Underwater Window: High Definition Video on VENUS and NEPTUNE

A joint McGill - University of Victoria team is deploying a high definition video camera on the VENUS project node in the Saanich Inlet and will be using the experience gained to deploy similar cameras on the NEPTUNE project network. Underwater HD camera selection is discussed for both scientific research and public outreach. Low light level capability and an extended lens zoom range enable the study of small invertebrate behaviour. A unique camera control user interface was designed that will allow scientists to see a large scale map of their sites of interest while the camera is zoomed in on one particular site. Camera control software challenges included designing a system that would simultaneously control the camera, two sets of lighting and the pan/tilt, which are separate devices, from a single user interface over a shared network. A camera support and control system was designed and deployed. The high definition camera and zoom lens are mounted in a pressure canister on a large support frame that has an integrated camera pan/tilt mechanism. There are two types of illumination and a set of lasers that project reference lines for gauging object size. The entire camera system is connected to the VENUS node using a wet-mate hybrid connector (copper and fiber optic). The paper also discusses the deployment of the camera and support structure in Saanich Inlet and the subsequent connection to the VENUS node.