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At least 811 records · Page 45

Architecture and Functionality of the Advanced Life Support On-Line Project Information System (OPIS)

An ongoing effort is underway at NASA Amcs Research Center (ARC) tu develop an On-line Project Information System (OPIS) for the Advanced Life Support (ALS) Program. The objective of this three-year project is to develop, test, revise and deploy OPIS to enhance the quality of decision-making metrics and attainment of Program goals through improved knowledge sharing. OPIS will centrally locate detailed project information solicited from investigators on an annual basis and make it readily accessible by the ALS Community via a web-accessible interface. The data will be stored in an object-oriented relational database (created in MySQL(Trademark) located on a secure server at NASA ARC. OPE will simultaneously serve several functions, including being an R&TD status information hub that can potentially serve as the primary annual reporting mechanism. Using OPIS, ALS managers and element leads will be able to carry out informed research and technology development investment decisions, and allow analysts to perform accurate systems evaluations. Additionally, the range and specificity of information solicited will serve to educate technology developers of programmatic needs. OPIS will collect comprehensive information from all ALS projects as well as highly detailed information specific to technology development in each ALS area (Waste, Water, Air, Biomass, Food, Thermal, and Control). Because the scope of needed information can vary dramatically between areas, element-specific technology information is being compiled with the aid of multiple specialized working groups. This paper presents the current development status in terms of the architecture and functionality of OPIS. Possible implementation approaches for OPIS are also discussed.

Hogan, John A.↗

SAMZ: Satellite-Derived Management Zones

The term "satellite-derived management zones" (SAMZ) denotes agricultural management zones that are subdivisions of large fields and that are derived from images of the fields acquired by instruments aboard Earth orbiting satellites during approximately the past 15 years. "SAMZ" also denotes the methodology and the software that implements the methodology for creating such zones. The SAMZ approach is one of several products of continuing efforts to realize a concept of precision agriculture, which involves optimal variations in seeding, in application of chemicals, and in irrigation, plus decisions to farm or not to farm certain portions of fields, all in an effort to maximize profitability in view of spatial and temporal variations in the growth and health of crops and in the chemical and physical conditions of soils. As used here, "management zone" signifies, more precisely, a subdivision of a field within which the crop production behavior is regarded as homogeneous. From the perspective of precision agriculture, management zones are the smallest subdivisions between which the seeding, application of chemicals, and other management parameters are to be varied. In the SAMZ approach, the main sources of data are the archives of satellite imagery that have been collected over the years for diverse purposes. One of the main advantages afforded by the SAMZ approach is that the data in these archives can be reused for purposes of precision agriculture at low cost. De facto, these archives contain information on all sources of variability within a field, including weather, crop types, crop management, soil types, and water drainage patterns. The SAMZ methodology involves the establishment of a Web-based interface based on an algorithm that generates management zones automatically and quickly from archival satellite image data in response to requests from farmers. A farmer can make a request by either uploading data describing a field boundary to the Web site or else drawing the boundary on a reference image. Hence, a farmer can start to engage in precision farming shortly after gaining access to the Web site, without need for incurring the high costs of conventional precision-agriculture data-collection practices that include collecting soil samples, mapping electrical conductivity of soil, and compiling multi-year crop-yield data. Given the boundary of a field, a SAMZ server computes the zones within the field in a three-stage process. In the first stage, a vector-valued image of the field is constructed by assembling, from the archives, the equivalent of a stack of the available images of the field (see figure). In the second stage, the vector-valued image is analyzed by use of a wavelet transform that detects spatial variations considered significant for precision farming while suppressing small-scale heterogeneities that are regarded as insignificant. In the third stage, a segmentation algorithm assembles the zones from smaller regions that have been identified in the wavelet analysis.

Source record↗

On the Use of CAD and Cartesian Methods for Aerodynamic Optimization

The objective for this paper is to present the development of an optimization capability for Curt3D, a Cartesian inviscid-flow analysis package. We present the construction of a new optimization framework and we focus on the following issues: 1) Component-based geometry parameterization approach using parametric-CAD models and CAPRI. A novel geometry server is introduced that addresses the issue of parallel efficiency while only sparingly consuming CAD resources; 2) The use of genetic and gradient-based algorithms for three-dimensional aerodynamic design problems. The influence of noise on the optimization methods is studied. Our goal is to create a responsive and automated framework that efficiently identifies design modifications that result in substantial performance improvements. In addition, we examine the architectural issues associated with the deployment of a CAD-based approach in a heterogeneous parallel computing environment that contains both CAD workstations and dedicated compute engines. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the framework for a design problem that features topology changes and complex geometry.

