Engineering topics
Graves, Sara
Publications and source records attributed to Graves, Sara.
Development of Waypoint Planning Tool in Response to NASA Field Campaign Challenges
Airborne real time observations are a major component of NASA's Earth Science research and satellite ground validation studies. For mission scientists, planning a research aircraft mission within the context of meeting the science objectives is a complex task because it requires real time situational awareness of the weather conditions that affect the aircraft track. Multiple aircrafts are often involved in NASA field campaigns. The coordination of the aircrafts with satellite overpasses, other airplanes and the constantly evolving, dynamic weather conditions often determines the success of the campaign. A flight planning tool is needed to provide situational awareness information to the mission scientists, and help them plan and modify the flight tracks. Scientists at the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center developed the Waypoint Planning Tool, an interactive software tool that enables scientists to develop their own flight plans (also known as waypoints) with point -and-click mouse capabilities on a digital map filled with real time raster and vector data. The development of this Waypoint Planning Tool demonstrates the significance of mission support in responding to the challenges presented during NASA field campaigns. Analysis during and after each campaign helped identify both issues and new requirements, and initiated the next wave of development. Currently the Waypoint Planning Tool has gone through three rounds of development and analysis processes. The development of this waypoint tool is directly affected by the technology advances on GIS/Mapping technologies. From the standalone Google Earth application and simple KML functionalities, to Google Earth Plugin and Java Web Start/Applet on web platform, and to the rising open source GIS tools with new JavaScript frameworks, the Waypoint Planning Tool has entered its third phase of technology advancement. The newly innovated, cross ]platform, modular designed JavaScript ]controlled Way Point Tool is planned to be integrated with NASA Airborne Science Mission Tool Suite. Adapting new technologies for the Waypoint Planning Tool ensures its success in helping scientists reach their mission objectives. This presentation will discuss the development processes of the Waypoint Planning Tool in responding to field campaign challenges, identify new information technologies, and describe the capabilities and features of the Waypoint Planning Tool with the real time aspect, interactive nature, and the resultant benefits to the airborne science community.
Earth Science Mining Web Services
To allow scientists further capabilities in the area of data mining and web services, the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) and researchers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) have developed a system to mine data at the source without the need of network transfers. The system has been constructed by linking together several pre-existing technologies: the Simple Scalable Script-based Science Processor for Measurements (S4PM), a processing engine at he GES DISC; the Algorithm Development and Mining (ADaM) system, a data mining toolkit from UAH that can be configured in a variety of ways to create customized mining processes; ActiveBPEL, a workflow execution engine based on BPEL (Business Process Execution Language); XBaya, a graphical workflow composer; and the EOS Clearinghouse (ECHO). XBaya is used to construct an analysis workflow at UAH using ADam components, which are also installed remotely at the GES DISC, wrapped as Web Services. The S4PM processing engine searches ECHO for data using space-time criteria, staging them to cache, allowing the ActiveBPEL engine to remotely orchestras the processing workflow within S4PM. As mining is completed, the output is placed in an FTP holding area for the end user. The goals are to give users control over the data they want to process, while mining data at the data source using the server's resources rather than transferring the full volume over the internet. These diverse technologies have been infused into a functioning, distributed system with only minor changes to the underlying technologies. The key to the infusion is the loosely coupled, Web-Services based architecture: All of the participating components are accessible (one way or another) through (Simple Object Access Protocol) SOAP-based Web Services.
