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At least 991 records · Page 55

Remote Neural Pendants In A Welding-Control System

Neural network integrated circuits enhance functionalities of both remote terminals (called "pendants") and communication links, without necessitating installation of additional wires in links. Makes possible to incorporate many features into pendant, including real-time display of critical welding parameters and other process information, capability for communication between technician at pendant and host computer or technician elsewhere in system, and switches and potentiometers through which technician at pendant exerts remote control over such critical aspects of welding process as current, voltage, rate of travel, flow of gas, starting, and stopping. Other potential manufacturing applications include control of spray coating and of curing of composite materials. Potential nonmanufacturing uses include remote control of heating, air conditioning, and lighting in electrically noisy and otherwise hostile environments.

Venable, Richard A.↗

The NASA/AFRL Meter Class Autonomous Telescope

For the past decade, the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office (ODPO) has relied on using various ground-based telescopes in Chile to acquire statistical survey data as well as photometric and spectroscopic data of orbital debris in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). The statistical survey data have been used to supply the Orbital Debris Engineering Model (ORDEM) v.3.0 with debris detections in GEO to better model the environment at altitudes where radar detections are limited. The data produced for the statistical survey ranged from 30 to 40 nights per year, which only accounted for ~10% of the possible observing time. Data collection was restricted by ODPO resources and weather conditions. In order to improve the statistical sampling in GEO, as well as observe and sample other orbits, NASA's ODPO with support from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), has constructed a new observatory dedicated to orbital debris - the Meter Class Autonomous Telescope (MCAT) on Ascension Island. This location provides MCAT with the unique ability to access targets orbiting at an altitude of less than 1,000 km and low inclinations (< 20 deg). This orbital regime currently has little to no coverage by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network. Unlike previous ODPO optical assets, the ability to operate autonomously will allow rapid response observations of break-up events, an observing mode that was only available via radar tasking prior to MCAT's deployment. The primary goal of MCAT is to statistically characterize GEO via daily tasking files uploaded from ODPO. These tasking files define which operating mode to follow, providing the field center, rates, and/or targets to observe over the entire observing period. The system is also capable of tracking fast-moving targets in low Earth orbit (LEO), middle Earth orbit (MEO), as well as highly eccentric orbits like geostationary transfer orbits. On 25 August 2015, MCAT successfully acquired scientific first light, imaging the Bug Nebula and tracked objects in LEO, MEO, and GEO. NASA is working towards characterizing the system and thoroughly testing the integrated hardware and software control to achieve fully autonomous operations by late 2016. This paper will review the history and current status of the MCAT project, the details of the telescope system, and its five currently manifested operating modes.

Cowardin, H.↗

Sub-melt nanosecond pulsed-laser induced densification and strain-field relaxation in single-crystal diamond

Dislocations and polishing-induced defect networks in synthetic diamond introduce local strain fields and broaden Raman features, limiting performance in optical, thermal, and electronic applications. Laser annealing is emerging as a promising approach to repair surface and near-surface defects in diamond without entering the melt regime, yet surface densification, defect-state modification, and associated structural changes have not been well quantified. In this work, we show that sub-melt nanosecond pulsed-laser annealing (PLA) induces near-surface densification and defect-mediated strain relaxation in single-crystal Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond. Single- and two-pulse PLA were applied, and structural evolution was quantified using co-registered ISO 25,178 white-light interferometry, depth-resolved Raman spectroscopy, and cross-sectional STEM with geometric phase analysis (GPA). Across a 5 × 6 grid (n = 30), responsive regions exhibit large reductions in local slope (Sdq 45–65%), developed area (Sdr 60–90%), height spread (Sp, Sz 30–65%), void volume (Vv 57–60%), and roughness amplitude (Sa, Sq 48–57%), consistent with densification of ∼4–6.5 nm. Raman profiling shows narrowing of the diamond line and improved spectral uniformity to depths of ∼2–3 μm. Given that the Raman probing depth significantly exceeds the densified layer thickness, this response is interpreted as consistent with long-range strain-field redistribution originating from the near-surface region. STEM-GPA strain maps further support this interpretation, showing smoother strain fields, suppressed hotspots, and redistribution of localized strain concentrations following PLA. These results are consistent with defect-mediated strain relaxation and densification-driven modification of the near-surface energy state. The approach provides a scalable pathway for improving near-surface structural quality in diamond relevant to electronic, photonic, and quantum applications.

