ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the history of underwater inspections and provides an overview of the various testing tools that inspectors rely on to detect and diagnose damage. It highlights future developments and opportunities on integrating image-based methods into the inspection framework more effectively. The chapter explores how image-based methods can be more effectively and systematically integrated into the inspection framework. It outlines the typical roles and duties of inspectors, and also explores ways in which image-processing techniques can strengthen conventional inspections. The chapter addresses some of the limitations of image-processing based methods, especially in comparison to other non-destructive testing methods. It looks at the benefits of utilizing image-processing based methods from the point of view of how image-processing methods serve to enhance the overall quality of information gathered from underwater inspection campaigns. The efficacy of inspections is only as good as the ability of inspectors to reveal defects and track the progression of damage with time.
