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At least 487 records · Page 27

Remote-Manipulator Hand With Data-Processing Ability

A "smart" hand for remote manipulator not only senses forces acting on it and detects presence of objects in immediate vicinity but also processes sensory data and controls its gripping claws. Hand reduces computational load on control computer of manipulator system. Includes wrist body and two opposing jaws with sets of claws that mesh with each other. Jaws of hand open as wide as 8.8 cm. Brushless dc motor operates claws through bevel-gear drive train and pair of ball screws. Maximum grip force 540 N, or about 120 lb.

Bejczy, Antal K.↗

Piloted Evaluation of the H-Mode, a Variable Autonomy Control System, in Motion-Based Simulation

As aircraft become able to autonomously respond to a range of situations with performance surpassing human operators, we are compelled to look for new methods that help understand their use and guide the design of new, more effective forms of automation and interaction. The "H-mode" is one such method and is based on the metaphor of a well-trained horse. The concept allows the pilot to manage a broad range of control automation functionality, from augmented manual control to FMS-like coupling and automation initiated actions, using a common interface system and easily learned set of interaction skills. The interface leverages familiar manual control interfaces (e.g., the control stick) and flight displays through the addition of contextually dependent haptic-multimodal elements. The concept is relevant to manned and remotely piloted vehicles. This paper provides an overview of the H-mode concept followed by a presentation of the results from a recent evaluation conducted in a motion-based simulator. The evaluation focused on assessing the overall usability and flying qualities of the concept with an emphasis on the effects of turbulence and cockpit motion. Because the H-mode results in interactions between traditional flying qualities and management of higher-level flight path automation, these effects are of particular interest. The results indicate that the concept may provide a useful complement or replacement to conventional interfaces, and retains the usefulness in the presence of turbulence and motion.

Goodrich, Kenneth H.↗

Resolving Ice Cloud Optical Thickness Biases Between CALIOP and MODIS Using Infrared Retrievals

Despite its importance as one of the key radiative properties that determines the impact of upper tropospheric clouds on the radiation balance, ice cloud optical thickness (IOT) has proven to be one of the more challenging properties to retrieve from space-based remote sensing measurements. In particular, optically thin upper tropospheric ice clouds (cirrus) have been especially challenging due to their tenuous nature, extensive spatial scales, and complex particle shapes and light scattering characteristics. The lack of independent validation motivates the investigation presented in this paper, wherein systematic biases between MODIS Collection 5 (C5) and CALIOP Version 3 (V3) unconstrained retrievals of tenuous IOT (< 3) are examined using a month of collocated A-Train observations. An initial comparison revealed a factor of two bias between the MODIS and CALIOP IOT retrievals. This bias is investigated using an infrared (IR) radiative closure approach that compares both products with MODIS IR cirrus retrievals developed for this assessment. The analysis finds that both the MODIS C5 and the unconstrained CALIOP V3 retrievals are biased (high and low, respectively) relative to the IR IOT retrievals. Based on this finding, the MODIS and CALIOP algorithms are investigated with the goal of explaining and minimizing the biases relative to the IR. For MODIS we find that the assumed ice single scattering properties used for the C5 retrievals are not consistent with the mean IR COT distribution. The C5 ice scattering database results in the asymmetry parameter (g) varying as a function of effective radius with mean values that are too large. The MODIS retrievals have been brought into agreement with the IR by adopting a new ice scattering model for Collection 6 (C6) consisting of a modified gamma distribution comprised of a single habit (severely roughened aggregated columns); the C6 ice cloud optical property models have a constant g approx. = 0.75 in the mid-visible spectrum, 5-15% smaller than C5. For CALIOP, the assumed lidar ratio for unconstrained retrievals is fixed at 25 sr for the V3 data products.This value is found to be inconsistent with the constrained (predominantly nighttime) CALIOP retrievals. An experimental data set was produced using a modified lidar ratio of 32 sr for the unconstrained retrievals (an increase of 28%), selected to provide consistency with the constrained V3 results. These modifications greatly improve the agreement with the IR and provide consistency between the MODIS and CALIOP products. Based on these results the recently released MODIS C6 optical products use the single habit distribution given above, while the upcoming CALIOP V4 unconstrained algorithm will use higher lidar ratios for unconstrained retrievals.