Areal surface metrology (ISO 25,178)↗

Multimodal sensor fusion framework for residential building occupancy detection

For several years now, smart building energy systems have been a research area of intensive activity. In light of the increasing need for sustainable buildings and energy systems, this trend motivates an increasing need for a solution to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve energy efficiency. This work proposes a high-performing and transferable occupancy detection framework that combines sensor data from different data modalities, including time series environmental data (temperature, humidity, and illuminance), image data, and acoustic energy data using ensemble method. To draw out the best prediction performance in each modality, the proposed framework was developed, including various models that were designed to learn the occupancy patterns reflected in the physical data streams. To tackle the time series environmental data, we designed two variants of an occupancy detection spatiotemporal pattern network (Occ-STPN) that performs both feature level and decision level fusion, respectively. We also propose a new metric; the fading memory mean square error (FMMSE), that provides a fair evaluation and penalization of delayed occupancy predictions. Multiple open-sourced datasets, including the Electricity Consumption and Occupancy and the University of California, Irvine's (UCI) building occupancy detection dataset, along with our own real data collected from six different houses, were used to validate the algorithms' performance. The experimental results presented herein break down the performance for each sensing modality, and a detailed analysis of the performance is also discussed.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Jet Propulsion Laboratory/Kennedy Space Center telerobotic inspection and manipulation demonstration

The goal of this effort is to demonstrate telerobotic inspection and mainpulation of space shuttle payloads in the presence of substantial communications time delays between the operator station and the robotic work space. The processing of space shuttle payloads provides a variety of tasks which are typical of both space shuttle ground operations and Space Station in-flight operations, and communications time delays are inevitable in space operations where the operator station will be light-seconds away from the telerobot. With this demonstration we hope to show the efficacy and safety of robotic technology for ground and space operations. Our approach is to develop an experimental telerobotic system with the remote sensing, actuation and reflex portions located at KSC in Florida, while the operator control station will be located at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. The JPL portion of the system includes a high-level operator interface, intelligent spatial planning and machine vision, while the KSC portion includes the robot arm, end effectors, cameras and proximity sensors, and the necessary control and communications computers and software. The communications between JPL and KSC are over a limited-bandwidth network channel (19200 baud) with unpredictable and unrepeatable time delays. In FY89 we integrated a basic version of the robotic, communications, and computer hardware, and we developed the software to perform an operator-supervised inspection of a PAM-D satellite upper stage rocket motor and its shuttle support cradle. The demonstration, though severely limited by the bulk of the available computer arm, showed the potential of telerobotics for inspection tasks. In the future, we plan to develop additional capabilities which will allow manipulation tasks to be performed, including removal of dust covers and lens caps, insertion of connectors and batteries, and installation of payload objects.

Wilcox, Brian↗

RNA binding protein DAZAP1 promotes HCC progression and regulates ferroptosis by interacting with SLC7A11 mRNA

Highlights: • DAZAP1 effectively promotes HCC progression. • DAZAP1 negatively regulates ferroptosis in HCC cells. • DAZAP1 interacts with SLC7A11 mRNA, and positively regulates its stability. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) closely regulate the whole lifecycle of most RNA molecules, from the very early stage of transcription to RNA decay. Dysregulation of RBPs significantly affects the fate of cancer-related transcripts. Therefore, it is imperative to fully understand the complicated RBP-RNA regulatory networks in malignant diseases and to explore novel therapeutic targets. The RBP DAZAP1 (deleted in azoospermia-associated protein 1), originally identified as an important protein in spermatogenesis, had rarely been studied in the context of carcinogenesis. The role of DAZAP1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was unveiled in this study. The relative expression of DAZAP1 was significantly upregulated in HCC and was positively associated with several key malignant characteristics and poor postoperative survival in patients. DAZAP1 knockdown by small interfering RNA markedly inhibited HCC cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, DAZAP1 significantly reduced cellular sensitivity to sorafenib (SF), which had been proven to be an inducer of ferroptosis by targeting the system Xc{sup −} (composed of a light chain, xCT/SLC7A11, and a heavy chain, 4F2 heavy chain). At the mechanistic level, DAZAP1 was identified as a potent inhibitor of ferroptosis and an efficient binding partner of SLC7A11 mRNA. Further study revealed that DAZAP1 interacted with the 3′UTR (untranslated region) of SLC7A11 mRNA and positively regulated its stability. In our work, we clarified novel functions of DAZAP1 and preliminarily revealed its underlying mechanism in ferroptosis, which may be conducive to the exploration of biomarkers and therapeutic targets in HCC patients.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

How Do You Hear a Quantum Computer Whisper?

