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At least 1,027 records · Page 57
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Scaling Automatic Vector Data Alignment to Satellite Imagery

Given the tremendous volume of accessible Earth Observation (EO) data, there is a need to develop scalable Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) solutions for time-sensitive applications. Scalability in this context refers to rapidly processing large-scale EO data using high performance computing resources. Accurate mapping of the built environment from remote sensing (RS) imagery has been one of the crucial components in GeoAI workflows for a wide spectrum of humanitarian applications. Derived vector data of built environment is often leveraged for disaster preparedness and response activities. However, factors such as differences in ortho-rectification, atmospheric conditions and human error, results in spatial misalignment between vector data and the timely available RS imagery. Model training for downstream tasks such as object detection, change analysis, etc., is negatively impacted due to such spatial misalignment. Although there has been progress towards automatic alignment of vector data, the lack of scalability remains an open research challenge. This paper proposes to leverage parallel computing to optimize an automatic vector data alignment workflow. It further employs CPU-level multi-core parallelism for improving the performance of the workflow for scalable built environment mapping. We report observations and discuss findings from the preliminary experiments performed on the Summit Supercomputer.

Potnis, Abhishek↗
DOE OSTI2020

Constructing a Testing Application for GWMS

Many of Fermilab’s High Energy Physics experiments require High Throughput Computing to carry out simulations, data reconstruction, and data analysis. Glidein Workflow Management System (GWMS) is a tool that distributes High Throughput Computing. The purpose of GWMS is to provide convenient access to Grid resources and sites. GWMS is coupled to HTCondor. HTCondor is the workload management system that is used for scheduling and job control. Users submit jobs to a local HTCondor queue and GWMS will make sure the job will run on one of the many remote resources.

Neely-Brown, LeRayah↗
NASA NTRS2009

Work Coordination Engine

The Work Coordination Engine (WCE) is a Java application integrated into the Service Management Database (SMDB), which coordinates the dispatching and monitoring of a work order system. WCE de-queues work orders from SMDB and orchestrates the dispatching of work to a registered set of software worker applications distributed over a set of local, or remote, heterogeneous computing systems. WCE monitors the execution of work orders once dispatched, and accepts the results of the work order by storing to the SMDB persistent store. The software leverages the use of a relational database, Java Messaging System (JMS), and Web Services using Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) technologies to implement an efficient work-order dispatching mechanism capable of coordinating the work of multiple computer servers on various platforms working concurrently on different, or similar, types of data or algorithmic processing. Existing (legacy) applications can be wrapped with a proxy object so that no changes to the application are needed to make them available for integration into the work order system as "workers." WCE automatically reschedules work orders that fail to be executed by one server to a different server if available. From initiation to completion, the system manages the execution state of work orders and workers via a well-defined set of events, states, and actions. It allows for configurable work-order execution timeouts by work-order type. This innovation eliminates a current processing bottleneck by providing a highly scalable, distributed work-order system used to quickly generate products needed by the Deep Space Network (DSN) to support space flight operations. WCE is driven by asynchronous messages delivered via JMS indicating the availability of new work or workers. It runs completely unattended in support of the lights-out operations concept in the DSN.

