received from the lidar 330 and sonar 340 will be used to detect and track objects within the underwater environment 305 surrounding the floating platform 300 . examples of these objects include marine animals 320 , marine plants 310 a , objects of unknown origin 310 b ( for example , a bottom - mounted sea mine , a shipping container , a sunken watercraft , etc . ), rocks 310 c and other natural outcroppings , and debris 310 d . these objects are detected and recognized by the suvs , and used to compare to previous scans of the area to detect differences that may exist in the data . fig3 shows a detailed block diagram of one embodiment of the below - water component 100 of the present invention ( some references in the following paragraphs also appear on fig2 ). a cpu ( central processing unit ) 128 controls the operation of most of the functionality within the below - water component 100 . the cpu 128 receives inputs from horizontal sense 104 and vertical sense 108 blocks , with information from the sensing systems ( lidar 330 and sonar 340 ). in response , the cpu 128 commands the horizontal drive 102 and vertical drive 106 function blocks to direct the positioning of the lidar component 330 . in one embodiment of the suvs , the control circuitry of the lidar component 330 includes an induction generator 110 , a power supply 112 , a solid state laser 114 , a frequency converter 122 , a beam splitter 120 , and transmission optics 116 . this circuitry is used to generate and transmit a laser pulse 118 . outputs form the beam splitter 120 are also directed into a receiver channel 124 and fed into a time - to - distance converter ( tdc ) 126 . the output from the tdc 126 is fed back into the cpu 128 . the cpu 128 transmits information over an output communications pathway 235 to communications circuitry ( 230 , see fig4 ) in the above - water component ( 200 , see fig4 ). the cpu 215 also receives data over an input communications pathway 215 from the compass ( 210 , fig4 ) and the gnss receiver ( 220 , fig4 ). the below - water component 100 also contains attitude sensors 130 , for sensing the geospatial position and orientation of the suvs , memory 132 , and a temperature sensor 134 . finally , the below - water component 100 contains a sonar transducer 136 for creating and sending sonar directives 138 to the sonar component 340 . fig4 details one embodiment of the above - water component 200 , including a compass 210 , a gnss receiver 220 ( likely augmented by a supplemental system to provide a more accurate location ), and communications circuitry 230 . the compass 210 provides directional information to other system components over communications pathway 215 a and the gnss receiver 220 provides location information over communications pathway 215 b . pathways 215 a and 215 b combine to form the input communications pathway 215 as previously shown in fig3 and described in the corresponding text . the communications circuitry 230 receives data from the cpu ( 128 , fig3 ) over communications pathway 235 ( the same 235 as shown on fig3 ). the commercialization of the suvs system will utilize lightweight , low - power , low - cost components throughout the design . in some embodiments of the present invention , major elements of the scanning bathymetric lidar 330 may be incorporated into custom asics , including the time to distance converter and the precision receiver circuits . beam steering will be accomplished through the utilization of custom designed low cost mechanical components . the remaining sensor elements may be designed and integrated , along with the scanning lidar 330 , into a small , ruggedized , lightweight , portable sensor . the principle components of this sensor will be reconfigurable for use in free air applications such as aviation and land vehicles . in coastal marine navigation , the suvs system is required to render very large terrain areas . data for these types of terrains is most commonly stored today using heightmaps , a method of storing terrain data in which data is stored using a fixed - resolution grid . using heightmaps , a terrain with one elevation point every 300 millimeters using 2 bytes of data each would require approximately 22 megabytes of data per square kilometer . a typical terrain in the range of several hundred thousand square kilometers , say 800 by 800 kilometers ( 640 , 000 square kilometers ), would require in excess of 14 , 000 gigabytes using heightmaps . current technology does not allow this amount of data to be effectively stored and rendered on a low - cost hardware platform , and since the suvs system will be required to work with terrain areas of this magnitude , some method other than traditional heightmaps must be developed for representing large terrains . to address this problem , one embodiment of the present invention uses a revolutionary new software concept whereby the terrain is represented by a sparse dataset . the system allows for the storage of large amounts of data in areas of high detail where it is needed and minimal data in areas of low detail , such as flat ground , where it is not . a sparse dataset allows for a more efficient method of modifying and adding detail when new terrain information is acquired via the suvs sensor . without the fixed resolution and size of a heightmap , detail can be added as needed to areas as new information arrives . this sparse dataset will be stored with regional and detail indexes , allowing terrain data to be quickly accessed by the terrain - rendering engine . the rendering of large , sparse data on low - cost hardware requires the use of “ level of detail ” ( lod ) software algorithms ( explained in further detail later in this specification ) in order to reduce the number of vertices / triangles rendered . applying dynamic lod will result in the need to create dynamically changing triangular irregular networks ( tins ). the processes of creating these tins ( vertex lod and tin building ) are slow and additive ( cannot be done in parallel ), which can result in a low rendering frame rate . further compounding the problem is that today &# 39 ; s lod algorithms work with traditional heightmaps , and are not designed to work for sparse data . consequently , the present invention uses unique lod and tin building algorithms to achieve the objectives for the suvs system . to address these issues , the present invention advances the state - of - the - art of graphics rendering software in the following ways : new lod