Quantum transduction is the process of upconverting microwave quantum signals into optical signals to develop quantum networks through optical fibers outside the dilution refrigerator, enabling connections between quantum technologies on the quantum internet. In this project, upconversion is achieved by directing an optical laser and the microwave quantum signal into an electro-optic bulk crystal. The crystal is housed within a Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavity designed to maximize the overlap between the microwave field and the crystal volume. In the presence of microwaves, the refractive index of the crystal changes through the Pockels effect. This change in refractive index modifies the propagation of the optical field within the crystal, allowing the quantum information carried by the microwave field to be transferred to the optical field. This study focuses on coupling laser light from suspended waveguide chips into the whispering-gallery modes (WGMs) of the crystal to enable transduction. The coupling efficiency between the optical field in the suspended waveguide and the WGM depends on the position of the laser spot on the crystal. To address this challenge, a feedback-based algorithm is being developed to fine-tune the waveguide position so that the optical signal is coupled efficiently into the crystal. After passing through the crystal, the optical signal is detected by a photodiode connected to an oscilloscope. The algorithm evaluates the coupling quality and iteratively adjusts the waveguide position to maximize coupling efficiency. The expected outcome is an automated waveguide alignment method that improves optical coupling and enables more efficient microwave-to-optical quantum transduction.

Karanastasis, Mihael [Fermilab]↗

Characterization of the Catalog Fengyun-1C Fragments and Their Long-term Effect on the LEO Environment

The intentional breakup of Fengyun-1C on 11 January 2007 created the most severe orbital debris cloud in history. More than 2500 large fragments were identified and tracked by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network by the end of the year. The altitude where the event occurred was probably the worst location for a major breakup in the low Earth orbit (LEO) region, since it was already highly populated with operational satellites and debris generated from previous breakups. The addition of so many fragments not only poses a realistic threat to operational satellites in the region, but also increases the instability (i.e., collision cascade effect) of the debris population there. Preliminary analysis of the large Fengyun-1C fragments indicates that their size and area-to-mass ratio (A/M) distributions are very different from those of other known events. About half of the fragments appear to be composed of light-weight materials and more than 100 of them have A/M values exceeding 1 square meter per kilogram, consistent with thermal blanket pieces. In addition, the orbital elements of the fragments suggest nontrivial velocity gain by the fragment cloud during the impact. These important characteristics were incorporated into a numerical simulation to assess the long-term impact of the Fengyun-1C fragments to the LEO debris environment. The main objectives of the simulation were to evaluate (1) the collision probabilities between the Fengyun-1C fragments and the rest of the catalog population and (2) the collision activities and population growth in the region in the next 100 years.

Liou, J.-C.↗

Synergy of Satellite-Surface Observations for Studying the Properties of Absorbing Aerosols in Asia

Through interaction with clouds and alteration of the Earth's radiation budget, atmospheric aerosols significantly influence our weather and climate. Monsoon rainfalls, for example, sustain the livelihood of more than half of the world's population. Thus, understanding the mechanism that drives the water cycle and freshwater distribution is high-lighted as one of the major near-term goals in NASA's Earth Science Enterprise Strategy. Every cloud droplet/ice-crystal that serves as an essential element in portraying water cycle and distributing freshwater contains atmospheric aerosols at its core. In addition, the spatial and temporal variability of atmospheric aerosol properties is complex due to their dynamic nature. In fact, the predictability of the tropical climate system is much reduced during the boreal spring, which is associated with the peak season of biomass burning activities and regional/long-range transport of dust aerosols. Therefore, to accurately assess the impact of absorbing aerosols on regional-to-global climate requires not only modeling efforts but also continuous observations from satellites, aircraft, networks of ground-based instruments and dedicated field experiments. Since 1997 NASA has been successfully launching a series of satellites the Earth Observing System - to intensively study, and gain a better understanding of, the Earth as an integrated system. Through participation in many satellite remote-sensing/retrieval and validation projects over the years, we have gradually developed and refined the SMART (Surface-sensing Measurements for Atmospheric Radiative Transfer) and COMMIT (Chemical, Optical & Microphysical Measurements of In-situ Troposphere) mobile observatories, a suite of surface remote sensing and in-situ instruments that proved to be vital in providing high temporal measurements, which complement the satellite observations. In this talk, we will present SMART-COMMIT which has played key roles, serving as network or supersite, in major international research projects such as the Joint Aerosol Monsoon Experiment (JAM EX), a core element of the Asian Monsoon Years (AMY, 2008-2012). SMART-COMMIT deployments during 2008 AMY/JAMEX were conducted in northwestern China to characterize the properties of dust-laden aerosols and in the vicinity of Beijing for mega-city aerosols. In 2009, SMART-COMMIT also participated in the JAMEX/RAJO-MEGHA (Radiation, Aerosol Joint Observations-Monsoon Experiment in the Gangetic-Himalayan Area; Sanskrit for Dust-Cloud) to study the aerosol properties, solar absorption and the associated atmospheric warming, and the climatic impact of elevated aerosols during the pre-monsoon season in South Asia. We will show results from these field experiments, as well as discuss a new initiative of 7-SEAS (7 South East Asian Studies) to study the interaction of anthropogenic aerosols with regional meteorology, particularly with clouds.