Zendejas, Silvino↗
NASA NTRS2018

Air Quality Satellite Monitoring by TROPOMI on Sentinel-5P

The recently launched Sentinel satellite mission, the Sentinel-5 Precursor (Sentinel-5P), is one of the European Space Agency's (ESA) new mission family – Sentinels. The sole payload on Sentinel-5P is the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), a nadir-viewing 108⁰ field-of-view push-broom grating hyperspectral spectrometer, covering the wavelengths of ultraviolet-visible (270 nm - 495 nm), near infrared (675 nm - 775 nm), and shortwave infrared (2305 nm - 2385 nm). Sentinel-5P is the first of the Atmospheric Composition Sentinels, and is providing measurements of atmospheric chemistry, aerosols, and clouds at high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution. The NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC) supports over a thousand data collections in the focus areas of Atmospheric Composition, Water & Energy Cycles, and Climate Variability. Sentinel-5P TROPOMI Level-1B (L1B) and Level-2 (L2) products are curated at the GES DISC. Sentinel-5P data are provided by the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA) through an agreement between ESA and NASA. Through its convenient and enhanced tools/services, such as OPeNDAP and L2 Subsetting, GES DISC offers the air quality remote sensing user community facile solutions for using complex Earth science data and applications. This presentation will demonstrate up-to-date TROPOMI products including EarthView (EV) radiance, solar irradiance, Aerosol Index, Carbon Monoxide, Total column Ozone, Nitrogen Dioxide, and cloud, as well as easy ways to access, visualize and subset TROPOMI data.

TROPOMI↗
DOE OSTI2022

Tallo: A global tree allometry and crown architecture database

Abstract Data capturing multiple axes of tree size and shape, such as a tree's stem diameter, height and crown size, underpin a wide range of ecological research—from developing and testing theory on forest structure and dynamics, to estimating forest carbon stocks and their uncertainties, and integrating remote sensing imagery into forest monitoring programmes. However, these data can be surprisingly hard to come by, particularly for certain regions of the world and for specific taxonomic groups, posing a real barrier to progress in these fields. To overcome this challenge, we developed the Tallo database, a collection of 498,838 georeferenced and taxonomically standardized records of individual trees for which stem diameter, height and/or crown radius have been measured. These data were collected at 61,856 globally distributed sites, spanning all major forested and non‐forested biomes. The majority of trees in the database are identified to species (88%), and collectively Tallo includes data for 5163 species distributed across 1453 genera and 187 plant families. The database is publicly archived under a CC‐BY 4.0 licence and can be access from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6637599 . To demonstrate its value, here we present three case studies that highlight how the Tallo database can be used to address a range of theoretical and applied questions in ecology—from testing the predictions of metabolic scaling theory, to exploring the limits of tree allometric plasticity along environmental gradients and modelling global variation in maximum attainable tree height. In doing so, we provide a key resource for field ecologists, remote sensing researchers and the modelling community working together to better understand the role that trees play in regulating the terrestrial carbon cycle.

Jucker, Tommaso↗
NASA NTRS2004

Modular Rake of Pitot Probes

The figure presents selected views of a modular rake of 17 pitot probes for measuring both transient and steady-state pressures in a supersonic wind tunnel. In addition to pitot tubes visible in the figure, the probe modules contain (1) high-frequency dynamic-pressure transducers connected through wires to remote monitoring circuitry and (2) flow passages that lead to tubes that, in turn, lead to remote steady-state pressure transducers. Prior pitot-probe rakes were fabricated as unitary structures, into which the individual pitot probes were brazed. Repair or replacement of individual probes was difficult, costly, and time-consuming because (1) it was necessary to remove entire rakes in order to unbraze individual malfunctioning probes and (2) the heat of unbrazing a failed probe and of brazing a new probe in place could damage adjacent probes. In contrast, the modules in the present probe are designed to be relatively quickly and easily replaceable with no heating and, in many cases, without need for removal of the entire rake from the wind tunnel. To remove a malfunctioning probe, one first removes a screw-mounted V-cross-section cover that holds the probe and adjacent probes in place. Then one removes a screw-mounted cover plate to gain access to the steady-state pressure tubes and dynamicpressure wires. Next, one disconnects the tube and wires of the affected probe. Finally, one installs a new probe in the reverse of the aforementioned sequence. The wire connections can be made by soldering, but to facilitate removal and installation, they can be made via miniature plugs and sockets. The connections between the probe flow passages and the tubes leading to the remote pressure sensors can be made by use of any of a variety of readily available flexible tubes that can be easily pulled off and slid back on for removal and installation, respectively.