Nemec, M.↗

Optimal Discrete Event Supervisory Control of Aircraft Gas Turbine Engines

This report presents an application of the recently developed theory of optimal Discrete Event Supervisory (DES) control that is based on a signed real measure of regular languages. The DES control techniques are validated on an aircraft gas turbine engine simulation test bed. The test bed is implemented on a networked computer system in which two computers operate in the client-server mode. Several DES controllers have been tested for engine performance and reliability.

Litt, Jonathan↗

A Low-Cost Clustered Archive Approach for Storing Remote Sensing Data

As part of NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) Data and Information System (EOSDIS), the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Data Processing System (MODAPS) is now processing data from two instruments on the EOS flag ship spacecraft Terra and Aqua. Between the two, MODAPS is generating over 1 Terrabyte of data per day and has surpassed 3 Petabytes of total data. The bulk of the data is stored near-line in StorageTek Powerhorn tape jukeboxes. Accessing data that has been moved to tape involves submitting an order, scheduling the tape, and waiting for the data to become available. I am developing a low cost clustered archive that could enable storing a very large amount of data such as the MODIS data described above in an organized fashion on a cluster of commodity hardware using low cost SATA hard drives such that the files are directly available online. The system takes full advantage of Open Source software, using the GNULinux operating system, PostgreSQL relational database and the Apache HTTP Server. This poster session will depict my approach, the interface to the archive, a brief discussion of the internals of the system and some performance numbers from my prototyping. I will also describe various costs and benefits of this approach versus the traditional large tape jukebox approach currently in use in the EOSDIS.

Tilmes, Curt↗

Next Generation Transport Phenomenology Model

This report describes the progress made in Quarter 3 of Contract Year 3 on the development of Aeronomy Phenomenology Modeling Tool (APMT), an open-source, component-based, client-server architecture for distributed modeling, analysis, and simulation activities focused on electron and photon transport for general atmospheres. In the past quarter, column emission rate computations were implemented in Java, preexisting Fortran programs for computing synthetic spectra were embedded into APMT through Java wrappers, and work began on a web-based user interface for setting input parameters and running the photoelectron and auroral electron transport models.

Strickland, Douglas J.↗

OAI and NASA's Scientific and Technical Information

The Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) is an evolving protocol and philosophy regarding interoperability for digital libraries (DLs). Previously, "distributed searching" models were popular for DL interoperability. However, experience has shown distributed searching systems across large numbers of DLs to be difficult to maintain in an Internet environment. The OAI-PMH is a move away from distributed searching, focusing on the arguably simpler model of "metadata harvesting". We detail NASA s involvement in defining and testing the OAI-PMH and experience to date with adapting existing NASA distributed searching DLs (such as the NASA Technical Report Server) to use the OAI-PMH and metadata harvesting. We discuss some of the entirely new DL projects that the OAI-PMH has made possible, such as the Technical Report Interchange project. We explain the strategic importance of the OAI-PMH to the mission of NASA s Scientific and Technical Information Program.

Nelson, Michael L.↗

Do-It-Yourself: A Special Library's Approach to Creating Dynamic Web Pages Using Commercial Off-The-Shelf Applications

Many librarians may feel that dynamic Web pages are out of their reach, financially and technically. Yet we are reminded in library and Web design literature that static home pages are a thing of the past. This paper describes how librarians at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) library developed a database-driven, dynamic intranet site using commercial off-the-shelf applications. Administrative issues include surveying a library users group for interest and needs evaluation; outlining metadata elements; and, committing resources from managing time to populate the database and training in Microsoft FrontPage and Web-to-database design. Technical issues covered include Microsoft Access database fundamentals, lessons learned in the Web-to-database process (including setting up Database Source Names (DSNs), redesigning queries to accommodate the Web interface, and understanding Access 97 query language vs. Standard Query Language (SQL)). This paper also offers tips on editing Active Server Pages (ASP) scripting to create desired results. A how-to annotated resource list closes out the paper.

