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At least 415 records · Page 23

Environmental monitoring via the ERTS-1 Data Collection System.

The Data Collection System (DCS) provides users with near real-time environmental data from earth-based sensors relayed via the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1) to Goddard Space Flight Center. Data is received at Goddard at least twice per day from each sensor and distributed to users (who operate the sensors and transmitters) by mail and teletype. Data collection platforms are discussed together with DCS equipment and the ground receiving and processing equipment.

Painter, J. E.↗

Validation of the Public Radiation Exposure Calculation for the Incident at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research on February 3, 2021

The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration Consequence Management Program was contacted by the Health Physics Chief of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) to review public radiation exposure calculations for an event that occurred on its Gaithersburg, Maryland, campus on February 3, 2021. Subject matter experts from the Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) assets, specifically the Consequence Management Home Team (CMHT) and the National Atmospheric Release Advisory Center (NARAC), were selected to provide support. CMHT used three separate modeling codes to validate the results the scientists at NCNR calculated using the HotSpot model. The analyses were performed using NARAC’s in-house Lagrangian dispersion codes known as LODI and Aeolus, as well as the Turbo FRMAC software from Sandia National Laboratories. The team used parameters provided by the NCNR scientists regarding the site, applicable observable meteorological data, and environmental survey and sampling data to estimate public exposure. Each model estimated public dose at much less than 0.5 mrem. CMHT concurs with the NCNR public radiation exposure calculations which state that members of the public at the 400-meter boundary would have received a radiological dose of less than 0.5 mrem.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Thermal radiation analysis system (TRASYS)

The Thermal Radiation Analysis System, TRASYS, is a digital computer software system with generalized capability to solve the radiation-related aspects of thermal analysis problems. When used in conjunction with a generalized thermal analyzer program any thermal problem that can be expressed in terms of a lumped parameter R-C thermal network can be solved. The function of TRASYS is twofold. It provides: (1) internode radiation interchange data; and (2) incident and absorbed heat rate data from environmental radiant heat sources. Data of both types is provided in a format directly usable by the thermal analyzer programs. One of the primary features of TRASYS is that it allows the user to write his own executive or driver program which organizes and directs the program library routines toward solution of each specific problem in the most expeditious manner. The user also may write his own output routines, thus the system data output can directly interface with any thermal analyzer using the R-C network concept.

Jensen, C. L.↗

Thermal radiation analysis system (TRASYS 2), programmer's manual

TRASYS, the Thermal Radiation Analysis System, is a digital computer software system with a generalized capability to solve the radiation-related aspects of thermal analysis problems. When used in conjunction with a generalized thermal analysis program such as the Systems Improved Numerical Differencing Analyzer (SINDA) program, any thermal problem that can be expressed in terms of a lumped parameter, radiation conductor thermal network can be solved. The function of TRASYS is twofold. It provides: 1) Internode radiation interchange data; 2) Incident and absorbed heat rate data from environmental radiant heat sources. Data of both types are provided in a format directly usable by the thermal analyzer programs.

Connor, R. J.↗

User's Manual: Thermal Radiation Analysis System TRASYS 2

A digital computer software system with generalized capability to solve the radiation related aspects of thermal analysis problems is presented. When used in conjunction with a generalized thermal analysis program such as the systems improved numerical differencing analyzer program, any thermal problem that can be expressed in terms of a lumped parameter R-C thermal network can be solved. The function of TRASYS is twofold. It provides: (a) Internode radiation interchange data; and (b) Incident and absorbed heat rate data from environmental radiant heat sources. Data of both types is provided in a format directly usable by the thermal analyzer programs. The system allows the user to write his own executive or driver program which organizes and directs the program library routines toward solution of each specific problem in the most expeditious manner. The user also may write his own output routines, thus the system data output can directly interface with any thermal analyzer using the R-C network concept.

Jensen, C. L.↗

Evaluation of high temperature structural adhesives for extended service

The long term thermal aging data initiated in Phase 1 is reported. All candidate adhesive systems have exhibited significant degradation in bond properties after 505K (450 F) 10,000 hour exposure. Failures appear to be adhesive in the oxide layer. Phase 2 chemical characterization, cure cycle studies, baseline data, preliminary specifications, and environmental exposure data generated on polyphenyquinoxaline is presented. Similar but limited data on LARC-13 and NR056X adhesives is reported.

Hill, S. G.↗

An improved cloud retrieval algorithim using HIRS2-MSU radiance measurements

Cloud-top heights and cloud amounts are produced as part of the operational processing of polar-satellite data at the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS). These products were compared with similar products from the air force's real-time nephanalysis (RTNEPH), from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project, and from NASA Goddard's processing of satellite data. It was found that the amount of high-level cloud was too small in the NESDIS results, while the amount of low-level cloud was too large. An examination of the NESDIS algorithm revealed that the differences in cloud distributions were caused by the selection of channels used for the cloud retrievals. Cloud retrievals are most accurate at the levels at which the channels that are used are most sensitive. In addition, it was found that no one pair of channels was best at all levels. A new procedure was developed that varied the channels as a function of an initial estimate of the cloud height. This procedure produced improved cloud retrievals that were then compared with the RTNEPH results. The comparison showed that the two methods provide similar retrievals of cloud height and amount.