Dunlap, Timothy A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Data-Driven Analysis Tool Plays Critical Role in Climate Neutral Buildings: Improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions

A new web application that advances the science of data-driven, remote building energy analysis to increase the speed and scale of retrofits worldwide could play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and meeting the Paris Agreement's targets. Here, the multi-award-winning Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER) is a public access web application (better.lbl.gov) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Johnson Controls.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2020

Web Extensible Display Manager 2

The Web Extensible Display Manager (WEDM) was first deployed at Jefferson Lab (JLab) in 2016 with the goal of rendering Extensible Display Manager (EDM) control screens on the web for the benefit of accessibility, and with version 2 our aim is to provide a more general purpose display toolkit by freeing ourselves from the constraints of the EDM dependency. Over the last few years WEDM has been extensively used at JLab for 24/7 information kiosks, on-call monitoring, and by remote users and staff. The software has also been deployed to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and has become more robust as many bug fixes and contributions have been added. However, adoption and utility of the software as a general purpose control system display manager is limited by EDM, which is no longer actively maintained. A new toolkit can be built on modern frameworks, fully embrace web conventions and standards, and support multiple control system data sources. This new version is a result of a technology review and selection, and introduces a web inspired display file format, a web based display builder, new widgets, and a data interface intended to support pluggable data.

Slominski, R. J.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Assessing the release, transport, and retention of radioactive aerosols from hypothetical breaches in spent fuel storage canisters

Interim dry storage of spent nuclear fuel involves storing the fuel in welded stainless-steel canisters. Under certain conditions, the canisters could be subjected to environments that may promote stress corrosion cracking leading to a risk of breach and release of aerosol-sized particulate from the interior of the canister to the external environment through the crack. Research is currently under way by several laboratories to better understand the formation and propagation of stress corrosion cracks, however little work has been done to quantitatively assess the potential aerosol release. The purpose of the present work is to introduce a reliable generic numerical model for prediction of aerosol transport, deposition, and plugging in leak paths similar to stress corrosion cracks, while accounting for potential plugging from particle deposition. The model is dynamic (changing leak path geometry due to plugging) and it relies on the numerical solution of the aerosol transport equation in one dimension using finite differences. The model’s capabilities were also incorporated into a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that was developed to enhance user accessibility. Model validation efforts presented in this paper compare the model’s predictions with recent experimental data from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and results available in literature. We expect this model to improve the accuracy of consequence assessments and reduce the uncertainty of radiological consequence estimations in the remote event of a through-wall breach in dry cask storage systems.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS1987

A proposed Applications Information System - Concept, implementation, and growth

This paper describes a newly developed concept within NASA for an Applications Information System (AIS). The AIS would provide the opportunity to the public and private sectors of shared participation in a remote sensing research program directed to a particular set of land-use or environmental problems. Towards this end, the AIS would offer the technological framework and information system resources to overcome many of the deficiencies that end-users have faced over the years such as limited access to data, delay in data delivery, and a limited access to data reduction algorithms and models to convert data to geophysical measurements. In addition, the AIS will take advantage of NASA developments in networking among information systems and use of state of the art technology, such as CD Roms and optical disks for the purpose of increasing the scientific benefits of applied environmental research. The rationale for the establishment of an AIS, a methodology for a step-wise, modular implementation, and the relationship of the AIS to other NASA information systems are discussed.

