Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “data needs”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,801 records · Page 100

Development of a Display Tool to Quality Control Weather Balloon Data for Space Launch Vehicles Using Python

Continuous atmospheric data analysis is an important factor for space launch vehicle design and operations. The balloon quality control tool was developed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Natural Environments Branch (NEB) for monitoring quality control processes and verifying the automated flags created on the balloon data sets analyzed. The data sets currently analyzed are comprised of high-resolution and low-resolution balloon data from NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), co-located on the United States Air Force’s Eastern range (ER) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The NEB was tasked to perform a quality assessment of these data sets and needed a tool to confirm the quality control (QC) flags produced from an automated process and add additional QC flags if necessary. This Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed to visualize all of the data from these balloon sets, display any flags from the automated QC process, and add additional flags to variables if necessary. The GUI was developed in Python 3.6 utilizing different packages available such as pandas for data analysis and manipulation, NumPy for high-performance multidimensional array and tools to compute with and manipulate arrays, Matplotlib for plotting data and Tkinter to build the GUI.

Jessica K Headley↗

Development of a Display Tool to Quality Control Weather Balloon Data for Space Launch Vehicles

Continuous atmospheric data analysis is an important factor for space launch vehicle design and operations. The balloon quality control tool was developed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Natural Environments Branch (NEB) for monitoring quality control processes and verifying the automated flags created on the balloon data sets analyzed. The data sets currently analyzed are comprised of high-resolution and low-resolution balloon data from NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC), co-located on the United States Air Force’s Eastern range (ER) at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The NEB was tasked to perform a quality assessment of these data sets and needed a tool to confirm the quality control (QC) flags produced from an automated process and add additional QC flags if necessary. This Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed to visualize all of the data from these balloon sets, display any flags from the automated QC process, and add additional flags to variables if necessary. The GUI was developed in Python 3.6 utilizing different packages available such as pandas for data analysis and manipulation, NumPy for high-performance multidimensional array and tools to compute with and manipulate arrays, Matplotlib for plotting data and Tkinter to build the GUI.

Jessica K Headley↗

Unsupervised classification techniques as components of a data and information system

The phenomenal increase in the amount of data and information being generated by remote sensing systems is stressed. A total system design approach as a solution to this problem is discussed with specific reference to the data and information system needs for Sortie Lab - a multiple use payload for the Shuttle. The development of a multispectral data processing system as a needed component of such a system is reviewed with emphasis on unsupervised multispectral classification techniques developed and presently in use at Marshall Space Flight Center.

Cummings, R. E.↗

Applying Physics-Informed Neural Networks to Solve Navier–Stokes Equations for Laminar Flow around a Particle

In recent years, Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) have drawn great interest among researchers as a tool to solve computational physics problems. Unlike conventional neural networks, which are black-box models that “blindly” establish a correlation between input and output variables using a large quantity of labeled data, PINNs directly embed physical laws (primarily partial differential equations) within the loss function of neural networks. By minimizing the loss function, this approach allows the output variables to automatically satisfy physical equations without the need for labeled data. The Navier–Stokes equation is one of the most classic governing equations in thermal fluid engineering. This study constructs a PINN to solve the Navier–Stokes equations for a 2D incompressible laminar flow problem. Flows passing around a 2D circular particle are chosen as the benchmark case, and an elliptical particle is also examined to enrich the research. The velocity and pressure fields are predicted by the PINNs, and the results are compared with those derived from Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Additionally, the particle drag force coefficient is calculated to quantify the discrepancy in the results of the PINNs as compared to CFD outcomes. The drag coefficient maintained an error within 10% across all test scenarios.

Hu, Beichao (ORCID:0009000163215151)↗

NASA's EOSDIS Near Term Challenges

Given the long-term requirements, and the rapid pace of information technology and changing expectations of the user community, the ESDIS Project has had to evolve EOSDIS continually over the past three decades. However, many challenges remain. One near-term challenge is the enormous quantity of new data that will need to be managed by the EOSDIS. With the upcoming launch of the latest NASA missions coupled with existing operational missions and field campaigns, EOSDIS can expect to handle as much as 50 petabytes of data per year. In perspective, this is twice the size of the current existing archive, which took over 21 years to collect. Another continuing challenge is the disparate requirements of a diverse science community. Maintaining rigorous long-term data preservation, supporting ease of discovery and access, incorporating user feedback, enabling reanalysis/ reprocessing, and agile integration of new data sources, continue to be the Project's objectives.

