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The development, capabilities, and products of the computer-based retrieval system of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Library are described. The system handles books and documents, produces a book catalog, and provides a machine search capability. Programs and documentation are available to the public through NASA's computer software dissemination program.
The Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) Weights and Mass Properties Operational Management System was established to assure a timely and authoritative method of acquiring, controlling, generating, and disseminating an official set of vehicle weights and mass properties data. This paper provides an overview of the system and its interaction with the various aspects of vehicle and component design, mission planning, hardware and software simulations and verification, and real-time mission support activities. The effect of vehicle configuration, design maturity, and consumables updates is discussed in the context of weight control.
Potential benefits of expected SEASAT-A capabilities include oceanographic support of industrial and commercial activities, rapid dissemination of data in forecast-type activities, greater monitoring abilities at better spatial resolutions, and long time operational data gathering.
The utilization of NASA earth resource survey technology as an important aid in the solution of current problems in resource management and environmental protection in Michigan is discussed. Remote sensing techniques to aid Michigan government agencies were used to achieve the following results: (1) provide data on Great Lakes beach recession rates to establish shoreline zoning ordinances; (2) supply technical justification for public acquisition of land to establish the St. John's Marshland Recreation Area; (3) establish economical and effective methods for performing a statewide wetlands survey; (4) accomplish a variety of regional resource management actions in the Upper Peninsula; and (5) demonstrate improved soil survey methods. The project disseminated information on remote sensing technology and provided advice and assistance to a number of users in Michigan.
The availability and use of audiotape cassettes is studied in terms of user requirements. The following factors were examined: how special libraries utilize audiotape cassettes; who the users of the medium are; how the libraries acquire and maintain their collection; and opinions of librarians as to the value of the audiotape cassette as a medium for dissemination of information.
The conceptual and methodological importance of doing retrospective technology assessments is summarized. The rationale for the study of submarine telegraphy is briefly summarized along with the study plan, the management plan, and dissemination and utilization of the results.
The activities of the TU Center are reported. Areas reported include: TUSC clientele informaton, dissemination and assistance, faculty information service, and cooperation with other agencies. The general aviation news letter is included along with transfer and impact reports.
Remote sensing techniques provide important information for land and water use planning organizations in order to assess coastal developments and their impact on water resources, sediment transport, erosion, and marine biology. Political expediency requires pertinent data acquisition and data dissemination to local populations for coastal zone management decision making.
The origins and development of the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) are briefly reviewed. The results of the first quarter's activity are summarized and discussed. Examples are given of bulletins describing potential air safety hazards, and the disposition of these bulletins. During the first quarter of operation, the ASRS received 1464 reports; 1407 provided data relevant to air safety. All reports are being processed for entry into the ASRS data base. During the reporting period, 130 alert bulletins describing possible problems in the aviation system were generated and disseminated. Responses were received from FAA and others regarding 108 of the alert bulletins. Action was being taken with respect to 70 of the 108 responses received. Further studies are planned of a number of areas, including human factors problems related to automation of the ground and airborne portions of the national aviation system.
ASRES system of computer programs provides for acquisition, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information in form of bibliographic citations of technical documents. Persons with little or no computer experience can operate ASRES. System should be applicable to any definable body of technical literature consisting of up to 32,750 citations.
It is recommended that a national land use information system be established by an agency of the Federal Government. This recommendation comes at a time of increasing demand for scientific information in support of environmentally relevant land use planning and management at all levels of government. It is also a time when new airborne and spaceborne remote sensors, tested in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Program of the Department of the Interior, make possible the gathering of land use information rapidly and on an unprecedented scale. Furthermore, information handling technology is developing toward a capability to receive, store, and disseminate the huge quantities of data that would be involved. The recommendation for the national land use information system is based upon careful analysis of the results of remote sensing experiments funded by NASA, EROS, and the Geography Program of the Geological Survey, with specific examples drawn from the demonstration project known as the Central Atlantic Regional Ecological Test Site (CARETS). CARETS is cast in the framework of a regional land use information system, channeling the flow bf information generated in response to users' declaration of their needs, through stages dealing with remote sensing data gathering systems, data processing and land mensuration, calibration in-terms of environmental impact, and evaluation with feedback from users. The proposed system would develop and implement a unified approach to the description and interpretation of the changing uses of the nation's land resources, building upon the base of interagency and intergovernmental cooperation already achieved in the experimental work to date. The land use data base that is being derived from high-altitude aerial color infrared photography would be the initial component of the recommended system. High-altitude photographic coverage would immediately be extended to as much of the nation as possible as technological developments and economic considerations permit. The system would later expand to include multiple-sensor, multiple-platform data sources. Six system characteristics are recommended: (1) High capacity storage of data available for quick retrieval, inexpensive processing, and update, (2) provision of accuracy appropriate to the scale of survey or to the level of detail dictated by different types of management and decision requirements; (3) permanent, publicly accessible sensor records for historical interpretation; (4) compatibility of the recording, storage, and retrieval system with all types of inputs, from ground observer to satellite; (5) products of diverse formats and scales, responsive to user feedback; (6) and standardization of formats, scales, and storage inputs to permit nationwide comparability.
