Method for tracking and forecasting marine ice bodies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9123134-B2
Application number	US-201414196607-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2014
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Sep 1, 2015
Grant date	Sep 1, 2015

Abstract

A near-real-time tracking and integrated forecasting of marine ice bodies observable on satellite imagery.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for tracking and forecasting a marine ice body comprising:
a. capturing an image and metocean data of an area of interest with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR), wherein the image includes a plurality of pixels;
b. detecting any marine ice bodies in the area of interest with the synthetic aperture radar (SAR);
c. classifying the plurality of pixels in the image to define a shape and position of the marine ice body;
d. repeating steps (a)-(c) at least once to obtain an additional image;
e. comparing sequential images, wherein a background trend for motion between images and a shape characteristic are utilized to compare the sequential images, wherein the background trend is determined by establishing a correlation between the sequential images, wherein an ITSARI algorithm is utilized to determine the shape characteristic of the marine ice body;
f. solving a trajectory of each ice floe beyond its current position, wherein the metocean data is utilized to solve the trajectory for each of the marine ice bodies beyond its current position; and
g. updating Gaussian uncertainty parameters with cumulative observations of error from incoming SAR to provide a cone of uncertainty for the forecasted trajectory.

2. A method for tracking and forecasting a marine ice body comprising:
a. capturing an image and metocean data of an area of interest with any type of satellite imagery, wherein the image includes a plurality of pixels;
b. detecting any marine ice bodies in the area of interest with the satellite imagery;
c. classifying the plurality of pixels in the image to define a shape and position of the marine ice body;
d. repeating steps (a)-(c) at least once to obtain an additional image;
e. comparing sequential images, wherein a background trend for motion between images and a shape characteristic are utilized to compare the sequential images, wherein the background trend is determined by establishing a correlation between the sequential images, wherein a tracking algorithm is utilized to determine the shape characteristic;
f. solving a trajectory of each marine ice body beyond its current position, wherein the metocean data is utilized to solve the trajectory for each marine ice body beyond its current position; and
g. applying an uncertainty model for uncertainty in the trajectory forecast.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the satellite imagery is synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the satellite imagery is optical imagery.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the tracking algorithm is the ITSARI algorithm.

6. The method according to claim 2 , wherein a Gaussian model for uncertainty of the forecast is incorporated through cumulative observations of error from incoming satellite imagery to provide a cone of uncertainty for the forecasted trajectory.

Assignees

• Conocophillips Co

Inventors

• Anno Phil D
• Soofi Khalid A

Classifications

• G06V20/13

  Satellite images · CPC title

• G06T2207/30181

  Earth observation · CPC title

• G01W1/00

  Meteorology · CPC title

• G06T7/0042

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T7/0051

  Physics · mapped topic