Remote Sensing↗

NASA’s Optical Communications Programs

The way we communicate in space and how we stay connected on Earth is experiencing a change: while we traditionally use radio frequency communication methods from satellites to ground stations, there is a growing interest in laser communication connections back to Earth, but also in the space environment. Meanwhile, the need for higher data rates also push for a shift in the use of frequency bands, with new bands such as high-power KA, KU, Q and V being developed.These changes require new technologies and new issues need to be addressed. Bringing together satellite operators, satellite manufacturers, and component suppliers, this panel will discuss the following questions and topics: (1)New technology requirements for different communication bands: from antennas to optimized ground systems; (2) New technology challenges when implementing new communication systems: from smaller spaces, to 'noise on the line' and radiation issues; (4) How can we leverage safely what is already out there?; (5) How to ensure communication system resiliency and security?

Edwards, Bernard L.↗

Practical applications of low, medium, and high altitude aircraft remote sensing data to land use planning

Remotely sensed data is gaining wider acceptance in land use planning activities because of several inherent advantages offered by the technology. Scope of applications have increased to meet planners broadening responsibilities and needs for more comprehensive and specific information in response to new legislative mandates. Specific data needs associated with the land use planning process are varied. To illustrate how remote sensing surveys can be designed to meet a variety of goals at several planning levels, specific examples of the use of remotely sensed data and analysis techniques in four planning oriented land use surveys are discussed. These examples illustrate the use of aerial photography at the state planning level in Maryland and county level in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Special applications of aerial photography are demonstrated by energy planning in San Bernardino County, California and water management planning in New Castle County, Delaware.

Drackett, K.↗

Summary of NDC Capacity Building Workshop and Regional Seismic Travel Time (RSTT) in combination with Data Sharing and Integration Training

The NNSA Seismic Cooperation Program (SCP) sponsored Stephen Myers (LLNL), Michael Begnaud (LANL), Brian Young (SNL) and Istvan Bondar (Research Center for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Hungary) to serve as a presenters/trainers at the “NDC Capacity Building Workshop and Regional Seismic Travel Time (RSTT) in combination with Data Sharing and Integration Training” September 4-8 2022 in Muscat, Oman (See Appendix A for the agenda). The workshop and training (workshop from here forward) was organized by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS). The first half of the week was devoted to NDC workshop activities, and the second half was devoted to RSTT training. Fifty-five participants from 27 countries and the CTBTO-PTS attended the 5-day workshop (See Appendix B for list of participants and countries of origin). Presentations from the PTS described the International Monitoring System (IMS), International Data Centre (IDC) products, and metrics of regional data utilization. Contributed presentations from each country’s scientists included descriptions of regional and national networks, methods of data analysis, and needs for material and technical assistance. Training included an overview of the RSTT method and instruction on how to locate seismic events with the iLoc program, which utilizes RSTT travel times to reduce bias in event location estimates. Methods of seismic tomography and the need for a high-quality tomographic set, including seismological “ground truth”, were emphasized. Seismological “ground truth” or “GT” is a term that has come to mean both events with known location and events with well-characterized locations that are estimated using seismological data, typically with epicenter accuracy of 5 km or better. Notably, the instructional platform has migrated from UNIX shell scripts to Jupyter Notebooks. Jupyter Notebooks have the advantage being more visually intuitive, including display of graphics within the notebook. Each notebook includes every processing step that participants need to reproduce the entire exercise.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Toward a standardization of cryostructure and cryogenic soil structure terminology for the field description of permafrost‐affected soils