Relational databases↗

Determining the Publication Impact of a Digital Library

We attempt to assess the publication impact of a digital library (DL) of aerospace scientific and technical information (STI). The Langley Technical Report Server (LTRS) is a digital library of over 1,400 electronic publications authored by NASA Langley Research Center personnel or contractors and has been available in its current World Wide Web (WWW) form since 1994. In this study, we examine calendar year 1997 usage statistics of LTRS and the Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI), a facility that archives and distributes hard copies of NASA and aerospace information. We also perform a citation analysis on some of the top publications distributed by LTRS. We find that although LTRS distributes over 71,000 copies of publications (compared with an estimated 24,000 copies from CASI), citation analysis indicates that LTRS has almost no measurable publication impact. We discuss the caveats of our investigation, speculate on possible different models of usage facilitated by DLs , and suggest retrieval analysis as a complementary metric to citation analysis. While our investigation failed to establish a relationship between LTRS and increased citations and raises at least as many questions as it answers, we hope it will serve as a invitation to, and guide for, further research in the use of DLs.

Kaplan, Nancy R.↗

Digital echocardiography 2002: now is the time

The ability to acquire echocardiographic images digitally, store and transfer these data using the DICOM standard, and routinely analyze examinations exists today and allows the implementation of a digital echocardiography laboratory. The purpose of this review article is to outline the critical components of a digital echocardiography laboratory, discuss general strategies for implementation, and put forth some of the pitfalls that we have encountered in our own implementation. The major components of the digital laboratory include (1) digital echocardiography machines with network output, (2) a switched high-speed network, (3) a high throughput server with abundant local storage, (4) a reliable low-cost archive, (5) software to manage information, and (6) support mechanisms for software and hardware. Implementation strategies can vary from a complete vendor solution providing all components (hardware, software, support), to a strategy similar to our own where standard computer and networking hardware are used with specialized software for management of image and measurement information.

Review↗

A Multi-Discipline, Multi-Genre Digital Library for Research and Education

We describe NCSTRL+, a unified, canonical digital library for educational and scientific and technical information (STI). NCSTRL+ is based on the Networked Computer Science Technical Report Library (NCSTRL), a World Wide Web (WWW) accessible digital library (DL) that provides access to over 100 university departments and laboratories. NCSTRL+ implements two new technologies: cluster functionality and publishing "buckets". We have extended the Dienst protocol, the protocol underlying NCSTRL, to provide the ability to "cluster" independent collections into a logically centralized digital library based upon subject category classification, type of organization, and genres of material. The concept of "buckets" provides a mechanism for publishing and managing logically linked entities with multiple data formats. The NCSTRL+ prototype DL contains the holdings of NCSTRL and the NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS). The prototype demonstrates the feasibility of publishing into a multi-cluster DL, searching across clusters, and storing and presenting buckets of information.

Nelson, Michael L.↗

NCSTRL+: Adding Multi-Discipline and Multi-Genre Support to the Dienst Protocol Using Clusters and Buckets

We describe NCSTRL+, a unified, canonical digital library for scientific and technical information (STI). NCSTRL+ is based on the Networked Computer Science Technical Report Library (NCSTRL), a World Wide Web (WWW) accessible digital library (DL) that provides access to over 100 university departments and laboratories. NCSTRL+ implements two new technologies: cluster functionality and publishing buckets. We have extended Dienst, the protocol underlying NCSTRL, to provide the ability to cluster independent collections into a logically centralized digital library based upon subject category classification, type of organization, and genres of material. The bucket construct provides a mechanism for publishing and managing logically linked entities with multiple data forms as a single object. The NCSTRL+ prototype DL contains the holdings of NCSTRL and the NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS). The prototype demonstrates the feasibility of publishing into a multi-cluster DL, searching across clusters, and storing and presenting buckets of information.

Nelson, Michael L.↗

Building a Multi-Discipline Digital Library Through Extending the Dienst Protocol

The purpose of this project is to establish multi-discipline capability for a unified, canonical digital library service for scientific and technical information (STI). This is accomplished by extending the Dienst Protocol to be aware of subject classification of a servers holdings. We propose a hierarchical, general, and extendible subject classification that can encapsulate existing classification systems.

Nelson, Michael L.↗

Computation of Thermally Perfect Compressible Flow Properties

A set of compressible flow relations for a thermally perfect, calorically imperfect gas are derived for a value of c(sub p) (specific heat at constant pressure) expressed as a polynomial function of temperature and developed into a computer program, referred to as the Thermally Perfect Gas (TPG) code. The code is available free from the NASA Langley Software Server at URL http://www.larc.nasa.gov/LSS. The code produces tables of compressible flow properties similar to those found in NACA Report 1135. Unlike the NACA Report 1135 tables which are valid only in the calorically perfect temperature regime the TPG code results are also valid in the thermally perfect, calorically imperfect temperature regime, giving the TPG code a considerably larger range of temperature application. Accuracy of the TPG code in the calorically perfect and in the thermally perfect, calorically imperfect temperature regimes are verified by comparisons with the methods of NACA Report 1135. The advantages of the TPG code compared to the thermally perfect, calorically imperfect method of NACA Report 1135 are its applicability to any type of gas (monatomic, diatomic, triatomic, or polyatomic) or any specified mixture of gases, ease-of-use, and tabulated results.