Cloud↗

Spectral mapping of soil organic matter

Multispectral remote sensing data were examined for use in the mapping of soil organic matter content. Computer-implemented pattern recognition techniques were used to analyze data collected in May 1969 and May 1970 by an airborne multispectral scanner over a 40-km flightline. Two fields within the flightline were selected for intensive study. Approximately 400 surface soil samples from these fields were obtained for organic matter analysis. The analytical data were used as training sets for computer-implemented analysis of the spectral data. It was found that within the geographical limitations included in this study, multispectral data and automatic data processing techniques could be used very effectively to delineate and map surface soils areas containing different levels of soil organic matter.

Kristof, S. J.↗

A Machine Learning Approach to Objective Identification of Dust in Satellite Imagery

Airborne dust has broad adverse effects on human activity, including aviation, human health, and agriculture. Remote sensing observations are used to detect dust and aerosols in the atmosphere using long established techniques. False color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) imagery using band differences sensitive to dust absorption (Dust RGB) is currently used operationally to assist forecasters and decision-makers in identifying dust at night, but there are still limitations, subjectivity, and nuances to image interpretation making night-time dust identification difficult even for experts. This study applies machine learning to the problem of night-time dust detection with a simple random forest (RF) model using Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-16 (GOES-16) Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) infrared imagery, band differences sensitive to dust absorption, and Dust RGB color components as inputs to the model. The RF model achieves an Area-Under-Curve (AUC) of 0.97 with a standard deviation of 0.04 for dust cases. For images with dust present, the model correctly labels 85% of dust pixels and 99.96% of no-dust pixels for all dust images in the validation data set. The addition of a single null case to the training data set drastically reduces error in labeling no-dust pixels as dust from 45% to 14.5%. Application of the machine learning model to the April 13–14, 2019 dust event demonstrates the ability of the model to identify dust during night-time hours when visual dust detection is limited by the cooling ground surface characteristics.

dust↗

Results of post-test psychological examinations of the crewmen from the 90-day manned test of an advanced regenerative life support system

The following material presents the results of two temporally remote administrations of an identical projective personality assessment device (Rorschach Inkblot) using crew members aboard the 90-day test. The first administration took place during preselection crew psychodiagnostic testing in the period extending from mid-December 1969 through mid-January 1970. Second administration took place in late May and early June, 1971, approximately one year after termination of the test. During the 90-day program duration, the subjects participated in the crew training program, were selected and served as onboard crew during the 90-day test. The testing was undertaken in order to determine the character and extent of change (if any) in basic personality dynamics accompanying or caused by participation in the 90-day test program. Results indicate that significant personality changes occurred in three of the four onboard crew members. A detailed discussion of the results is provided. Objective scores which served as the basis for the discussion are presented in the Appendix.

Seeman, J. S.↗

Development of a Complete Landsat Evapotranspiration and Energy Balance Archive to Support Agricultural Consumptive Water Use Reporting and Prediction in the Central Valley, CA

Mapping evapotranspiration (ET) from agricultural areas in Californias Central Valley is critical for understanding historical consumptive use of surface and groundwater. In addition, long histories of ET maps provide valuable training information for predictive studies of surface and groundwater demands. During times of drought, groundwater is commonly pumped to supplement reduced surface water supplies in the Central Valley. Due to the lack of extensive groundwater pumping records, mapping consumptive use using satellite imagery is an efficient and robust way for estimating agricultural consumptive use and assessing drought impacts. To this end, we have developed and implemented an algorithm for automated calibration of the METRIC remotely sensed surface energy balance model on NASAs Earth Exchange (NEX) to estimate ET at the field scale. Using automated calibration techniques on the NEX has allowed for the creation of spatially explicit historical ET estimates for the Landsat archive dating from 1984 to the near present. Further, our use of spatial NLDAS and CIMIS weather data, and spatial soil water balance simulations within the NEX METRIC workflow, has helped overcome challenges of time integration between satellite image dates. This historical and near present time archive of agricultural water consumption for the Central Valley will be an extremely useful dataset for water use and drought impact reporting, and predictive analyses of groundwater demands.