Mcconnell, Dudley G.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Systems and Implementation: Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems into Physical Protection Systems at Fixed Sites and During Transportation

Physical protection systems, and response forces in particular, are designed to prevent an adversary from successfully completing a malevolent act against a facility or transport operations. Timely detection and assessment of any potential adversary action against a target is an essential element of materials security. The timely detection and assessment must then be followed-up by a capable and timely response that might be enhanced with the additional situational awareness provided by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration Office of International Nuclear Security has been exploring capabilities provided by UAS to support response force operations within the physical protection system. UAS have the potential to provide response force commanders and operators with situational awareness in assessing adversary locations and actions as well as the locations of responders. UAS may be utilized for area searches ahead of responder pathways to identify potential threats and to provide situational awareness of areas not normally covered by cameras (such as areas outside the fence line outside at fixed facilities). In addition, UAS can provide real-time information to transportation convoy teams that pass through constantly changing public access environments. This paper will provide operational recommendations to be addressed when integrating UAS into existing physical protection systems at fixed sites and during transport. Recommendations will include aspects of the following: needs analysis; tactics and techniques to support detection and assessment as well as response force deployment; remote pilot selection, qualifications, training, and currency; UAS selection criteria; UAS laws and regulations; possible cost sharing with other facility operations; and on-scene emergency management.

Stockwell, Brandon↗
DOE OSTI2023

Autonomous Intelligence Measurements and Sensor Systems (AIMS): Gaussian Processes in Remote Sensing: Literature Review

Power grid resilience and reliability is crucial to supporting critical infrastructure. Service interruptions can have devastating consequences to communication, emergency, and transportation services, just to name a few. In addition to infrastructure, power services are crucial to everyday life. Nearly every element of modern-day living relies on a stable and functioning power grid - heating and cooling systems to lighting, refrigeration, telecommunications, and internet access. Interruptions in the power supply can range from minor inconveniences, such as the temporary loss of internet or television services, to more significant problems, like the inability to access medical equipment or emergency services during critical situations. As climate conditions worsen, the reliability of the power grid becomes even more significant. Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, wildfires, or severe storms, can cause serious damage to power infrastructure, leading to prolonged power outages. Rising temperatures and changing weather patterns can strain the grid, resulting in increased demand for electricity, stressing transmission and distribution systems.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗
DOE OSTI2016

Decommissioning Experience at Rokkasho; Standing Type Manipulator: A1000S for Dismantling Tasks - 16434

Decommissioning is a technical process which includes various steps and processes from the clean-up of radioactive materials to the progressive demolition of the plant. One of these steps is the cutting of subassemblies, like tanks, pipes or walls in small pieces suitable for the sorting and disposal. Different solutions are offered for this cutting work and can be grouped as following: - Chip forming - sawing, drilling, milling, turning etc. - Shearing - punching, stamping, scissoring. - Abrading - Grinding, lapping, polishing; water-jet. - Heat - flame cutting, plasma cutting, laser cutting. - Electro-Chemical - Etching, Electrical discharge machining (EDM). Each method has its limitations in accuracy, cost, and effect on the material. In 2013, Waelischmiller Engineering won a contract for two remote handling systems dedicated to the dismantling cell at Rokkasho Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Facility in Japan. For this project, Inconel and other metals needed to be cut. One of the main cutting methods was decided to use of an angle grinder handled by a robotic arm. Because the use of the overhead systems (bridges and cranes) was difficult for this installation, it was determined, that the best alternative was a power manipulator A1000 installed on the floor with a pre-positioning system. The project proceeded to go forward with the adaptation of the standard A1000 with integration of a control system in a Cartesian coordinate frame; resulting in a heavy duty arm; A1000S with 6 degrees of freedom. The heavy duty power arm A1000S was developed and designed for mechanical cutting with an angle grinder, especially for thick and hard material for example stainless steel and Inconel. Cutting a thick material with an angle grinder requires repeatable precise linear motion, in order not to damage the disc. The angle grinder should be handled with a manipulator which can cut in all directions in a linear motion, since the objects which should be cut are usually very large and fixed in any direction For these requirements, the Cartesian control function was added to our standard power manipulator type A1000. In some cases, the decommissioning work includes repeated access routes or fixed access points that the manipulator arm has to pass repeatedly. For example a fixed point where the waste materials are collected, or repeated transport route that the arm has to go along for each step. For this requirement, the A1000S has been equipped with the 'Go To-Mode'. It is a 'teach and playback mode' which has been developed especially for remote operating manipulators. Quick direct teach, quick play function and an intuitive touch-panel layout are some of the features. With the Go To-Mode high working efficiency was achieved. After rigorous testing at Waelischmiller premises; the manipulator was delivered to JNFL in Rokkasho. It was found that the obtained functionality and precision can be applicable not only for the cutting with a disc grinder, but also the laser cutting method, which requires precise trajectory control. This paper will provide: - A project description, - Presentation of solution process, - Technical description of the A1000S, - Future Applications of the robotic Arm A1000S. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2021