Witte, David W.↗

TOPS On-Line: Automating the Construction and Maintenance of HTML Pages

After the Technology Opportunities Showcase (TOPS), in October, 1993, Langley Research Center's (LaRC) Information Systems Division (ISD) accepted the challenge to preserve the investment in information assembled in the TOPS exhibits by establishing a data base. Following the lead of several people at LaRC and others around the world, the HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) server and Mosaic were the obvious tools of choice for implementation. Initially, some TOPS exhibitors began the conventional approach of constructing HyperText Markup Language (HTML) pages of their exhibits as input to Mosaic. Considering the number of pages to construct, a better approach was conceived that would automate the construction of pages. This approach allowed completion of the data base construction in a shorter period of time using fewer resources than would have been possible with the conventional approach. It also provided flexibility for the maintenance and enhancement of the data base. Since that time, this approach has been used to automate construction of other HTML data bases. Through these experiences, it is concluded that the most effective use of the HTTP/Mosaic technology will require better tools and techniques for creating, maintaining and managing the HTML pages. The development and use of these tools and techniques are the subject of this document.

Jones, Kennie H.↗

A new version of the RDP (Ribosomal Database Project)

The Ribosomal Database Project (RDP-II), previously described by Maidak et al. [ Nucleic Acids Res. (1997), 25, 109-111], is now hosted by the Center for Microbial Ecology at Michigan State University. RDP-II is a curated database that offers ribosomal RNA (rRNA) nucleotide sequence data in aligned and unaligned forms, analysis services, and associated computer programs. During the past two years, data alignments have been updated and now include >9700 small subunit rRNA sequences. The recent development of an ObjectStore database will provide more rapid updating of data, better data accuracy and increased user access. RDP-II includes phylogenetically ordered alignments of rRNA sequences, derived phylogenetic trees, rRNA secondary structure diagrams, and various software programs for handling, analyzing and displaying alignments and trees. The data are available via anonymous ftp (ftp.cme.msu. edu) and WWW (http://www.cme.msu.edu/RDP). The WWW server provides ribosomal probe checking, approximate phylogenetic placement of user-submitted sequences, screening for possible chimeric rRNA sequences, automated alignment, and a suggested placement of an unknown sequence on an existing phylogenetic tree. Additional utilities also exist at RDP-II, including distance matrix, T-RFLP, and a Java-based viewer of the phylogenetic trees that can be used to create subtrees.

Non-NASA Center↗

[PVFS 2000: An operational parallel file system for Beowulf]

The approach has been to develop Parallel Virtual File System version 2 (PVFS2) , retaining the basic philosophy of the original file system but completely rewriting the code. It shows the architecture of the server and client components. BMI - BMI is the network abstraction layer. It is designed with a common driver and modules for each protocol supported. The interface is non-blocking, and provides mechanisms for optimizations including pinning user buffers. Currently TCP/IP and GM(Myrinet) modules have been implemented. Trove -Trove is the storage abstraction layer. It provides for storing both data spaces and name/value pairs. Trove can also be implemented using different underlying storage mechanisms including native files, raw disk partitions, SQL and other databases. The current implementation uses native files for data spaces and Berkeley db for name/value pairs.

Ligon, Walt↗

Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) Icing Sensor Performance During the 2003 Alliance Icing Research Study (AIRS II)

The Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) sensor was deployed onboard the University of North Dakota Citation II aircraft in the Alliance Icing Research Study (AIRS II) from Nov 19 through December 14, 2003. TAMDAR is designed to measure and report winds, temperature, humidity, turbulence and icing from regional commercial aircraft (Daniels et. al., 2004). TAMDAR icing sensor performance is compared to a) in situ validation data from the Citation II sensor suite, b) Current Icing Potential products developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and available operationally on the NOAA Aviation Weather Center s Aviation Digital Data Server (ADDS) and c) NASA Advanced Satellite Aviation-weather Products (ASAP) cloud microphysical products.

Murray, John J.↗