valleys↗

Modelling above-ground biomass stock over Norway using national forest inventory data with ArcticDEM and Sentinel-2 data

Boreal forests constitute a large portion of the global forest area, yet they are undersampled through field surveys, and only a few remotely sensed data sources provide structural information wall-to-wall throughout the boreal domain. ArcticDEM is a collection of high-resolution (2 m) space-borne stereogrammetric digital surface models (DSM) covering the entire land area north of 60° of latitude. The free-availability of ArcticDEM data offers new possibilities for aboveground biomass mapping (AGB) across boreal forests, and thus it is necessary to evaluate the potential for these data to map AGB over alternative open-data sources (i.e., Sentinel-2). This study was performed over the entire land area of Norway north of 60° of latitude, and the Norwegian national forest inventory (NFI) was used as a source of field data composed of accurately geolocated field plots (n=7710) systematically distributed across the study area. Separate random forest models were fitted using NFI data, and corresponding remotely sensed data consisting of either: i) a canopy height model (ArcticCHM) obtained by subtracting a high-quality digital terrain model (DTM) from the ArcticDEM DSM height values, ii) Sentinel-2 (S2), or iii) a combination of the two (ArcticCHM+S2). Furthermore, we assessed the effect of the forest- and terrain-specific factors on the models’ predictive accuracy. The best model (,i.e., ArcticCHM+S2) explained nearly 60% of the variance of the training set, which translated in the largest accuracy in terms of root mean square error (RMSE=41.4 t/ha). This result highlights the synergy between 3D and multispectral data in AGB modelling. Furthermore, this study showed that despite the importance of ArcticCHM variables, the S2 model performed slightly better than ArcticCHM model. This finding highlights some of the limitations of ArcticDEM, which, despite the unprecedented spatial resolution, is highly heterogeneous due to the blending of multiple acquisitions across different years and seasons. We found that both forest- and terrain-specific characteristics affected the uncertainty of the ArcticCHM+S2 model and concluded that the combined use of ArcticCHM and Sentinel-2 represents a viable solution for AGB mapping across boreal forests. The synergy between the two data sources allowed for a reduction of the saturation effects typical of multispectral data while ensuring the spatial consistency in the output predictions due to the removal of artifacts and data voids present in ArcticCHM data. While the main contribution of this study is to provide the first evidence of the best-case-scenario (i.e., availability of accurate terrain models) that ArcticDEM data can provide for large-scale AGB modelling, it remains critically important for other studies to investigate how ArcticDEM may be used in areas where no DTMs are available as is the case for large portions of the boreal zone.

space-borne imagery↗

Prithvi-EO-2.0: A Versatile Multi-Temporal Foundation Model for Earth Observation Applications

This technical report presents Prithvi-EO-2.0, a new geospatial foundation model that offers significant improvements over its predecessor, Prithvi-EO-1.0. Trained on 4.2M global time series samples from NASA’s Harmonized Landsat and Sentinel-2 data archive at 30m resolution, the new 300M and 600M parameter models incorporate temporal and location embeddings for enhanced performance across various geospatial tasks. Through extensive benchmarking with GEOBench, the 600M version outperforms the previous Prithvi-EO model by 8% across a range of tasks. It also outperforms six other geospatial foundation models when benchmarked on remote sensing tasks from different domains and resolutions (i.e. from 0.1m to 15m). The results demonstrate the versatility of the model in both classical earth observation and high-resolution applications. Early involvement of end-users and subject matter experts (SMEs) are among the key factors that contributed to the project’s success. In particular, SME involvement allowed for constant feedback on model and dataset design, as well as successful customization for diverse SME-led applications in disaster response, land use and crop mapping, and ecosystem dynamics monitoring. Prithvi-EO-2.0 is available on Hugging Face and IBM terratorch, with additional resources on GitHub. The project exemplifies the Trusted Open Science approach embraced by all involved organizations.