Mapathons versus automated feature extraction: a comparative analysis for strengthening immunization microplanning

Background: Social instability and logistical factors like the displacement of vulnerable populations, the difficulty of accessing these populations, and the lack of geographic information for hard-to-reach areas continue to serve as barriers to global essential immunizations (EI). Microplanning, a population-based, healthcare intervention planning method has begun to leverage geographic information system (GIS) technology and geospatial methods to improve the remote identification and mapping of vulnerable populations to ensure inclusion in outreach and immunization services, when feasible. We compare two methods of accomplishing a remote inventory of building locations to assess their accuracy and similarity to currently employed microplan line-lists in the study area. Methods: The outputs of a crowd-sourced digitization effort, or mapathon, were compared to those of a machine-learning algorithm for digitization, referred to as automatic feature extraction (AFE). The following accuracy assessments were employed to determine the performance of each feature generation method: (1) an agreement analysis of the two methods assessed the occurrence of matches across the two outputs, where agreements were labeled as “befriended” and disagreements as “lonely”; (2) true and false positive percentages of each method were calculated in comparison to satellite imagery; (3) counts of features generated from both the mapathon and AFE were statistically compared to the number of features listed in the microplan line-list for the study area; and (4) population estimates for both feature generation method were determined for every structure identified assuming a total of three households per compound, with each household averaging two adults and 5 children. Results: The mapathon and AFE outputs detected 92,713 and 53,150 features, respectively. A higher proportion (30%) of AFE features were befriended compared with befriended mapathon points (28%). The AFE had a higher true positive rate (90.5%) of identifying structures than the mapathon (84.5%). The difference in the average number of features identified per area between the microplan and mapathon points was larger (t = 3.56) than the microplan and AFE (t = -2.09) (alpha = 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings indicate AFE outputs had higher agreement (i.e., befriended), slightly higher likelihood of correctly identifying a structure, and were more similar to the local microplan line-lists than the mapathon outputs. These findings suggest AFE may be more accurate for identifying structures in high-resolution satellite imagery than mapathons. However, they both had their advantages and the ideal method would utilize both methods in tandem.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

LSE-319: LSST Science Platform Vision Document

This document defines and describes the "LSST Science Platform," a set of integrated web applications and services deployed at the LSST Data Access Centers (DACs) through which the scientific community will access, visualize, subset, and perform next-to-the-data analysis of the data collected by the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). These services can be broken down to three different "Aspects": a web Portal, designed to provide essential data access and visualization services through a simple-to-use website, a Notebook environment, that will provide a Jupyter Notebook-like interface, based on JupyterLab, enabling next-to-the-data analysis, and an extensive set of Web APIs that the users will be able to use to remotely examine the LSST data set using tools they're already familiar with. This document lays out the high-level vision for the aforementioned Aspects and some associated backend services. It is intentionally brief, and meant to generally guide the flow-down of requirements and development of product specifications, prioritization, and plans for the Agile development of the relevant elements of the DM system.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2016

Status of the Signals of Opportunity Airborne Demonstrator (SoOp-AD)