During the second quarter of the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) operation, 1,497 reports were received from pilots, controllers, and others in the national aviation system. Details of the administration and results of the program to date are presented. Examples of alert bulletins disseminated to the aviation community are presented together with responses to those bulletins. Several reports received by ASRS are also presented to illustrate the diversity of topics covered by reports to the system.
An assessment was made of the needs of a group of potential users of satellite remotely sensed data (state, regional, and local agencies) involved in natural resources management in five states, and alternative data management systems to satisfy these needs are outlined. Tasks described include: (1) a comprehensive data needs analysis of state and local users; (2) the design of remote sensing-derivable information products that serve priority state and local data needs; (3) a cost and performance analysis of alternative processing centers for producing these products; (4) an assessment of the impacts of policy, regulation and government structure on implementing large-scale use of remote sensing technology in this community of users; and (5) the elaboration of alternative institutional arrangements for operational Earth Observation Data Management Systems (EODMS). It is concluded that an operational EODMS will be of most use to state, regional, and local agencies if it provides a full range of information services -- from raw data acquisition to interpretation and dissemination of final information products.
The needs of state, regional, and local agencies involved in natural resources management in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin are investigated to determine the design of satellite remotely sensed derivable information products. It is concluded that an operational Earth Observation Data Management System (EODMS) will be most beneficial if it provides a full range of services - from raw data acquisition to interpretation and dissemination of final information products. Included is a cost and performance analysis of alternative processing centers, and an assessment of the impacts of policy, regulation, and government structure on implementing large scale use of remote sensing technology in this community of users.
Updated information is given pertaining to Technology Use Studies Center (TUSC) clients who are those that receive/use information as disseminated by the center. The client information is presented as a continuation of client data as set forth in the center's previous annual report.
Developments in applying aerospace medical technology to the design and production of medical equipment and instrumentation are reported. Projects described include intercranial pressure transducers, leg negative pressure devices, a synthetic speech prosthesis for victims of cerebral palsy, and a Doppler blood flow instrument. Commercialization activities for disseminating and utilizing NASA technology, and new biomedical problem areas are discussed.
The Proceedings contain the papers presented at the Seventh Annual Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) Applications and Planning Meeting and the edited record of the discussion period following each paper. This meeting provided a forum to promote more effective, efficient, economical and skillful applications of PTTI technology to the many problem areas to which PTTI offers solutions. Specifically the purpose of the meeting is to: disseminate, coordinate, and exchange practical information associated with precise time and frequency; acquaint systems engineers, technicians and managers with precise time and frequency technology and its applications; and review present and future requirements for PTTI.
Results are presented of a benefit and cost study for the LANDSAT Follow-on system with a thematic mapper. The analysis shows that the present worth of the benefits exceeds the present worth of the costs by a factor between 6.5 and 13 using a 10 percent discount rate and an infinite horizon for both. This study focuses only on major, demonstrated applications, conservatively evaluated. No benefits have been included except where a definite need for the information has been shown, a mechanism for disseminating the information has been defined, a technical capability has been demonstrated, and a defendable method of evaluating the economic worth has been developed. This approach has meant that certain applications with definite promise and substantial likely benefits could not be evaluated or assigned any benefits. Mention is made of these areas, however, either in the appropriate subject chapter or in the final chapter on non-quantified benefits.