Daniela Szwarcman↗

Application of remote sensing data to surveys of the Alaskan environment

Coupling of satellite data to resource management problems in Alaska is implemented through feasibility studies of applicability of Landsat data to specific environmental surveys in ecology, agriculture, hydrology, wildlife management, oceanography, geology, etc.; and using the results of these studies to extend the benefits of satellite data applications to the operational needs of mission-oriented agencies of federal, state, and regional governments, as well as private industry. Activities designed to encourage the participation of users in the Landsat program at levels most appropriate to the users' interests are described and include: observation, coordination, and information exchange; training courses and workshops; data exchange; consulting services; data processing services; user participation in University research projects; and university participation in the operational projects of user agencies. Progress in these areas is reported. The effectiveness of this broad-based approach in overcoming the initial apprehensiveness of users is demonstrated.

Belon, A. E.↗

Evaluation of several schemes for classification of remotely sensed data: Their parameters and performance

The author has identified the following significant results. Data sets for corn, soybeans, winter wheat, and spring wheat were used to evaluate the following schemes for crop identification: (1) per point Gaussian maximum classifier; (2) per point sum of normal densities classifiers; (3) per point linear classifier; (4) per point Gaussian maximum likelihood decision tree classifiers; and (5) texture sensitive per field Gaussian maximum likelihood classifier. Test site location and classifier both had significant effects on classification accuracy of small grains; classifiers did not differ significantly in overall accuracy, with the majority of the difference among classifiers being attributed to training method rather than to the classification algorithm applied. The complexity of use and computer costs for the classifiers varied significantly. A linear classification rule which assigns each pixel to the class whose mean is closest in Euclidean distance was the easiest for the analyst and cost the least per classification.

Scholz, D.↗

Initial testing of the Uncrewed Aerial System Pilot Kit (UASP-kit) in Operational Settings

Pilots for small uncrewed aerial systems (sUAS) are at a disadvantage for building situation awareness of the remote airspace in which they are flying, simply because they are distant from their vehicles. A tool to provide increased air traffic situation awareness for an sUAS pilot is being developed. The UAS pilot kit, “UASP-kit,” is small and self-contained, with its chief capability being to collect and display Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast reports of local aircraft. UASP-kits were taken into the field, introduced to users during a training course, and then left with them for the summer fire season. sUAS pilots used the prototypes when it was appropriate throughout the summer. The UASP-kits were operational for a total of 79 flight-days. Users reported that the UASP-kits supported their situation awareness but also identified several usability issues. The findings contribute to validation of the UASP-kit, and support continuing the work to improve the tool and develop additional functionality.

STEReO↗

Mapping National Forest Aboveground Biomass in Mexico By Integrating GEDI and Landsat Times Series Data

Mexico is one of the countries with great potential for the UN's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) program, a key nature-based solution for the forest sector. To monitor carbon stock changes, there is a growing demand for unbiased Monitoring Reporting Verification (MRV) systems to facilitate effective forest management and climate change mitigation strategies. Remote sensing-based national aboveground biomass density (AGBD) estimation over Mexico is scarce and often limited to one-time static mapping, leading to spatiotemporal inconsistency in inputs. As an effort under NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) program, we have developed a remote sensing-based approach to create consistent historical AGBD maps of Mexico using multi-stream remote sensing data, including spaceborne lidar GEDI and long-term Landsat time series, as well as topographic information. We employ the continuous change detection and classification (CCDC) algorithm for temporal modeling of Landsat surface reflectance, followed by the inference of forest AGBD using a random forest machine learning algorithm with the temporal information of land surface dynamics extracted by the CCDC as input. GEDI provides unprecedented forest structure and AGBD sampling datasets for model training and validation practices. In this presentation, we share the progress made in developing a spatially explicit mapping of historical AGBD changes associated with land surface changes and post-disturbance landscapes.

Taejin Park↗

OSTA-1 lessons learned and recommendations for future payloads

Five remote sensing experiments, together with one air pollution and one bioengineering experiment, were incorporated into the first Space Shuttle scientific payload of the NASA Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications (OSTA-1). The instrument package, experimental procedures, and specialized personnel teams all performed satisfactorily. Attention is presently given to the lessons learned during the OSTA-1-incorporating mission, STS-2 of November 12, 1981. Payload test and integration teams should never take unfamiliar facilities for granted. Training, especially if it employs hands-on experience with full-scale mockups and mission simulations, is found to be highly effective. Ephemeris data is too important to trust to table-top calculators, since errors propagate in repeated calculations. Terminal access to an off-line computer is required.

