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At least 757 records · Page 42

Spaceborne technology contributions to hydrological studies in the context of global change

Spaceborne observations have become increasingly accepted for studies of the hydrological cycle and as a source of information that can be used for management and assessment of water resources over large areas. As data records are extended over long periods of time, using sensors that improve their reliability and quality, the utility of spaceborne observations will become increasingly evident. The Earth Observing System (EOS) concept being studied by NASA holds potential for providing improved means and procedures for hydrological studies, particularly on a global basis, using spaceborne sensors and a comprehensive information system. Continuing emphasis needs to be placed on research exploring the interpretation of remotely sensed observations through the assimilation and use of these data in models of hydrological processes.

Salomonson, Vincent V.↗

The Senior Executive Service

A major innovation of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 was the creation of a Senior Executive Service (SES). The purpose of the SES is both simple and bold: to attract executives of the highest quality into Federal service and to retain them by providing outstanding opportunities for career growth and reward. The SES is intended to: provide greater authority in managing executive resources; attract and retain highly competent executives, and assign them where they will effectively accomplish their missions and best use their talents; provide for systematic development of executives; hold executives accountable for individual and organizational performance; reward outstanding performers and remove poor performers; and provide for an executive merit system free of inappropriate personnel practices and arbitrary actions. This Handbook summarizes the key features of the SES at NASA. It is intended as a special welcome to new appointees and also as a general reference document. It contains an overview of SES management at NASA, including the Executive Resources Board and the Performance Review Board, which are mandated by law to carry out key SES functions. In addition, assistance is provided by a Senior Executive Committee in certain reviews and decisions and by Executive Position Managers in day-to-day administration and oversight.

Source record↗

Software Development Standard Processes (SDSP)

A JPL-created set of standard processes is to be used throughout the lifecycle of software development. These SDSPs cover a range of activities, from management and engineering activities, to assurance and support activities. These processes must be applied to software tasks per a prescribed set of procedures. JPL s Software Quality Improvement Project is currently working at the behest of the JPL Software Process Owner to ensure that all applicable software tasks follow these procedures. The SDSPs are captured as a set of 22 standards in JPL s software process domain. They were developed in-house at JPL by a number of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) residing primarily within the Engineering and Science Directorate, but also from the Business Operations Directorate and Safety and Mission Success Directorate. These practices include not only currently performed best practices, but also JPL-desired future practices in key thrust areas like software architecting and software reuse analysis. Additionally, these SDSPs conform to many standards and requirements to which JPL projects are beholden.

Lavin, Milton L.↗

Exploring Synergistic Tools from NASA Satellite Data for Air Quality

Space-borne earth observation has been important to monitor the earth condition and played a critical role in validating other instruments or modeling's outputs. However, the data from satellite earth observation are usually very complex in terms of science contents, formats, and spatiotemporal granularities, making them difficult to use from many aspects. NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), one of the 12 official NASA data centers, archives and distributes rich collections of data from multiple satellite missions and model results. The GES DISC is also the official archive center for data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard NASA's Aura mission since 2004. Recently, the GES DISC has been evolving and improving its data management and services in order to promote NASA data to be easily discovered and accessed, as well as to facilitate interoperability. We'll show in this presentation how to explore and analyze NASA earth observation data for air quality through a suite of user-friendly tools - from Worldview to Giovanni, demonstrating in using this set of tools prepares us to serve the Sentinel 5P TROPOMI to the community.

air quality↗

Explore Air Quality from NASA Satellite Data

Space-borne earth observation has been important to monitor the earth condition and played acritical role in validating other instruments or modeling's outputs. However, the data from satellite earth observation are usually very complex in terms of science contents, formats, and spatiotemporal granularities, making them difficult to use from many aspects. NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC), one of the 12 official NASA data centers, archives and distributes rich collections of data from multiple satellite missions and model results. The GES DISC is also the official archive center for data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) aboard NASA's Aura mission since 2004. Recently, the GES DISChas been evolving and improving its data management and services in order to promote NASA data to be easily discovered and accessed, as well as to facilitate interoperability. We'll show in this presentation how to explore and analyze NASA earth observation data for air quality through a suite of user-friendly tools - from Giovanni to ArcGIS, demonstrating in using this set of tools prepares us to serve the Sentinel 5P TROPOMI to the community.

