O'Byrne, MichaelMichaelO'ByrneGhosh, BidishaBidishaGhoshSchoefs, FranckFranckSchoefsPakrashi, VikramVikramPakrashi2019-05-132019-05-132015 the A2015-07-09Journal of Physics: Conference Series1742-6588http://hdl.handle.net/10197/10412Image processing can be an important tool for inspecting underwater infrastructure elements like bridge piers and pile wharves. Underwater inspection often relies on visual descriptions of divers who are not necessarily trained in specifics of structural degradation and the information may often be vague, prone to error or open to significant variation of interpretation. Underwater vehicles, on the other hand can be quite expensive to deal with for such inspections. Additionally, there is now significant encouragement globally towards the deployment of more offshore renewable wind turbines and wave devices and the requirement for underwater inspection can be expected to increase significantly in the coming years. While the merit of image processing based assessment of the condition of underwater structures is understood to a certain degree, there is no existing protocol on such image based methods. This paper discusses and describes an image processing protocol for underwater inspection of structures. A stereo imaging image processing method is considered in this regard and protocols are suggested for image storage, imaging, diving, and inspection. A combined underwater imaging protocol is finally presented which can be used for a variety of situations within a range of image scenes and environmental conditions affecting the imaging conditions. An example of detecting marine growth is presented of a structure in Cork Harbour, Ireland.enContent from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.Underwater inspection of structuresImage processing based assessmentStereo imaging image processing methodIrelandImaging conditionsData acquisitionJournal Article628110.1088/1742-6596/628/1/0121302019-05-0512/RC/2302https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ie/