Tsay, Si-Chee↗

Element Formation in Radiation-hydrodynamics Simulations of Kilonovae

Abstract Understanding the details of r -process nucleosynthesis in binary neutron star merger (BNSM) ejecta is key to interpreting kilonova observations and identifying the role of BNSMs in the origin of heavy elements. We present a self-consistent, two-dimensional, ray-by-ray radiation-hydrodynamic evolution of BNSM ejecta with an online nuclear network (NN) up to a timescale of days. For the first time, an initial numerical relativity ejecta profile composed of the dynamical component and spiral-wave and disk winds is evolved including detailed r -process reactions and nuclear heating effects. A simple model for the jet energy deposition is also included. Our simulation highlights that the common approach of relating in postprocessing the final nucleosynthesis yields to the initial thermodynamic profile of the ejecta can lead to inaccurate predictions. Moreover, we find that neglecting the details of the radiation-hydrodynamic evolution of the ejecta in nuclear calculations can introduce deviations of up to 1 order of magnitude in the final abundances of several elements, including very light and second r -process peak elements. The presence of a jet affects element production only in the innermost part of the polar ejecta, and it does not alter the global nucleosynthesis results. Overall, our analysis shows that employing an online NN improves the reliability of nucleosynthesis and kilonova light-curve predictions.

Magistrelli, Fabio (ORCID:0009000509767851)↗

Digital image processing of flow visualization photographs

This paper is concerned with the propagation of laser light through a slab of a randomly varying medium. A theoretical analysis is presented which relates the spectrum of the recorded-intensity field some distance downstream of the medium to the spectrum of the index-of-refraction field. For a homogeneous and isotropic random field, the 3-D spectrum of the medium is obtained from the 2-D spectrum of the photograph by dividing each component of the spectrum by the frequency raised to the fourth power. Free-space propagation outside the random medium is accounted for by a scaling factor. Experimental results are presented which support the theoretical analysis. The nonintrusive diagnostic technique presented here is applicable to photographs which contain partially developed caustic networks.

Hesselink, L.↗

Influence of nuclear quantum effects on the electronic properties of amorphous carbon

We carry out quantum simulations to study the physical properties of diamond-like amorphous carbon by coupling first-principles molecular dynamics with a quantum thermostat, and we analyze multiple samples representative of different defective sites present in the disordered network. We show that quantum vibronic coupling is critical in determining the electronic properties of the system, in particular its electronic and mobility gaps, while it has a moderate influence on the structural properties. We find that despite localized electronic states near the Fermi level, the quantum nature of the nuclear motion leads to a renormalization of the electronic gap surprisingly similar to that found in crystalline diamond. We also discuss the notable influence of nuclear quantum effects on band-like and variable-hopping mechanisms contributing to electrical conduction. Our calculations indicate that methods often used to evaluate electron–phonon coupling in ordered solids are inaccurate to study the electronic and transport properties of amorphous semiconductors composed of light atoms.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

A ray tracing model for leaf bidirectional scattering studies

A leaf is modeled as a deterministic two-dimensional structure consisting of a network of circular arcs designed to represent the internal morphology of major species. The path of an individual ray through the leaf is computed using geometric optics. At each intersection of the ray with an arc, the specular reflected and transmitted rays are calculated according to the Snell and Fresnel equations. Diffuse scattering is treated according to Lambert's law. Absorption is also permitted but requires a detailed knowledge of the spectral attenuation coefficients. An ensemble of initial rays are chosen for each incident direction with the initial intersection points on the leaf surface selected randomly. The final equilibrium state after all interactions then yields the leaf bidirectional reflectance and transmittance distributions. The model also yields the internal two dimensional light gradient profile of the leaf.