Baldwin, R. R.↗

A Principal Component and Machine Learning Approach to Spatially Gap Fill Hyperspectral Ocean Color Satellite Retrievals

Retrievals of ocean color properties from space are important for monitoring the health of the ocean ecosystem but such retrievals tend to be limited in spatial coverage due to conditions such as clouds, aerosols, and sun glint. Gap filling of ocean color retrievals is typically performed by combining retrievals from multiple satellites or temporally averaging multiple days of retrievals but despite these techniques large gaps still exist posing challenges for near real time monitoring of events like harmful algae blooms. To address these limitations, we propose a spatial gap filling approach using machine learning to learn how to perform an atmospheric correction under challenging retrieval conditions. In this approach a principal component analysis is used to decompose the hyperspectral measurements into spectral features that describe the scattering and absorption of the atmosphere as well as the underlying surface. The coefficients of the principal components are then used to train a neural network to predict ocean color properties derived from a standard ocean color algorithm such as the MODIS atmospheric correction algorithm. This machine learning approach is independent of a priori information and does not rely on any radiative transfer modeling. We apply the approach to two hyperspectral UV/VIS instruments, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) to show that it can be used to estimate ocean color properties such as chlorophyll, remote sensing reflectance, and fluorescence line height. This method could be used as a gap-filling technique for the future Ocean Color Instrument (OCI) which will be onboard NASA's Plankton, Aerosol Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) ocean color satellite to provide additional information for monitoring the health of our global oceans. Additionally, it could be applied to the geostationary satellite Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) to better understand diurnal variability in ocean ecology.

MODIS atmospheric correction algorithm↗

NASA's Lunar Polar Ice Prospector, RESOLVE: Mission Rehearsal in Apollo Valley

After the completion of the Apollo Program, space agencies didn't visit the moon for many years. But then in the 90's, the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions returned and showed evidence of water ice at the poles. Then in 2009 the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite indisputably showed that the Cabeus crater contained water ice and other useful volatiles. Furthermore, instruments aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) show evidence that the water ice may also be present in areas that receive several days of continuous sunlight each month. However, before we can factor this resource into our mission designs, we must understand the distribution and quantity of ice or other volatiles at the poles and whether it can be reasonably harvested for use as propellant or mission consumables. NASA, in partnership with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), has been developing a payload to answer these questions. The payload is named RESOLVE. RESOLVE is on a development path that will deliver a tested flight design by the end of 2014. The team has developed a Design Reference Mission using LRO data that has RESOLVE landing near Cabeus Crater in May of2016. One of the toughest obstacles for RESOLVE's solar powered mission is its tight timeline. RESOLVE must be able to complete its objectives in the 5-7 days of available sunlight. The RESOLVE team must be able to work around obstacles to the mission timeline in real time. They can't afford to take a day off to replan as other planetary missions have done. To insure that this mission can be executed as planned, a prototype version of RESOLVE was developed this year and tested at a lunar analog site on Hawaii, known as Apollo Valley, which was once used to train the Apollo astronauts. The RESOLVE team planned the mission with the same type of orbital imagery that would be available from LRO. The simulation team prepositioned a Lander in Apollo Valley with RESOLVE on top mounted on its CSA rover. Then the mission simulation began as the operations team's consoles came alive with data and images. They executed the mission just like the real mission with lunar communications delays and limited bandwidth and a realistic remote mission control room. This paper will describe the RESOLVE payload in detail and describe the results of the mission simulation in Hawaii.