Mcmillin, Larry↗

Automated Wildfire Detection Through Artificial Neural Networks

Wildfires have a profound impact upon the biosphere and our society in general. They cause loss of life, destruction of personal property and natural resources and alter the chemistry of the atmosphere. In response to the concern over the consequences of wildland fire and to support the fire management community, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS) located in Camp Springs, Maryland gradually developed an operational system to routinely monitor wildland fire by satellite observations. The Hazard Mapping System, as it is known today, allows a team of trained fire analysts to examine and integrate, on a daily basis, remote sensing data from Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite sensors and generate a 24 hour fire product for the conterminous United States. Although assisted by automated fire detection algorithms, N O M has not been able to eliminate the human element from their fire detection procedures. As a consequence, the manually intensive effort has prevented NOAA from transitioning to a global fire product as urged particularly by climate modelers. NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland is helping N O M more fully automate the Hazard Mapping System by training neural networks to mimic the decision-making process of the frre analyst team as well as the automated algorithms.

Miller, Jerry↗

Computer Vision Dataset for Aircraft Taxi Operations

The development and democratization of computer vision algorithms are contingent on the availability of high-quality datasets. In this paper, we introduce a database of forward-facing videos from taxiing aircraft as well as the time-correlated flight data at approximately 1 to10 Hz containing aircraft state data and environmental conditions. The video data is sourced from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Airborne Science Program archive and includes over 33 hours of 4k, 1080p, and 720p video from twenty-two airports around the world. This paper describes the method of the database construction and a brief analysis of its contents.

Ryan Horn↗

Integrating Earth Observations and Socioeconomic Data to Address Health, Equity, and Environmental Justice

Access to reliable data about the characteristics of populations is a crucial component of decision making, policy development, and the assessment of progress towards strategic goals. Social determinants of health provide insight into the status of social and economic conditions within populations that have profound effects on public health, equity, and vulnerability. International frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) fundamentally focus on equality, but to efficiently address targets and indicators, socioeconomic data and Earth observations must be integrated to help identify populations most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, natural disasters, health disparities, and poor policy planning. The ability to identify vulnerable populations with data analysis has the potential to empower community stakeholders with spatial awareness needed to inform decision-making that addresses equity and environmental justice issues within their communities. The EPA defines environmental justice (EJ) as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” NASA’s Earth Science Division (ESD) recognizes the benefits that Earth observations with NASA satellites create by equipping individuals with the knowledge to address community challenges. NASA’s Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) supports the integration of socioeconomic and Earth science data as an “informational gateway.” This integration of data is advancing health, equity, and environmental justice initiatives.

Natasha Johnson-Griffin↗

The Process of Bringing Dark Data to Light: The Rescue of the Early Nimbus Satellite Data

Myriad environmental satellite missions are currently orbiting the earth. The comprehensive monitoring by these sensors provide scientists, policymakers, and the public critical information on the earths weather and climate system. The state of the art technology of our satellite monitoring system is the legacy of the first environment satellites, the Nimbus systems launched by NASA in the mid-1960s. Such early data can extend our climate record and provide important context in longer-term climate changes. However, the data was stowed away and, over the years, largely forgotten. It was nearly lost before its value was recognized and attempts to recover the data were undertaken. This paper covers what it took the authors to recover, navigate and reprocess the data into modern formats so that it could be used as a part of the satellite climate record. The procedures to recover the Nimbus data, from both film and tape, could be used by other data rescue projects, however the algorithms presented will tend to be Nimbus specific. Data rescue projects are often both difficult and time consuming but the data they bring back to the science community makes these efforts worthwhile.

dark↗

Environmental Public Health Survelliance for Exposure to Respiratory Health Hazards: A Joint NASA/CDC Project to Use Remote Sensing Data for Estimating Airborne Particulate Matter Over the Atlanta, Georgia Metropolitan Area

Describes the public health surveillance efforts of NASA, in a joint effort with the Center for Disease Control (CDC). NASA/MSFC and the CDC are partners in linking nvironmental and health data to enhance public health surveillance. The use of NASA technology creates value - added geospatial products from existing environmental data sources to facilitate public health linkages. The venture sought to provide remote sensing data for the 5-country Metro-Atlanta area and to integrate this environmental data with public health data into a local network, in an effort to prevent and control environmentally related health effects. Remote sensing data used environmental data (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] Air Quality System [AQS] ground measurements and MODIS Aerosol Optical Depth [AOD]) to estimate airborne particulate matter over Atlanta, and linked this data with health data related to asthma. The study proved the feasibility of linking environmental data (MODIS particular matter estimates and AQS) with health data (asthma). Algorithms were developed for QC, bias removal, merging MODIS and AQS particulate matter data, as well as for other applications. Additionally, a Business Associate Agreement was negotiated for a health care provider to enable sharing of Protected Health Information.