Brakke, T. W.↗

Optical Structural Health Monitoring Device

This non-destructive, optical fatigue detection and monitoring system relies on a small and unobtrusive light-scattering sensor that is installed on a component at the beginning of its life in order to periodically scan the component in situ. The method involves using a laser beam to scan the surface of the monitored component. The device scans a laser spot over a metal surface to which it is attached. As the laser beam scans the surface, disruptions in the surface cause increases in scattered light intensity. As the disruptions in the surface grow, they will cause the light to scatter more. Over time, the scattering intensities over the scanned line can be compared to detect changes in the metal surface to find cracks, crack precursors, or corrosion. This periodic monitoring of the surface can be used to indicate the degree of fatigue damage on a component and allow one to predict the remaining life and/or incipient mechanical failure of the monitored component. This wireless, compact device can operate for long periods under its own battery power and could one day use harvested power. The prototype device uses the popular open-source TinyOS operating system on an off-the-shelf Mica2 sensor mote, which allows wireless command and control through dynamically reconfigurable multi-node sensor networks. The small size and long life of this device could make it possible for the nodes to be installed and left in place over the course of years, and with wireless communication, data can be extracted from the nodes by operators without physical access to the devices. While a prototype has been demonstrated at the time of this reporting, further work is required in the system s development to take this technology into the field, especially to improve its power management and ruggedness. It should be possible to reduce the size and sensitivity as well. Establishment of better prognostic methods based on these data is also needed. The increase of surface roughness with fatigue is closely connected to the microstructure of the metal, and ongoing research is seeking to connect this observed evidence of the fatigue state with microstructural theories of fatigue evolution to allow more accurate prognosis of remaining component life. Plans are also being discussed for flight testing, perhaps on NASA s SOFIA platform.

Buckner, Benjamin D.↗

Fabrication and Atomic Force Microscopy Characterization of Molecular Composites of Fullerenes in Aerogel Matrix for Optical Limiting

An optical limiter is a device which exhibits a decrease in the transmittance in a material with an increase in intensity of light. Sol-gel techniques offer many advantages in the fabrication of materials. These materials possess many desirable properties for nonlinear optical (NLO) device applications which include transparency, high thermal and chemical stabilities, very low refractive index and dielectric constants. C60 shows a higher excited state absorption cross section than the ground state absorption cross section over the complete visible spectrum, and the spectrum of the excited state absorption of C60 has the same general shape as the ground state absorption. This fact suggests that fullerenes are ideal optical limiting materials. Aerogels are fabricated by sol-gel processing. One of the key issues is the dispersion of fullerenes into small and uniform pores of silica aerogel host matrices. The aerogel network was characterized by Raman spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy is a technique with many advantages to characterize the aerogel materials. The morphology of the cleaved surface for a C60/aerogel sample shows that there are long paralleled shaped stripes with 20-30 nm in width and about 500 nm in length on the cleaved surface. The cleaved surface also was etched by 5% HF solution for one minutes, and it became smoother after HF etching. The main feature in on the surface is the spherical particles with the size of few nanometers, and no aggregated fullerenes appear. The fullerenes are well dispersed in the aerogel matrices.

