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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2010

Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) Sensor Validation and Verification on National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Lockheed WP-3D Aircraft

As part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Aviation Safety and Security Program, the Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting project (TAMDAR) developed a low-cost sensor for aircraft flying in the lower troposphere. This activity was a joint effort with support from Federal Aviation Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and industry. This paper reports the TAMDAR sensor performance validation and verification, as flown on board NOAA Lockheed WP-3D aircraft. These flight tests were conducted to assess the performance of the TAMDAR sensor for measurements of temperature, relative humidity, and wind parameters. The ultimate goal was to develop a small low-cost sensor, collect useful meteorological data, downlink the data in near real time, and use the data to improve weather forecasts. The envisioned system will initially be used on regional and package carrier aircraft. The ultimate users of the data are National Centers for Environmental Prediction forecast modelers. Other users include air traffic controllers, flight service stations, and airline weather centers. NASA worked with an industry partner to develop the sensor. Prototype sensors were subjected to numerous tests in ground and flight facilities. As a result of these earlier tests, many design improvements were made to the sensor. The results of tests on a final version of the sensor are the subject of this report. The sensor is capable of measuring temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and icing. It can compute pressure altitude, indicated air speed, true air speed, ice presence, wind speed and direction, and eddy dissipation rate. Summary results from the flight test are presented along with corroborative data from aircraft instruments.

Tsoucalas, George↗
DOE OSTI2016

The Need for Precise and Well-documented Experimental Data on Prompt Fission Neutron Spectra from Neutron-induced Fission of {sup 239}Pu

The spectrum of neutrons emitted promptly after {sup 239}Pu(n,f)—a so-called prompt fission neutron spectrum (PFNS)—is a quantity of high interest, for instance, for reactor physics and global security. However, there are only few experimental data sets available that are suitable for evaluations. In addition, some of those data sets differ by more than their 1-σ uncertainty boundaries. We present the results of MCNP studies indicating that these differences are partly caused by underestimated multiple scattering contributions, over-corrected background, and inconsistent deconvolution methods. A detailed uncertainty quantification for suitable experimental data was undertaken including these effects, and test-evaluations were performed with the improved uncertainty information. The test-evaluations illustrate that the inadequately estimated effects and detailed uncertainty quantification have an impact on the evaluated PFNS and associated uncertainties as well as the neutron multiplicity of selected critical assemblies. A summary of data and documentation needs to improve the quality of the experimental database is provided based on the results of simulations and test-evaluations. Given the possibly substantial distortion of the PFNS by multiple scattering and background effects, special care should be taken to reduce these effects in future measurements, e.g., by measuring the {sup 239}Pu PFNS as a ratio to either the {sup 235}U or {sup 252}Cf PFNS.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Application of DLT cybersecurity stack to TES applications for a scalable, cybersecure, and interoperable future

Transactive Energy Systems (TES) are expected to improve upon existing grid operations and capabilities by enabling the integration of traditional grid resources with distributed energy resources (DER). Distributed Ledger Technology or DLT (e.g., blockchain) presents itself as a viable instrument to support decentralized, autonomous, and tamper-evident applications, which can be leveraged within TES's ecosystem. DLTs can provide pertinent security controls including access controls, data immutability, and traceability in addition to other well-known advantages such as decentralization and scalability. This work demonstrates the DLT Cybersecurity stack and its applicability to TES-based use-cases/applications. The seven-layer DLT cybersecurity stack is a DLT-agnostic framework that can quickly be used to classify and group the individual needs of an application into the different processing and cybersecurity layers offered by a DLT using a common taxonomy and an architectural mapping framework. This enables application engineers to demystify and strengthen the overall security aspects of their systems while maintaining an open perspective towards features and drawbacks that may hinder their performance in real-world scenarios. The paper leverages the work performed by the IEEE P2418.5 - Blockchain for Energy Standards working group.

Blockchain, blockchain interoperability, Cybersecu↗
DOE OSTI2018

VULCON: A System for Vulnerability Prioritization, Mitigation, and Management

Vulnerability remediation is a critical task in operational software and network security management. In this paper, an effective vulnerability management strategy, called VULCON (VULnerability CONtrol), is developed and evaluated. The strategy is based on two fundamental performance metrics: i). Time-to-Vulnerability Remediation (TVR) and; ii). Total Vulnerability Exposure (TVE). VULCON takes as input real vulnerability scan reports, metadata about the discovered vulnerabilities, asset criticality, and personnel resources. VULCON uses a mixed integer multi-objective optimization algorithm to prioritize vulnerabilities for patching, such that the above performance metrics are optimized subject to the given resource constraints. VULCON has been tested on multiple months of real scan data from a Cyber-Security Operations Center (CSOC). Results indicate an overall Total Vulnerability Exposure reduction of 8.97\% when VULCON optimizes a realistic security analyst workforce's effort. Additionally, it is demonstrated that VULCON can determine monthly resources required to maintain a target TVE score. As such, VULCON provides valuable operational guidance for improving vulnerability response processes in CSOCs.