Quattrochi, Dale A.↗

Hyperspectral Remote Sensing and Ecological Modeling Research and Education at Mid America Remote Sensing Center (MARC): Field and Laboratory Enhancement

The purpose of this project was to establish a new hyperspectral remote sensing laboratory at the Mid-America Remote sensing Center (MARC), dedicated to in situ and laboratory measurements of environmental samples and to the manipulation, analysis, and storage of remotely sensed data for environmental monitoring and research in ecological modeling using hyperspectral remote sensing at MARC, one of three research facilities of the Center of Reservoir Research at Murray State University (MSU), a Kentucky Commonwealth Center of Excellence. The equipment purchased, a FieldSpec FR portable spectroradiometer and peripherals, and ENVI hyperspectral data processing software, allowed MARC to provide hands-on experience, education, and training for the students of the Department of Geosciences in quantitative remote sensing using hyperspectral data, Geographic Information System (GIS), digital image processing (DIP), computer, geological and geophysical mapping; to provide field support to the researchers and students collecting in situ and laboratory measurements of environmental data; to create a spectral library of the cover types and to establish a World Wide Web server to provide the spectral library to other academic, state and Federal institutions. Much of the research will soon be published in scientific journals. A World Wide Web page has been created at the web site of MARC. Results of this project are grouped in two categories, education and research accomplishments. The Principal Investigator (PI) modified remote sensing and DIP courses to introduce students to ii situ field spectra and laboratory remote sensing studies for environmental monitoring in the region by using the new equipment in the courses. The PI collected in situ measurements using the spectroradiometer for the ER-2 mission to Puerto Rico project for the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Airborne Simulator (MAS). Currently MARC is mapping water quality in Kentucky Lake and vegetation in the Land-Between-the Lakes (LBL) using Landsat-TM data. A Landsat-TM scene of the same day was obtained to relate ground measurements to the satellite data. A spectral library has been created for overstory species in LBL. Some of the methods, such as NPDF and IDFD techniques for spectral unmixing and reduction of effects of shadows in classifications- comparison of hyperspectral classification techniques, and spectral nonlinear and linear unmixing techniques, are being tested using the laboratory.

Cetin, Haluk↗

Strategic planning for aircraft noise route impact analysis: A three dimensional approach

The strategic routing of aircraft through navigable and controlled airspace to minimize adverse noise impact over sensitive areas is critical in the proper management and planning of the U.S. based airport system. A major objective of this phase of research is to identify, inventory, characterize, and analyze the various environmental, land planning, and regulatory data bases, along with potential three dimensional software and hardware systems that can be potentially applied for an impact assessment of any existing or planned air route. There are eight data bases that have to be assembled and developed in order to develop three dimensional aircraft route impact methodology. These data bases which cover geographical information systems, sound metrics, land use, airspace operational control measures, federal regulations and advisories, census data, and environmental attributes have been examined and aggregated. A three dimensional format is necessary for planning, analyzing space and possible noise impact, and formulating potential resolutions. The need to develop this three dimensional approach is essential due to the finite capacity of airspace for managing and planning a route system, including airport facilities. It appears that these data bases can be integrated effectively into a strategic aircraft noise routing system which should be developed as soon as possible, as part of a proactive plan applied to our FAA controlled navigable airspace for the United States.

Bragdon, C. R.↗

Benefits of Using Remote Sensing for Health Alerts and Chronic Respiratory Exposures

Respiratory diseases such as asthma can be triggered by environmental conditions that can be monitored using Earth observing data and environmental forecast models. Frequent dust storms in the southwestern United States, the annual cycle of juniper pollen events in the spring, and increased aerosol and ozone concentrations in summer, are health concerns shared by the community at large. Being able to forecast the occurrence of these events would help the health care community prepare for increased visits to emergency rooms, as well as allow public health officials to issue alerts to affected persons. This information also is important to epidemiologists for analyzing long-term trends and impacts of these events on the health and well-being of the community. Earth observing data collected by remote sensing platforms are important for improving the performance of models that can forecast these events, and in turn, improve products and information for decision-making by public health authorities. This presentation will discuss the benefits of using remote sensing data for forecasting environmental events that can adversely affect individuals with respiratory ailments. The presentations will include a brief discussion on relevant Earth observing data, the forecast models used, and societal benefits of the resulting products and information. Several NASA-funded projects will be highlighted as examples

Luvall, J. C.↗