Root zone soil moisture (RZSM) is not directly measured by any current satellite instrument, despite its importance as a key link between surface hydrology and deeper processes. Presently, model assimilation of surface measurements or indirect estimates using other methods must be used to estimate this value. Signals of Opportunity (SoOp) methods, exploiting reflected P- and S-band communication satellite signals, have many of the benefits of both active and passive microwave remote sensing. Reutilization of active transmitters, with forward-scattering geometry, presents a strong reflected signal even at orbital altitudes. Microwave radiometry is advantageous as it measures emissivity, which is directly related to dielectric constant and sensitive to water content of soil. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is used in P-band (400 MHz) for soil moisture and biomass, but faces issues in obtaining permission to transmit due to spectrum regulations, particularly over North America and Europe. A primary advantage of SAR is excellent spatial resolution. Signals-of-opportunity (SoOp) reflectometry provides a good compromise between radiometry and SAR by providing decent sensitivity and special resolution for RZSM measurements without issues of spectrum access. Further, a SoOp instrument would not be limited to operating in only a few protected frequencies and is also expected to have less susceptibility to radio-frequency interference (RFI). Although advantageous if available, SoOp techniques do not require the ability to demodulate or decode the communication signals. The SoOp instrument is receive only and therefore requires much less electrical power than a SAR and is more similar to a radiometer in receiver architecture. These unique features of SoOp circumvent past obstacles to a spaceborne P-band remote sensing mission and have the potential to enable new RZSM measurements that are not possible with present technology. We will present the latest development status of a SoOp reflectometer airborne demonstrator (SoOp-AD) operating at 250 MHz to take advantage of existing communication satellite. The instrument is currently in laboratory integration and test.

Reflectometers↗
DOE OSTI2025

Reversible parts-per-trillion-level detection of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid in tap water using field-effect transistor sensors

Widespread, persistent and toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pose a major threat to water systems and human health. Current detection methods are relatively expensive, slow and complex, underscoring the need for more accessible alternatives to meet increasingly stringent PFAS regulations. Here, in this study, we present an ultrasensitive sensing platform for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid detection in tap water with a reporting limit ( ~ 250 parts per quadrillion) lower than the US Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory standard (4 parts per trillion), using a remote gate field-effect transistor featuring β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-modified reduced graphene oxide as the sensing membrane. The sensor exhibits excellent selectivity against common inorganic ions, natural organic matter and select organic pollutants in tap water. The reversible and rapid response ( < 2 min) indicates the potential of remote gate field-effect transistor for continuous in-line monitoring. Mechanistic studies using quartz crystal microbalance and molecular dynamics simulations reveal key roles of analyte adsorption and charge properties in sensing performance and offer insights for designing more selective PFAS capture probes.

Wang, Yuqin [University of Chicago, IL (United Sta↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Pneumatic Sampler (P-Sampler) for the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX)

The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, led by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will focus on the exploration of the two Martian moons – Phobos and Deimos (Figure 1). The spacecraft will perform close-up remote sensing and observations of both moons and collect a sample from Phobos for Earth sample return. MMX has set the two mission goals: (1) determining the origin of the Martian moons and (2) observing processes in the circumplanetary environment of Mars, based on remote sensing, in-situ observations, and laboratory analyses of returned samples of Phobos regolith [1-2]. To fulfill the mission goals, MMX employs a double sampling approach: Coring and Pneumatic Samplers (Figure 2).The Coring Sampler (C-Sampler), a core soil tube deployed by a robotic arm, providing access to the building blocks of Phobos beneath the surface (>2 cm), and also collect a mixture of near surface material. The P-Sampler, on the other hand, would selectively sample the surface veneer and provides reference of surface component with the C-Sampler. The double sampling system not only enhances the scientific merits of MMX but also reduces risks associated with the sampling of Phobos. Without enough knowledge of the physical and chemical properties, and the geotechnical conditions of the surface of Phobos (e.g., compositions, temperature gradient/variation, porosity, grain size distribution), having two sampling systems that utilize entirely different sampling approaches is prudent.

Dylan Van Dyne↗