Lu, W. J .↗

Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Annual Report 2009

2009 was truly the year of astronomy at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. While the world at large was celebrating the International Year of Astronomy, we were sending more telescopes into space than in any other year, ever. As these missions unfold, the astronomers are sure to change the way we see the universe. One of the newly lofted observatories is on a quest to find planets like our own Earth orbiting other stars. Another is a telescope that gathers infrared light to help discover objects ranging from near-Earth asteroids to galaxies in the deepest universe. We also contributed critical enabling technologies to yet two other telescopes sent into space by our partners in Europe. And astronauts returned to Earth with a JPL-built camera that had captured the Hubble Space Telescope's most memorable pictures over many years. And while it was an epic time for these missions, we were no less busy in our other research specialties. Earth's moon drew much attention from our scientists and engineers, with two JPL instruments riding on lunar orbiters; previously unseen views of shadowed craters were provided by radar imaging conducted with the giant dish antennas of the Deep Space Network, our worldwide communication portal to spacecraft around the solar system. At Mars, our rovers and orbiters were highly productive, as were missions targeting Saturn, comets and the asteroid belt. Here at our home planet, satellites and instruments continued to serve up important information on global climate change. But our main business is, of course, exploring. Many initiatives will keep us busy for years. In 2009, NASA gave approval to start planning a major flagship mission to Jupiter's moon Europa in search of conditions that could host life, working with our partners in Europe. In addition to our prospective Earth science projects, we have full slates of missions in Mars exploration, planetary exploration and space-based astronomy. This year's annual report continues our recent direction of recounting the Laboratory's accomplishments throughout the year month by month.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)↗

Next-Generation Optical Sensing Technologies for Exploring Ocean Worlds - NASA FluidCam, MiDAR, and NeMO-Net

We highlight three emerging NASA optical technologies that enhance our ability to remotely sense, analyze, and explore ocean worlds–FluidCam and fluid lensing, MiDAR, and NeMO-Net. Fluid lensing is the first remote sensing technology capable of imaging through ocean waves without distortions in 3D at sub-cm resolutions. Fluid lensing and the purpose-built FluidCam CubeSat instruments have been used to provide refraction-corrected 3D multispectral imagery of shallow marine systems from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Results from repeat 2013 and 2016 airborne fluid lensing campaigns over coral reefs in American Samoa present a promising new tool for monitoring fine-scale ecological dynamics in shallow aquatic systems tens of square kilometers in area. MiDAR is a recently-patented active multispectral remote sensing and optical communications instrument which evolved from FluidCam. MiDAR is being tested on UAVs and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to remotely sense living and non-living structures in light-limited and analog planetary science environments. MiDAR illuminates targets with high-intensity narrowband structured optical radiation to measure an object’s spectral reflectance while simultaneously transmitting data. MiDAR is capable of remotely sensing reflectance at fine spatial and temporal scales, with a signal-to-noise ratio 10-10(exp 3) times higher than passive airborne and spaceborne remote sensing systems, enabling high-framerate multispectral sensing across the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectrum. Preliminary results from a 2018 mission to Guam show encouraging applications of MiDAR to imaging coral from airborne and underwater platforms whilst transmitting data across the air-water interface. Finally, we share NeMO-Net, the Neural Multi-Modal Observation & Training Network for Global Coral Reef Assessment. NeMO-Net is a machine learning technology under development that exploits high-resolution data from FluidCam and MiDAR for augmentation of low-resolution airborne and satellite remote sensing. NeMO-Net is intended to harmonize the growing diversity of 2D and 3D remote sensing with in situ data into a single open-source platform for assessing shallow marine ecosystems globally using active learning for citizen-science based training. Preliminary results from four-class Q17 coral classification have an accuracy of 94.4%. Together, these maturing technologies present promising scalable, practical, and cost-efficient innovations that address current observational and technological challenges in optical sensing of marine systems.

Ved Chirayath↗

Putting Our Industry's Data to Work: A Case Study of Large-Scale Data Aggregation: Preprint

With increasing deployment of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Building Automation System (BAS) controls, Internet of Things (IoT) network devices, and data-driven evaluation, measurement, and verification studies, the building sector is currently generating a staggering amount of energy-related data. In the right hands, these data sets can contribute to increased comfort and energy savings for building occupants and a more reliable electrical grid; however, due to a combination of factors, including significant privacy concerns, much of the data that are presently generated and stored are not used outside of basic operational applications. In the past year, our team has dedicated over 2,000 person-hours to accessing building energy data for a project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Technologies Office. We sought whole-building or end-use (e.g., lighting) timeseries data at the individual-building or equipment level where possible or aggregated information, such as timeseries averages and quartiles by building type (e.g., office, retail, hospital), where sharing individual building information was not an option. We are additionally working with IoT and BAS data sets to derive information important to the project. We have assembled an extensive data set that will enable the development of publicly available end-use load profiles to benefit the U.S. building and electricity industries. Here we present an overview of the data set that we have assembled to date, the motivators and approaches that got us here, and the lessons we learned through our efforts. We also discuss work underway that presents additional options for future data access.

building energy data↗