Farris, Katheryn A.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Land and Atmosphere Near-Real-Time Capability for Earth Observing System

The past decade has seen a rapid increase in availability and usage of near-real-time data from satellite sensors. The EOSDIS (Earth Observing System Data and Information System) was not originally designed to provide data with sufficiently low latency to satisfy the requirements for near-real-time users. The EOS (Earth Observing System) instruments aboard the Terra, Aqua and Aura satellites make global measurements daily, which are processed into higher-level 'standard' products within 8-40 hours of observation and then made available to users, primarily earth science researchers. However, applications users, operational agencies, and even researchers desire EOS products in near-real-time to support research and applications, including numerical weather and climate prediction and forecasting, monitoring of natural hazards, ecological/invasive species, agriculture, air quality, disaster relief and homeland security. These users often need data much sooner than routine science processing allows, usually within 3 hours, and are willing to trade science product quality for timely access. While Direct Broadcast provides more timely access to data, it does not provide global coverage. In 2002, a joint initiative between NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and the DOD (Department of Defense) was undertaken to provide data from EOS instruments in near-real-time. The NRTPE (Near Real Time Processing Effort) provided products within 3 hours of observation on a best-effort basis. As the popularity of these near-real-time products and applications grew, multiple near-real-time systems began to spring up such as the Rapid Response System. In recognizing the dependence of customers on this data and the need for highly reliable and timely data access, NASA's Earth Science Division sponsored the Earth Science Data and Information System Project (ESDIS)-led development of a new near-real-time system called LANCE (Land, Atmosphere Near-Real-Time Capability for EOS) in 2009. LANCE consists of special processing elements, co-located with selected EOSDIS data centers and processing facilities. A primary goal of LANCE is to bring multiple near-real-time systems under one umbrella, offering commonality in data access, quality control, and latency. LANCE now processes and distributes data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) instruments within 3 hours of satellite observation. The Rapid Response System and the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) capabilities will be incorporated into LANCE in 2011. LANCE maintains a central website to facilitate easy access to data and user services. LANCE products are extensively tested and compared with science products before being made available to users. Each element also plans to implement redundant network, power and server infrastructure to ensure high availability of data and services. Through the user registration system, users are informed of any data outages and when new products or services will be available for access. Building on a significant investment by NASA in developing science algorithms and products, LANCE creates products that have a demonstrated utility for applications requiring near-real-time data. From lower level data products such as calibrated geolocated radiances to higher-level products such as sea ice extent, snow cover, and cloud cover, users have integrated LANCE data into forecast models and decision support systems. The table above shows the current near-real-time product categories by instrument. The ESDIS Project continues to improve the LANCE system and use the experience gained through practice to seek adjustments to improve the quality and performance of the system. For example, anGC-compliant Web Map Service (WMS) will be added shortly that will allow users to download geo-referenced MODIS images for arbitrary bounding boxes. Further, an OGC-compliant Web Coverage Service (WCS) will be added later this year that will expedite user access to arbitrary data subsets or re-formatted products. AIRS images are now served through WMS and available in multiple formats (PNG, GeoTIFF, KMZ). NASA has established a LANCE User Working Group to steer the development of the system and create a forum for sharing ideas and experiences that are expected to further improve the LANCE capabilities. The LANCE system has proved a success by satisfying the growing needs of the applications and operational communities for land and atmosphere data in near-real-time. NASA's Earth Sciences Division was able to leverage existing science research capabilities to provide the near-real-time community with products and imagery that support monitoring of disasters in a timely manner.

Murphy, Kevin J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Compilation and Evaluation of Data from Groundwater Impounded within the U12n and U12t Tunnels, Rainier and Aqueduct Mesas, Nevada National Security Site

The Department of Defense (DOD) Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management Nevada Program (EM NV) conducted routine physical and geochemical monitoring of water impounded behind impermeable structures placed within the U12n and U12t tunnels on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) (formerly the Nevada Test Site [NTS]). Desert Research Institute (DRI) conducted a semiquantitative evaluation of pressure data to determine the extent to which the tunnels have been inundated and a qualitative evaluation of monitored geochemical parameters to determine if trends exist that were indicative of hydrologic and/or geochemical processes operating behind the tunnel plugs. Data were also evaluated to determine if monitored radiological parameters exceeded primary standards associated with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) (40 C.F.R. § 141.66).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2023

Bhutan Agriculture III: Monitoring Cropland Changes in Bhutan using Remote Sensing to Bolster Food Security and Support Crop Monitoring