Larson, William E.↗

Air pollution source identification

The techniques available for source identification are reviewed: remote sensing, injected tracers, and pollutants themselves as tracers. The use of the large number of trace elements in the ambient airborne particulate matter as a practical means of identifying sources is discussed. Trace constituents are determined by sensitive, inexpensive, nondestructive, multielement analytical methods such as instrumental neutron activation and charged particle X-ray fluorescence. The application to a large data set of pairwise correlation, the more advanced pattern recognition-cluster analysis approach with and without training sets, enrichment factors, and pollutant concentration rose displays for each element is described. It is shown that elemental constituents are related to specific source types: earth crustal, automotive, metallurgical, and more specific industries. A field-ready source identification system based on time and wind direction resolved sampling is described.

Fordyce, J. S.↗

Wireless Self-Acquistion of 12-Lead ECG via Android Smart Phone

Researchers at NASA s Johnson Space Center and at Orbital Research, Inc. (a NASA SBIR grant recipient) have recently developed a dry-electrode harness that allows for self-acquisition of resting 12-lead ECGs by minimally trained laypersons. When used in conjunction with commercial wireless (e.g., Bluetooth(TM) or 802.11-enabled) 12-lead ECG devices and custom smart phone-based software, the collected 12-lead ECG data can also immediately be forwarded from any geographic location within cellular range to the user s physician(s) of choice. The system can also be used to immediately forward to central receiving stations 12-lead ECG data collected during space flight or during activities in any remote terrestrial location supported by an internet or cellular phone infrastructure. The main novel aspects of the system are first, the dry-electrode 12-lead ECG harness itself, and second, an accompanying Android(TM) smart phone-based wireless 12-lead ECG capability. The ECG harness nominally employs dry electrodes manufactured by Orbital Research, Inc, recently cleared through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, other dry electrodes that are not yet FDA cleared, for example those recently developed by Nanosonic, Inc as part of another NASA SBIR grant, can also be used. The various advantageous features of the harness include: 1) laypersons can be quickly instructed on its correct use, remotely if necessary; 2) all tangled "leadwire spaghetti" is eliminated, as is the common clinical problem of "leadwire reversal"; 3) all adhesives and disposables are also eliminated, the harness being fully reusable; if multiple individuals intend to use use the same harness, then standard antimicrobial wipes can be employed to sterilize the dry electrodes (and harness surface if needed) between users; 5) padded cushions at the lateral sides of the torso function to press the left arm (LA) and right arm (RA) dry electrodes mounted on the cushions against sideward or downward-rested arms of the subject; 6) sufficient distal placement of the arm electrodes achieves good electrode abutment to the arms without the need for adhesives, straps, bands, bracelets, or gloves; 7) padding over the sternum avoids "tenting" in the V1 through V3 (and, when present, the V3R) electrode positions; 8) easy-to-don, one-piece design with an adjustable, front-side single point of connection and an adjustable shoulder strap; and 9) Lund or "modified Lund" placement of the dry electrodes, the results of which more effectively reproduce results from "standard" 12-lead ECG placements than do results from Mason-Likar placements. The main limitation of the harness is that "one size does not fit all", meaning that an appropriately sized harness (small, medium, large, etc) must be chosen on the basis of an individual's size. To facilitate the use of the harness with inexpensive, commodity-grade cell phones and tablet devices, 12-lead ECG software is also being developed to accompany the harness for wireless use with Android. For this part of the project, NASA has teamed with TopCoder, Inc and the Harvard-affiliated NASA Tournament Lab in sponsoring java-based software programming contests through TopCoder. While ECG signals from the harness can already be wirelessly received and thoroughly processed (locally or remotely) by commercial-grade conventional (as well as advanced) 12-lead ECG software running on Microsoft Windows(TM), the Android-based software, once completed, will "cast a wider net" by allowing for a greater percentage of cell phone owners to participate in inexpensive, store-and-forward recordings of 12-lead ECGs worldwide, including for example Android cell phone users in many remote, third-world locations. At the time of writing, the Android 12-lead ECG software platform consists of a basic but expanding graphical user interface and accompanying software that: 1) wirelessly receives the 12-lead ECG data stream from a Bluetooth-based, FDA-cleared 12-leaCG device attached to the harness; 2) locally stores the same data in binary format to the SD card on the Android cell phone; and 3) makes the data stream in available in real time, for now to TopCoder's java programming contestants.

Schlegel, Todd T.↗