Underwater hyperspectral imaging dataset of manganese nodules

Manganese nodule samples were collected from a seamount in the western Pacific at a depth of approximately 4000 to 5000 meters. The samples are predominantly brown or black in color, with significant differences in their external appearance. One type has a fuller and larger form, coarser texture, and a surface with pronounced small protrusions. In contrast, the other type is flatter, smaller in size, smoother in texture, and has a relatively even surface.A self-developed underwater hyperspectral imaging system was used to acquire hyperspectral image data of the two manganese nodule samples in a laboratory setting. The hyperspectral imaging system has a spectral range of 390 nm to 1000 nm with a spectral resolution of less than 5 nm and operates using a push-broom imaging method.The samples were placed in a black fish tank filled with tap water, with a layer of marine sand spread evenly on the bottom as the background. The manganese nodule samples were placed on the surface of the sand. The distance between the samples and the system was 54 cm. A 250W halogen lamp was used as the light source to illuminate the samples.A standard diffuse reflectance calibration panel was used as a reference to calibrate the spectral reflectance of the target. Spectral bands with low signal-to-noise ratios were discarded, retaining data for 290 bands within the spectral range of 390 nm to 880 nm. The calibrated hyperspectral images of the manganese nodules were cropped to exclude irrelevant edge information, leaving only the region of interest containing the manganese nodule samples, with spatial dimensions of 272 × 527 pixels. Semantic segmentation labels were generated for the samples using Labelme software, creating ground truth maps for the objects of interest.