The Bhutan Agriculture III team aimed to improve agricultural efficiency in Bhutan. Bhutan is a nation heavily reliant on agriculture, but it faces challenges such as geophysical limitations and lack of scientific agricultural practice. The team partnered with a primary end user, Bhutan’s Department of Agriculture (DoA), and with collaborators; the Bhutan Foundation, National Plant Protection Centre (NPPC), Agricultural Research Department Centre (ARDC), National Statistics Bureau (NSB), and the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environment Research (UWICER). Advised by NASA SERVIR, the team developed crop masks and monitored rice distribution from 2015 to 2022 utilizing Earth observations such as Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Landsat 9 OLI-2, Sentinel-1 C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (C-SAR), Sentinel-2 MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). The team gathered 5,000 points from the five dzongkhags that yield the most rice in Bhutan (Paro, Punakha, Samtse, Sarpang and Wangue Phodrang) using Collect Earth Online (CEO). With the data collected, the team split the data into training and validation data on Google Earth Engine (GEE) for a random forest (RF) classifier for rice and non-rice classification. After running the data on the Random Forest (RF) model, the team got an accuracy score of 81.48%, a kappa score of 55.75% and an F1 score of 86.11%. This data supports better agricultural decision-making for the governing body of Bhutan, helps enhance farming efficiency and foster sustainable practices, assists in overcoming data inaccuracy and bolsters food security in the country.

Sonam Seldon Tshering↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Hybrid Data-Driven and Model-Based Anomaly Detection Scheme for DER Operation: Preprint

This paper proposes a hybrid data and model-based anomaly detection for securing the operation of distributed energy resources (DERs) in distribution grids. Data-driven autoencoders (AE) are set up at the edge level by taking local DER data and detect anomalous operations by leveraging the reconstruction ability. In parallel, model-based state estimation (SE) is running at the system level by taking system models and measurements, the anomalies are identified by analyzing the measurements residual. The hybrid scheme preserves the benefits of both data-driven and model-based analysis and thus improves the robustness and accuracy of anomaly detection. It can be established by getting full use of the existing infrastructures in distribution grids. Numerical tests on a realistic distribution feeder in Southern California highlight the effectiveness as well as benefits of the proposed scheme.

anomaly detection↗
DOE OSTI2024

Distributed and Secure Spectrum Sharing for 5G and 6G Networks

Secure spectrum sharing or spectrum co-existence of multiple 5G networks and future 6G networks is a powerful enabler technology. The National Spectrum Strategy (NSS) published by the White House in November, 2023, and the subsequent NSS implementation plan led by the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) is the driver of a national effort to enable co-existence of government incumbents and commercial networks in selected spectrum bands. Cellular networks such as 5G & 6G and non-cellular Wi-Fi 6E & 7 are the prominent wireless technologies considered for co-existence with incumbent wireless links. Security of the spectrum sharing solutions is a must to make this transformation of spectrum use possible, specially for mission critical communications. However, current spectrum sharing solutions rely on centralized data bases with inherent vulnerabilities. This paper focuses on secure spectrum sharing among multiple 5G networks using unlicensed and shared frequency bands. It presents an innovative AI/ML based distributed spectrum sharing approach that can be autonomously used by multiple networks. Each sharing network uses its own observation of the Radio Frequency (RF) environment, which consists of RF measurements reported from the 5G User Equipment (UE), to adjust the transmission power levels for secure co-existence. Data is presented to illustrate the superior performance of this solution compared to other spectrum sharing solutions where each network can utilize usage data of the other networks. Finally it discusses how this efficient spectrum sharing solution can evolve in the future for the 6G networks.

5G↗
DOE OSTI2022

Advanced architectures for high-performance quantum networking

As practical quantum networks prepare to serve an ever-expanding number of nodes, there has grown a need for advanced auxiliary classical systems that support the quantum protocols and maintain compatibility with the existing fiber-optic infrastructure. We propose and demonstrate a quantum local area network design that addresses current deployment limitations in timing and security in a scalable fashion using commercial off-the-shelf components. First, we employ White Rabbit switches to synchronize three remote nodes with ultra-low timing jitter, significantly increasing the fidelities of the distributed entangled states over previous work with Global Positioning System clocks. Second, using a parallel quantum key distribution channel, we secure the classical communications needed for instrument control and data management. Therefore, the conventional network that manages our entanglement network is secured using keys generated via an underlying quantum key distribution layer, preserving the integrity of the supporting systems and the relevant data in a future-proof fashion.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
NASA NTRS2022

A Central Asia Hydrologic Monitoring Dataset for Food and Water Security Applications in Afghanistan