SIAM-SERVIR: An Environmental Monitoring and Decision Support System for Mesoamerica
In 2002/2003 NASA, the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) joined with the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) to develop an advanced decision support system for Mesoamerica (named SERVIR) as part of the Mesoamerican Environmental Information System (SIAM). Mesoamerica - composed of the seven Central American countries and the five southernmost states of Mexico - make up only a small fraction of the world s land surface. However, the region is home to seven to eight percent of the planet s biodiversity (14 biosphere reserves, 31 Ramsar sites, 8 world heritage sites, 589 protected areas) and 45 million people including more than 50 different ethnic groups. Today Mesoamerica s biological and cultural diversity is severely threatened by extensive deforestation, illegal logging, water pollution, and uncontrolled slash and burn agriculture. Additionally, Mesoamerica's distinct geology and geography result in disproportionate vulnerability to natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, drought, and volcanic eruptions. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, together with the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and the SIAM-SERVIR partners are developing state-of-the-art decision support tools for environmental monitoring as well as disaster prevention and mitigation in Mesoamerica. These partners are contributing expertise in space-based observation with information management technologies and intimate knowledge of local ecosystems to create a system that is being used by scientists, educators, and policy makers to monitor and forecast ecological changes, respond to natural disasters and better understand both natural and human induced effects. In its first year of development and operation, the SIAM-SERVIR project has already yielded valuable information on Central American fires, weather conditions, and the first ever real-time data on red tides. This paper presents the progress thus far in the development of SIAM-SERVIR and the plans for the future.
Building a Propulsion Experiment Project Management Environment
What do you get when you cross rocket scientists with computer geeks? It is an interactive, distributed computing web of tools and services providing a more productive environment for propulsion research and development. The Rocket Engine Advancement Program 2 (REAP2) project involves researchers at several institutions collaborating on propulsion experiments and modeling. In an effort to facilitate these collaborations among researchers at different locations and with different specializations, researchers at the Information Technology and Systems Center,' University of Alabama in Huntsville, are creating a prototype web-based interactive information system in support of propulsion research. This system, to be based on experience gained in creating similar systems for NASA Earth science field experiment campaigns such as the Convection and Moisture Experiments (CAMEX), will assist in the planning and analysis of model and experiment results across REAP2 participants. The initial version of the Propulsion Experiment Project Management Environment (PExPM) consists of a controlled-access web portal facilitating the drafting and sharing of working documents and publications. Interactive tools for building and searching an annotated bibliography of publications related to REAP2 research topics have been created to help organize and maintain the results of literature searches. Also work is underway, with some initial prototypes in place, for interactive project management tools allowing project managers to schedule experiment activities, track status and report on results. This paper describes current successes, plans, and expected challenges for this project.
ESML for Earth Science Data Sets and Analysis
The primary objective of this research project was to transition ESML from design to application. The resulting schema and prototype software will foster community acceptance for the Define once, use anywhere concept central to ESML. Supporting goals include: 1) Refinement of the ESML schema and software libraries in cooperation with the user community; 2) Application of the ESML schema and software to a variety of Earth science data sets and analysis tools; 3) Development of supporting prototype software for enhanced ease of use; 4) Cooperation with standards bodies in order to assure ESML is aligned with related metadata standards as appropriate; and 5) Widespread publication of the ESML approach, schema, and software.
Technology Requirements for Information Management
This report provides the results of a panel study conducted into the technology requirements for information management in support of application domains of particular government interest, including digital libraries, mission operations, and scientific research. The panel concluded that it was desirable to have a coordinated program of R&D that pursues a science of information management focused on an environment typified by applications of government interest - highly distributed with very large amounts of data and a high degree of heterogeneity of sources, data, and users.
Earth Science Markup Language: Transitioning From Design to Application
The primary objective of the proposed Earth Science Markup Language (ESML) research is to transition from design to application. The resulting schema and prototype software will foster community acceptance for the "define once, use anywhere" concept central to ESML. Supporting goals include: 1. Refinement of the ESML schema and software libraries in cooperation with the user community. 2. Application of the ESML schema and software libraries to a variety of Earth science data sets and analysis tools. 3. Development of supporting prototype software for enhanced ease of use. 4. Cooperation with standards bodies in order to assure ESML is aligned with related metadata standards as appropriate. 5. Widespread publication of the ESML approach, schema, and software.
Development of a naming convention and data ma nagement system
This contract covered work in data management, acquisition, and analysis for the Earth Science and Applications Division (ESAD) of the Space Science Laboratory of MSFC. Under this contract, a naming convention and data management system were developed for ESAD data sets, data visualization, and standard data format issues were investigated, and specific data analysis and management needs were addressed for several ESAD projects and data sets. In the following sections, details of the research performed over the duration of this contract are summarized.