Wei, J.↗

Providing Total Quality Fundamentals: 1995 Workshops for the NASA Lewis Research Center's Technical Services Directorate

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) agency-wide movement to cultivate a quality workplace is the basis for Lewis Research Center to implement Total Quality Fundamentals (TQF) initiatives. The Lewis Technical Services Directorate (TSD) introduced the Total Quality Fundamentals (TQF) workshops to its work force as an opportunity to introduce the concepts and principles of TQF. These workshops also provided the participants with the opportunity to dialogue with fellow TSD employees and managers. This report describes, through the perspective of the Lewis TSD TQF Coaches, how the TQF work- shop process was accomplished in TSD. It describes the structure for addressing the need, implementation process, input the TSD Coaches provided, common themes and concerns raised, conclusions, and recommendations. The Coaches concluded that these types of workshops could be the key to open the communication channels that are necessary to help everyone at Lewis understand where they fit in the organization. TQF workshops can strengthen the participant's connection with the Mission, Vision of the Center, and Vision of the Agency. Reconunendations are given based on these conclusions that can help the TSD Quality Board develop attainable measures towards a quality workplace.

Antczak, Paul↗

Predict ephemeral and perennial range quantity and quality during normal grazing season

The author has identified the following significant results. Collection and update of resource inventory data has historically been a difficult, time consuming task. Accurate resource data is necessary as a basis for wise management decisions made by a resource management agency such as the Bureau of Land Management. Black and white and color infrared composites of ERTS satellite imagery at 1:1,000,000 and enlarged scales can be used as data gathering tools. No investment in expensive sophisticated equipment is necessary. A photointerpreter can map boundaries of soils, plant communities, levels of forage production, areas revegetated by man, and areas burned by wildlife directly from satellite imagery. The ERTS system of producing and distributing imagery must be improved greatly before satellite imagery can be useful to the resource manager.

Bentley, R. G., Jr.↗

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Training Grant Supplement

The following section summarizes the impact of the Ohio Space Grant Consortium (OSGC) in Ohio and to NASA over the last four-year period (February 1, 2001 to April 30, 2005) and highlights the important accomplishments of the consortium. The strength of the OSGC network of universities, community colleges, government agencies, industry, and outreach affiliates is well-established and is growing. The OSGC Consortium Management Structure was designed and remains committed to using the talents and diversity of everyone within this collaborative network, and operational policies and procedures are such that all consortium members are active contributors resulting in quality OSGC programs in research, education and service, while receiving a relatively small amount of NASA funds. The number of quality activities, both on- and off-campus, and collaborations/partnerships that OSGC has established with NASA and government agencies, state and local government, educational institutions, and private industry, has been impressive. Further desired university affiliate expansion requires additional funds. Diversity is shown in the OSGC 12-member Executive Committee by the presence of three campus representatives from Central State University, Wilberforce University, and The Ohio State University (two underrepresented minority, one female). One additional female campus representative (Cleveland State University) is currently on sabbatical leave and a valuable alternate member attends. Other additional female and underrepresented minority members are on the larger OSGC Advisory committee. All committee members participate fully in all consortium management and policy decisions. The OSGC Executive Committee strives to achieve and communicate a culture of trust, respect, teamwork, open communication, creativity, and empowerment. These programs have shown results and impact by their visibility and importance to Ohio and to NASA, resulting in strategic alliances created throughout Ohio. These alliances have improved over the last 4 years.

