Underwater geolocalization via polarization information (Conference Presentation)

Polarization information is abundant in nature, including the underwater environment. Polarization of light in the underwater environment is due to light coming from both the sun and from the sky. Hence, the underwater polarization is primarily determined by light’s transmission from air to water and in-water scattering. In this talk, we will present a new framework to solve sun’s position (heading and elevation) using background underwater polarization information. Based on this data, the underwater geo location of an observer can be determined passively. Extensive experimental data will be presented in the talk to demonstrate the accuracy of this method.