From the Hindu Kush mountains to the Registan Desert, Afghanistan is a diverse landscape where droughts, floods, conflict, and economic market accessibility pose challenges for agricultural livelihoods and food security. The ability to remotely monitor environmental conditions is critical to support decision making for humanitarian assistance. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) Land Data Assimilation System (FLDAS) global and Central Asia data streams provide information on hydrologic states for routine integrated food security analysis. While developed for a specific project, these data are publicly available and useful for other applications that require hydrologic estimates of the water and energy balance. These two data streams are unique because of their suitability for routine monitoring, as well as for being a historical record for computing relative indicators of water availability. The global stream is available at ∼ 1-month latency, and monthly average outputs are on a 10 km grid from 1982–present. The second data stream, Central Asia (21–56°N, 30–100°E), at ∼ 1 d latency, provides daily average outputs on a 1 km grid from 2000–present. This paper describes the configuration of the two FLDAS data streams, background on the software modeling framework, selected meteorological inputs and parameters, and results from previous evaluation studies. We also provide additional analysis of precipitation and snow cover over Afghanistan. We conclude with an example of how these data are used in integrated food security analysis. For use in new and innovative studies that will improve understanding of this region, these data are hosted by U.S. Geological Survey data portals and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Central Asia data described in this paper can be accessed via the NASA repository at https://doi.org/10.5067/VQ4CD3Y9YC0R (Jacob and Slinski, 2021), and the global data described in this paper can be accessed via the NASA repository at https://doi.org/10.5067/5NHC22T9375G (McNally, 2018).

Amy McNally↗
NASA NTRS2011

Evaluating the Use of Remote Sensing Data in the USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Network

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) s Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) provides monitoring and early warning support to decision makers responsible for responding to food insecurity emergencies on three continents. FEWS NET uses satellite remote sensing and ground observations of rainfall and vegetation in order to provide information on drought, floods and other extreme weather events to decision makers. Previous research has presented results from a professional review questionnaire with FEWS NET expert end-users whose focus was to elicit Earth observation requirements. The review provided FEWS NET operational requirements and assessed the usefulness of additional remote sensing data. Here we analyzed 1342 food security update reports from FEWS NET. The reports consider the biophysical, socioeconomic, and contextual influences on the food security in 17 countries in Africa from 2000-2009. The objective was to evaluate the use of remote sensing information in comparison with other important factors in the evaluation of food security crises. The results show that all 17 countries use rainfall information, agricultural production statistics, food prices and food access parameters in their analysis of food security problems. The reports display large scale patterns that are strongly related to history of the FEWS NET program in each country. We found that rainfall data was used 84% of the time, remote sensing of vegetation 28% of the time, and gridded crop models 10%, reflecting the length of use of each product in the regions. More investment is needed in training personnel on remote sensing products to improve use of data products throughout the FEWS NET system.

Brown, Molly E.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Vadose zone monitoring at the radioactive waste management sites at the Nevada national security site - 15294

Two lysimeter facilities continuously monitor the vadose zone at the radioactive waste disposal sites at the Nevada National Security Site. The time-series data collected at these facilities support the performance assessments of the radioactive waste disposal sites, the closure cover designs, and the long-term monitoring decisions for these sites. The Weighing Lysimeter Facility at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) consists of a bare-soil weighing lysimeter and a vegetated weighing lysimeter. The upper surfaces of both weighing lysimeters are exposed to precipitation. The Drainage Lysimeter Facility at the Area 3 RWMS includes bare-soil lysimeters that receive precipitation or precipitation supplemented with irrigation equal to double precipitation and vegetated lysimeters that have the same upper boundary conditions as the bare-soil lysimeters. Lysimeter sensors are connected to data-loggers that are accessed remotely for data acquisition. Lysimeter water balance measurements show the arid climate and native vegetation at the NNSS provide a natural sustainable system to effectively prevent transport of contaminants from the RWMSs through the vadose zone to groundwater. Transport by infiltration and percolation of present day precipitation at the RWMSs is prevented. The native desert vegetation is adapted to extract moisture from very dry soils and maintains negative matric potentials at the base of the root zone effectively buffering the deep vadose zone from episodic precipitation events at the surface. The very negative matric potential at the base of the root zone effectively intercepts all infiltration from precipitation and draws moisture upward from the vadose zone below the root zone. This system is sustainable because it does not rely on engineered features and mimics the stable landscapes and no groundwater recharge of the current condition surrounding the RWMSs. The system depends on establishing native vegetation in the covers above the waste cells and a stable climate. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2012

Climate Change and Food Security: The View from Space

Global satellite data provides information on land use, rainfall, soil moisture, vegetation vigor and crop yields. Process-based products allows transformation of these data into information that can be used to assess impact of weather on commodity prices and local economic health. Trends and impact of climate change

Brown, Molly E.↗