DeWitt, Kenneth J.↗

Assurance Technology Challenges of Advanced Space Systems

The initiative to explore space and extend a human presence across our solar system to revisit the moon and Mars post enormous technological challenges to the nation's space agency and aerospace industry. Key areas of technology development needs to enable the endeavor include advanced materials, structures and mechanisms; micro/nano sensors and detectors; power generation, storage and management; advanced thermal and cryogenic control; guidance, navigation and control; command and data handling; advanced propulsion; advanced communication; on-board processing; advanced information technology systems; modular and reconfigurable systems; precision formation flying; solar sails; distributed observing systems; space robotics; and etc. Quality assurance concerns such as functional performance, structural integrity, radiation tolerance, health monitoring, diagnosis, maintenance, calibration, and initialization can affect the performance of systems and subsystems. It is thus imperative to employ innovative nondestructive evaluation methodologies to ensure quality and integrity of advanced space systems. Advancements in integrated multi-functional sensor systems, autonomous inspection approaches, distributed embedded sensors, roaming inspectors, and shape adaptive sensors are sought. Concepts in computational models for signal processing and data interpretation to establish quantitative characterization and event determination are also of interest. Prospective evaluation technologies include ultrasonics, laser ultrasonics, optics and fiber optics, shearography, video optics and metrology, thermography, electromagnetics, acoustic emission, x-ray, data management, biomimetics, and nano-scale sensing approaches for structural health monitoring.

Chern, E. James↗

Verification, Validation, and Solution Quality in Computational Physics: CFD Methods Applied to Ice Sheet Physics

Procedures and methods for veri.cation of coding algebra and for validations of models and calculations used in the aerospace computational fluid dynamics (CFD) community would be ef.cacious if used by the glacier dynamics modeling community. This paper presents some of those methods, and how they might be applied to uncertainty management supporting code veri.cation and model validation for glacier dynamics. The similarities and differences between their use in CFD analysis and the proposed application of these methods to glacier modeling are discussed. After establishing sources of uncertainty and methods for code veri.cation, the paper looks at a representative sampling of veri.cation and validation efforts that are underway in the glacier modeling community, and establishes a context for these within an overall solution quality assessment. Finally, a vision of a new information architecture and interactive scienti.c interface is introduced and advocated.

Thompson, David E.↗

Development and application of operational techniques for the inventory and monitoring of resources and uses for the Texas coastal zone

The author has identified the following significant results. Four LANDSAT scenes were analyzed for the Harbor Island area test sites to produce land cover and land use maps using both image interpretation and computer-assisted techniques. When evaluated against aerial photography, the mean accuracy for three scenes was 84% for the image interpretation product and 62% for the computer-assisted classification maps. Analysis of the fourth scene was not completed using the image interpretation technique, because of poor quality, false color composite, but was available from the computer technique. Preliminary results indicate that these LANDSAT products can be applied to a variety of planning and management activities in the Texas coastal zone.

Harwood, P.↗

An expert system to advise astronauts during experiments

Work being done on an expert system designed to improve the quality of space experimentation in vestibular physiology is described. Emphasis is given to two of the several modules of which the system architecture is composed: the Protocol Manager and the Interesting Data Filter. Some engineering issues related to human factors and to data acquisition and monitoring are also addressed.

Young, Laurence R.↗

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa)/american Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program, 1991, Volume 1

Presented here is a compilation of the final reports of the research projects done by the faculty members during the summer of 1991. Topics covered include optical correlation; lunar production and application of solar cells and synthesis of diamond film; software quality assurance; photographic image resolution; target detection using fractal geometry; evaluation of fungal metabolic compounds released to the air in a restricted environment; and planning and resource management in an intelligent automated power management system.

Hyman, William A.↗

WTEC monograph on instrumentation, control and safety systems of Canadian nuclear facilities

This report updates a 1989-90 survey of advanced instrumentation and controls (I&C) technologies and associated human factors issues in the U.S. and Canadian nuclear industries carried out by a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Carter and Uhrig 1990). The authors found that the most advanced I&C systems are in the Canadian CANDU plants, where the newest plant (Darlington) has digital systems in almost 100 percent of its control systems and in over 70 percent of its plant protection system. Increased emphasis on human factors and cognitive science in modern control rooms has resulted in a reduced workload for the operators and the elimination of many human errors. Automation implemented through digital instrumentation and control is effectively changing the role of the operator to that of a systems manager. The hypothesis that properly introducing digital systems increases safety is supported by the Canadian experience. The performance of these digital systems has been achieved using appropriate quality assurance programs for both hardware and software development. Recent regulatory authority review of the development of safety-critical software has resulted in the creation of isolated software modules with well defined interfaces and more formal structure in the software generation. The ability of digital systems to detect impending failures and initiate a fail-safe action is a significant safety issue that should be of special interest to nuclear utilities and regulatory authorities around the world.