algorithms for large sparse datasets . these algorithms previously existed for height map data , but not for large sparse datasets . a new tin building algorithm based on the well - known delauney algorithm capable of executing at a much higher speed than current implementations . the use of bump mapping texturing techniques to add high frequency detail , giving the terrain a realistic look without adding additional detail to the underlying terrain . a vertex and triangle caching mechanism , such that the vertex lod algorithm sends only new and to - be - removed vertices to the tin builder . therefore the tin builder only needs to add and remove triangles from a cached tin . all of the functions required to render the terrain , such as operating system eccentricities , file input / output , lod algorithms , tin building , object loading and rendering , caching , operator input , and real - time sensor input make for a potentially unpredictable system , which results in unpredictable frame rates . in one embodiment of the invention , a supervisory algorithm is used to monitor and adjust system performance so as to accommodate processing time surges between frames and smooth out system performance . storage of surface texture information can also be very memory intensive . unfortunately , representing textures as sparse sets of data , the same concept proposed for addressing the heightmap issue , cannot be used with surface texture information . this is due to limitations in graphics application program interfaces ( apis ), which require that surface textures have detail that meets or exceeds the detail of the underlying terrain surface if they are to look good . the present invention solves this problem by loading tiles of very low detail texture across large areas of the terrain , swapping out tiles as needed as operator perspective changes . high - detail textures are loaded at the locations perceived to be close to the operator , then swapped out with low - detail textures as the operator &# 39 ; s view travels across the terrain . in one embodiment of the present invention , the algorithms required to accomplish this are based on the soar algorithm for rendering large scale terrains , but applied to textures rather than terrain height maps . fig5 provides an example of one embodiment of the display module 500 of the suvs invention . the display module 500 has a display screen 505 for presenting information to the operator of the system . an example of the types of information that might be shown is provided . a three - dimensional depiction of the terrain 515 surrounding the suvs is displayed . the terrain depiction 515 is displayed in accurate virtual detail , including features such as terrain outcroppings 520 , trenches or gullies 520 a , rocks and other natural formations 530 a , and unknown objects 530 b . as shown in fig5 , newly discovered features ( such as the rock 530 a or unknown object 530 b ) which did not show up on a previous scan of the terrain may be shown highlighted or in a different color to indicate to the operator that the features were previously undetected . in addition to terrain features , the screen 505 may show plant life 525 and animal life 535 and their current position in the water relative to the suvs . in one embodiment of the suvs , the suvs software will contain animation models of typical marine plant and animal life that can be displayed to represent detected plants and animals . for example , if something is detected by the suvs that matches the qualities of a typical plant such as kelp , an animated graphical representation of kelp , previously loaded into the suvs , can be displayed on the screen 505 , so that the image of kelp moving back and forth in the water can be shown to the operator , creating a more realistic visualization of the underwater environment . the animated graphic can be sized accordingly such that it is the size and rough shape of the detected plant as sensed by the suvs . additional detail on this concept is provided below in the discussion of terrain rendering . the display module 500 may be a custom display created specifically for the suvs application , or it may be an existing or off - the - shelf display . in some embodiments , a mobile device , such as an ipad , table computer , laptop computer , or a smart phone may be used as the display module 500 . the present invention is novel and non - obvious in that it addresses several technical barriers that have previously not been addressed by solutions in the prior art . table 1 below summarizes these technical barriers , and how they are addressed by the present invention . there are many key design factors that must be considered in order to create a commercial version of the present invention . table 2 below identifies these factors by the suvs component with which each one is associated , and lists suggested technical “ targets ” as well as proposed commercial requirements required for a commercially successful suvs as described herein . a successful suvs system will directly and dramatically impact the knowledge base and technical leverage of the world in several ways . because of the profound low - cost , the technical capabilities of the envisioned system , and the fact that data acquired from all systems will be combined into a single database or other appropriate centralized repository , the world will gain unparalleled knowledge of underwater environments such as lakes , rivers , and coastlines . this knowledge will be a significant step forward for maritime navigation and the generation of bathymetric data . in addition , the ability of the system to detect , identify , and store information on all types of marine plant and animal life , as well as water clarity , will add significantly to our understanding of marine biology . the information gathered and integrated by the deployed net of suvs systems will create a dynamic database of marine life locations and migration habits and the early detection of pollution . the coast guard and other marine authorities will have instantaneous access to up - to - date data on the location of all underwater objects approaching our coastlines . the following paragraphs provide additional information on one embodiment of the suvs invention , and specifically on the optical characteristics required for the invention to work efficiently . in one embodiment , suvs will inject the beam and collect the reflected light using optics immersed in the water . the optics , light pipes , fibers , and antireflective coatings can be selected to maximize the percentage of the pulse energy to be delivered into the water . clear water does not have a strong absorption coefficient for green light . use of 532 nm radiation from a doubled nd : yag laser keeps absorption by water to a minimum . absorption by suspended material or living organisms is also a concern . however , most photosynthetic processes utilize visible light in the red and blue regions of the spectrum . again , use of 532 nm radiation will minimize any absorption by these processes . while absorption does attenuate the number of photons reaching the detector , it does not disturb the illumination profile of the beam and therefore does decrease the target depth resolution . the scattering of the probe pulse is the most challenging problem to overcome . scattering has the effect of spreading the incident beam , which will cause a target area larger than is desired to be illuminated . the reflected light is also scattered on the return trip to the collection optics . overall the effect of scattering will be to reduce the number of photons / unit time collected by the acquisition system . an additional affect will be the “ blurring ” of the target point , such that a larger area will be probed than desired , and the intensity of the leading edge of the return beam is attenuated , which potentially leads to loss of temporal resolution and thus depth resolution . the loss of spatial resolution is mitigated by using a focusing system on the collection optics to limit the viewed area . the size of the aperture can be adjusted to increase or decrease the resolution . the problem of the loss of temporal resolution is mitigated by using very short pulse widths . if the pulse width is limited to 1 nanosecond , for example , the entire return pulse can be collected to increase the possibility of detection , while only limiting the depth resolution to 250 millimeters . the presence of scattering particles in the water causes constant background radiation as well , which needs to be filtered out . this is done , in one embodiment , by gating the collection response . the use of dichroic notch filters allows the system to collect a very small spectral range around the source wavelength . this technique is successfully used on existing lidar systems to allow operation during daylight hours . the collection optics are used to define the field of view necessary for various applications . in a survey mode , optics with spherical / fisheye type collection optics will allow good signal return strength at the expense of spatial and depth resolution . however , in “ imaging ” mode , the field of view can be limited to a small portion of the illuminated spot size on the target . by using the signal collected from multiple pulses , the fine resolution necessary for target recognition can be realized . even with a pulse rate of 200 hz , 50 to 60 pulses can be incident on the target before the movement of the collection system becomes an issue . the following paragraphs provide additional information on one embodiment of the suvs invention , and specifically on the efficient display of 3d virtual environments . the concept of rendering large - scale detailed terrain databases at an acceptable rate is possible today on large image generators ( ig ) commonly used by military simulators . these systems rely on memory - intensive heightmaps where every area of terrain has the exact same amount of detail , whether it is required or not . however , years of research on sparse datasets and graphic rendering concepts have shown that high - detail results can be produced on a low - cost mobile processor platform . handheld low - memory gnss units rely on a similar sparse terrain data concept to produce acceptable results on a low - cost platform , by displaying only the detail required for the application . the landscapes displayed by the suvs system will need to be modified ( deformed ) based on the introduction of new terrain data from the suvs sensor . for instance , sandbars are constantly reforming on river bottoms due to changes in currents and river traffic . when the suvs sensor detects a new sandbar beneath the vessel , the terrain must be modified in real - time to provide up - to - date river bottom images to the operator . this real - time requirement adds a new level of complexity to the 3d rendering algorithms . not only must the suvs be able to accurately display terrain maps and detect underwater objects , but it is also required to augment this data with unique textures and graphics . for example , if the suvs sensor detects a moving target that it determines matches the specifications of a walleye , it will call up the image of a walleye from a predefined graphics library , size the graphic accordingly , and display it in the location of the detected object . in addition to a graphical image of the walleye , the suvs system has the option of displaying an animated image sequence of the walleye ( in this example ), such as a pre - recorded animation of a walleye swimming , or even an “ intelligent ” and interactive animation of a walleye that responds to stimuli , such as new information received from the sensors ( the presence of other fish , or of an object ) or an interaction with the human operator ( perhaps through a touch screen interface ). these animated sequences would act essentially as avatars for the object they are representing , and could be loaded with additional information that could be called up through an interaction with the display . turning now to fig6 , we see an example of one embodiment of the display module 500 and display screen 505 as previously presented in fig5 . in this version , though , information tags 700 containing information about the various objects being displayed are shown . these information tags 700 may be displayed all the time , perhaps selected through a customization interface on the display screen 505 , or in other embodiments maybe the information tags 700 appear when an operator interacts with the corresponding object ( for example , a tag 700 describing a fish may appear attached to the fish when the user taps the fish graphic ). in fig6 , examples of information tags 700 are shown . the terrain 515 is marked with an information tag 700 identifying the type of the bottom surface of the body of water , as well as with a percentage of likelihood that the information is correct . the type of bottom surface