This paper establishes standardized terminology and field documentation protocols for cryostructures and cryogenic soil structures in permafrost‐affected soils and provides brief guidance on descriptions of ground ice morphology and ice volume estimates. We consolidate permafrost terminology from Russian and North American literature, clarify long‐standing ambiguities, and provide explicit guidelines that align with US Department of Agriculture‐Natural Resources Conservation Service soil description standards. Our scheme makes critical distinctions between cryostructure, the distribution of ice within soil, and cryogenic soil structure, the morphological structure of soil resulting from ice formation. The scheme organizes cryostructures into three main categories: non‐segregated ice, visible segregated ice, and ice matrices. We introduce standardized codes and parameters for field descriptions of ice and soil that enable machine‐readable data collection compatible with existing soil information systems. This standardization will significantly enhance the integration of field observations into landscape‐scale assessments of permafrost stability, infrastructure vulnerability, and ecosystem response to permafrost thaw, addressing an urgent need for quantitative data to inform modeling and decision‐making in rapidly changing Arctic and subarctic environments.

Andersen, Megan L. [University of Minnesota, Saint↗

Time to Use Dendrohydrological Data in Water Resources Management?

Despite a wide consensus on the potential importance of streamflow reconstructions to water resources planning and management activities, applications of dendrohydrology have been piecemeal. This review article describes barriers to widespread use of dendrohydrological data and suggests research needs for operationalizing streamflow records reconstructed from these proxy data.

42 ENGINEERING↗

An open science exploration of global 1-km simulations of the earth's atmosphere

We are making available a multi-petabyte data set for open science via a data hackathon. The participants bring their science to the computing and data facility, alleviating the need to transfer and manage the large volume of data. This accelerates the process of discovery science while increasing scientific throughput.

Anantharaj, Valentine↗

New Architecture to Support Integration and Processing of Seismic Data from Heterogeneous Sources

The Geophysical Monitoring Program (GMP) at Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) maintains a database and supporting infrastructure for geophysical data used in support of the Nuclear Detonation Detection mission. This database includes data from multiple sources, many of which do not distribute data to the public or for which there is no automated means of access. For example, Figure 1 shows (left) the distribution of waveform data in our database by source. The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology Data Management Center (IRISDMC) is our major source of waveform data and those data may be retrieved at will using the Federated Digital Seismograph Networks FDSN web Application Programming Interface (API). However, the next 6 most important sources of waveform data have no or only limited automated access to waveforms. As Figure 1 (right) shows, it is very common for waveform records associate with an event in our database to come from two or more sources, and in some cases data come from 10 sources. This diversity of data sources drives our need for efficient and correct integration of metadata, parametric data, and waveform data.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Efficient First-Order Algorithms for Large-Scale, Non-Smooth Maximum Entropy Models with Application to Wildfire Science

Maximum entropy (MaxEnt) models are a class of statistical models that use the maximum entropy principle to estimate probability distributions from data. Due to the size of modern data sets, MaxEnt models need efficient optimization algorithms to scale well for big data applications. State-of-the-art algorithms for MaxEnt models, however, were not originally designed to handle big data sets; these algorithms either rely on technical devices that may yield unreliable numerical results, scale poorly, or require smoothness assumptions that many practical MaxEnt models lack. In this paper, we present novel optimization algorithms that overcome the shortcomings of state-of-the-art algorithms for training large-scale, non-smooth MaxEnt models. Our proposed first-order algorithms leverage the Kullback–Leibler divergence to train large-scale and non-smooth MaxEnt models efficiently. For MaxEnt models with discrete probability distribution of n elements built from samples, each containing m features, the stepsize parameter estimation and iterations in our algorithms scale on the order of O(mn) operations and can be trivially parallelized. Moreover, the strong ℓ1 convexity of the Kullback–Leibler divergence allows for larger stepsize parameters, thereby speeding up the convergence rate of our algorithms. To illustrate the efficiency of our novel algorithms, we consider the problem of estimating probabilities of fire occurrences as a function of ecological features in the Western US MTBS-Interagency wildfire data set. Our numerical results show that our algorithms outperform the state of the art by one order of magnitude and yield results that agree with physical models of wildfire occurrence and previous statistical analyses of wildfire drivers.

