Improved Ice Channel Segmentation and Width Calculation Using Drone-Based Optical Sensors

• Published in: IEEE sensors journal Vol. 23; no. 24; p. 1
• Main Authors: Zhao, Wangyuan, Han, Fenglei, Xue, Yanzhuo, Zhang, Jiawei, Zhao, Yiming, Peng, Xiao, Lin, Qi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 15.12.2023; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Algorithms; Channels; Clustering algorithms; Efficient Channel Attention Network (ECA-Net); Feature extraction; hybrid dilated convolution (HDC); Ice; ice channel width; Navigational aids; Optical measuring instruments; Optical sensors; Parameters; Polar environments; Polar navigation; Semantic segmentation; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Sensors; Task analysis; U-Net; Unmanned aerial vehicles; Vessels
• ISSN: 1530-437X; 1558-1748
• DOI: 10.1109/JSEN.2023.3328373

The aim of this study is to investigate the utilization of optical sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for the identification of inconspicuous ice channels in polar regions, serving as an auxiliary navigation aid for polar vessels. In the previous research, there was no prior work utilizing optical-based physical sensors for the purpose of ice channel perception tasks. An algorithm for semantic segmentation, known as the ICEU-Net model, has been proposed. It integrates the ResNext and UNet architectures with customized features to enhance feature extraction capabilities. The integration of the Efficient Channel Attention Network during the multi-resolution fusion and skip connection process further enhances the detection of subtle ice channel features. Comparative experiments demonstrate an average improvement of 1.2% in mean pixel accuracy and 1.88% in mean intersection over union, confirming the effectiveness of optical sensors in providing prior information about ice channels. The width of the ice channels is determined using the flight parameters of the UAV and optical sensor parameters, after that offering information about the ice conditions for polar navigation vessels. This application marks a groundbreaking use of optical sensors in extracting polar ice channels, holding significant pioneering value.