Uhrig, Robert E.↗

The Monotonic Lagrangian Grid for Rapid Air-Traffic Evaluation

The Air Traffic Monotonic Lagrangian Grid (ATMLG) is presented as a tool to evaluate new air traffic system concepts. The model, based on an algorithm called the Monotonic Lagrangian Grid (MLG), can quickly sort, track, and update positions of many aircraft, both on the ground (at airports) and in the air. The underlying data structure is based on the MLG, which is used for sorting and ordering positions and other data needed to describe N moving bodies and their interactions. Aircraft that are close to each other in physical space are always near neighbors in the MLG data arrays, resulting in a fast nearest-neighbor interaction algorithm that scales as N. Recent upgrades to ATMLG include adding blank place-holders within the MLG data structure, which makes it possible to dynamically change the MLG size and also improves the quality of the MLG grid. Additional upgrades include adding FAA flight plan data, such as way-points and arrival and departure times from the Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS), and combining the MLG with the state-of-the-art strategic and tactical conflict detection and resolution algorithms from the NASA-developed Stratway software. In this paper, we present results from our early efforts to couple ATMLG with the Stratway software, and we demonstrate that it can be used to quickly simulate air traffic flow for a very large ETMS dataset.

Kaplan, Carolyn↗

Dashboards to Explore Effects of COVID-19 Using Earth Observations

People are reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in every part of the world. As a result,changes in human activity have made visible impacts on ourplanet. To understand these impacts, NASA, ESA (European Space Agency), and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) joined forces to develop a trilateral dashboard—a situational awareness tool backed by Earth observation derived indicators. An unprecedented collaboration followed for the next two months between the three agencies in which data, science, and technology experts addressed several challenges including indicator development, infrastructure, data management, content development, and communication. “COVID-19 Earth Observation Dashboard” was successfully released offering user-friendly tracking of changes in indicators that include air and water quality, climate, economic activity, and agriculture. This presentation will highlight the outcomes, coordination, technical approaches, collaboration, processes, and lessons learned from the dashboard development.

Manil Maskey↗

Innovative Technologies for Efficient Pharmacotherapeutic Management in Space

Current and future Space exploration missions and extended human presence in space aboard the ISS will expose crew to risks that differ both quantitatively and qualitatively from those encountered before by space travelers and will impose an unknown risk of safety and crew health. The technology development challenges for optimizing therapeutics in space must include the development of pharmaceuticals with extended stability, optimal efficacy and bioavailability with minimal toxicity and side effects. Innovative technology development goals may include sustained/chronic delivery preventive health care products and vaccines, low-cost high‐efficiency noninvasive, non‐oral dosage forms with radio‐protective formulation matrices and dispensing technologies coupled with self‐reliant tracking technologies for quality assurance and quality control assessment. These revolutionary advances in pharmaceutical technology will assure human presence in space and healthy living on Earth. Additionally, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations advocates the use of health information technologies to effectively execute all aspects of medication management (prescribing, dispensing, and administration). The advent of personalized medicine and highly streamlined treatment regimens stimulated interest in new technologies for medication management. Intelligent monitoring devices enhance medication accountability compliance, enable effective drug use, and offer appropriate storage and security conditions for dangerous drug and controlled substance medications in remote sites where traditional pharmacies are unavailable. These features are ideal for Exploration Medical Capabilities. This presentation will highlight current novel commercial off‐the‐shelf (COTS) intelligent medication management devices for the unique dispensing, therapeutic drug monitoring, medication tracking, and drug delivery demands of exploration space medical operations.

Putcha, Lakshmi↗