Physics↗

Photoabsorption and photodissociation of molecules important in the interstellar medium

Photoabsorption and fluorescence cross sections of molecules important in the interstellar medium were measured in the 90 to 200 nm region using synchrotron radiation, excimer laser, and condensed discharge lamps as light sources. The quantitative spectroscopic data are currently needed for the modeling of formation and destruction rates of molecules by the interstellar radiation field. Fluorescences from excited photofragments produced by vacuum ultraviolet radiation of molecules are dispersed to identify the emitting species. The fluorescence data are useful for the identification of emission sources in interstellar clouds.

Lee, Long C.↗

The nonconvex multi-dimensional Riemann problem for Hamilton-Jacobi equations

Simple inequalities for the Riemann problem for a Hamilton-Jacobi equation in N space dimension when neither the initial data nor the Hamiltonian need be convex (or concave) are presented. The initial data is globally continuous, affine in each orthant, with a possible jump in normal derivative across each coordinate plane, x sub i = 0. The inequalities become equalities wherever a maxmin equals a minmax and thus an exact closed form solution to this problem is then obtained.

Osher, Stanley↗

An assessment of the government liquid hydrogen requirements for the 1995-2005 time frame

The results of government study of long range liquid hydrogen (LH2) requirements for the time period of 1995 through the year 2005 are presented. To assure an adequate supply of LH2 is available in support of various programs, it is imperative a long range projection of LH2 requirements be developed and maintained. This information is vital in planning for necessary procurement actions and assuring adequate industry lead time to acquiring the necessary production and distribution capabilities. The Advanced Launch System and High-Altitude Long-Endurance programs may represent the predominant government needs for LH2 in the long range. The assembled data clearly indicates a need for KSC (Kennedy Space Center) constant program/project surveillance. Also clear is the need for KSC to monitor industry's plans for LH2 plant production and distribution expansion.

Bain, Addison↗

Analyzing high dimensional data

Problems encountered in analyzing high dimensional data are discussed and possible solutions are proposed. The increased importance of second-order statistics in analyzing high dimensional data and the shortcoming of the minimum distance classifier in high dimensional data are recognized. By investigating characteristics of high dimensional data, it is shown that second-order statistics must be taken into account in high dimensional data. There is a need to represent second order statistics effectively. As the data dimensionality increases, it becomes more difficult to perceive and compare information present in statistics derived from data. In order to overcome this problem, a method to visualize statistics using color code is proposed. By representing statistics using a color code, the first and the second statistics can be more readily compared.

Lee, Chulhee↗

A Small-Scale Tiltrotor Model Operating in Descending Flight

As a rotor s descent velocity in low speed flight approaches the induced wake velocity, a vortex ring is formed around the circumference of the rotor disk causing the flow to become very unsteady. This condition is known as Vortex Ring State (VRS). The aerodynamic Characteristics of edgewise operating rotors in this VRS induced environment have been studied for many years. In the 1960 s, two propellers were tested in vertical or near vertical descent, indicating a loss in thrust in the region of VRS. Thrust fluctuations of both single and tandem rotor configurations while operating in VRS were reported. More recently, the effects of descending flight on a single rotor operating in close proximity to a physical image plane, simulating the effects of a twin rotor tiltrotor system were investigated. Mean rotor thrust reductions and thrust fluctuations were shown in VRS. Results indicated the need to acquire additional data with a two-rotor model and the need to investigate the use of a single rotor/image plane apparatus to identify the characteristics of a two-rotor flowfield. As a result a small-scale tiltrotor model with 2-b1adedy untwisted, teetering rotors was tested at various states of descent and sideslip. Dual-rotor, single-rotor with image plane, and isolated-rotor results were reported, suggesting the single-rotor with image plane configuration may not properly capture the aerodynamic nature of a dual-rotor vehicle. Recommendations included additional testing of a model that better represents the physical characteristics of a tiltrotor aircraft. Specific recommendations for model improvements included using three-bladed rotors, twisted blades, a tiltrotor fuselage and wings.

Abrego, Anita I.↗

Refine your search to explore more results.