can usually be determined by analyzing the return echo from a sonar pulse , as different types of bottom surface ( clay , sand , mud , etc .) will give different return types . the animal life 535 shown in fig6 is marked with an information tag 700 identifying the most likely type of animal ( in this example , a lake trout ) with a percent likelihood of correct identification and an approximate length of the fish . it is possible to identify the likely type of fish based on an algorithm which considers the geographic location of the lake , the depth that the fish is in the body of water , the time of day , the size of the target , and the overall shape of the target . other factors may also be included , such as a unique swimming or movement signature . for instance , if it is known that a body of water has been known to have a lot of trout and a lot of sunfish , it might be relatively easy to identify the type of fish by looking at the size and shape of the return echo and comparing that to the available types of fish known to be in that body of water . the more identifying factors available in the return signature from lidar and / or sonar , the higher the probability that the identification is correct . finally , fig6 shows a piece of plant life 525 being marked with an information tag 700 identifying the most likely type of plant life ( kelp , in this example ) and the percent likelihood of correct identification . similar methods to those described in the previous paragraph for identifying animal life 535 may be used to identify plant life 525 . a database of underwater terrain information discovered by a network of deployed suvs systems . new information will be gathered constantly from the deployed systems and uploaded to this central database . existing maps will be integrated with the updated information , and redeployed to units in the field . the commercial opportunities for accurate , real - time , underwater visualization systems that can both contribute and draw upon the collective information gathered by all systems will grow to immense proportions as the technology to enable such collaboration is developed and deployed and the cost of such systems are reduced . in the same way that having many phones adds value to a single phone , having many “ learning ” navigation systems deployed and sharing the results among each other will result in an unprecedented level of detailed knowledge and understanding of underwater environments and their inhabitants , and a new and dynamic source of intelligence . this new information , coupled with next - generation real - time sensors and cutting - edge visualization , will add substantial value to the economy by reducing threats to national security through the early detection and identification of water - borne threats . in addition , navigational safety will be enhanced , helping to reduce the number of accidents which occur each year that result in injury , financial loss , and / or substantial environmental impact . finally , this technology will provide a demonstrated basis for numerous spin - off commercial , consumer , and military product applications in low - cost , lightweight navigation and visualization products . while the underwater environment is the initial and most obvious application for the suvs , there are numerous non - marine applications in adjacent industries . for example , in aviation a great deal of effort is being put into creating realistic 3d visualization systems as a result of the faa &# 39 ; s terrain awareness and warning ( taws ) mandate . these “ synthetic vision ” systems , as they are sometimes called , are starting to be available but cost tens of thousands of dollars and so are far from reaching broad distribution . a synthetic vision system based on the suvs technology would be an order of magnitude less expensive , and , as a consequence , achieve wide distribution in the general aviation community resulting in safer skies . this system could fill an important role in the united state &# 39 ; s plans for the military for the future by providing a robust low - cost navigation aid for terrestrial , air , or underwater vehicles . it would be applicable to the navy &# 39 ; s autonomous underwater vehicle program , the air force &# 39 ; s unmanned aerial vehicle program , and the army &# 39 ; s future combat systems program . currently the united states is spending millions of dollars each year on darpa and sbir programs exploring these areas . rapid commercialization of this system could potentially save millions of dollars and accelerate new vehicle introduction . the united states is a highly mobile society and relies heavily on navigational aids to keep waterways , airways , and highways open and safe during all types of weather . these systems are far from perfect and transportation is often disrupted , resulting in an overall slowing of our economic engines . significant advancements in navigational technologies , such as suvs , will have a positive impact on the reliability of public transportation . as fundamental advancements of broad - based technologies overcome key barriers the ripple effect in products and industry is hard to predict . what is known , however , is that affordable high - definition sensors are lacking for marine and non - marine applications alike while the applications for them in navigation , security , remote sensing , and information gathering are endless . the data acquired by networked systems will aid in better understanding and management of the sensitive ecosystems of our lakes , rivers , and coastal marine areas . parameters effecting marine life could be dynamically monitored and early action taken where needed in order to better preserve and enhance this fragile ecosystem . having described the preferred embodiment , it will become apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in this document . for example , and as previously mentioned , the above - water and below - water components described in fig1 - 4 might be combined into a single component , or the contents and functions of each component may be redistributed from one to the other component . also , additional features may be added to the suvs sensor , or some functional blocks left off , without changing the overall inventive concept . one embodiment of the system may rely on sonar data only , without the addition of lidar , or on lidar only , without the use of sonar . a low - 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