Current Thrusts in Ground Robotics: Programs, Systems, Technologies, Issues

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-03-01

MPRS – Demo III – MDARS-E and MDARS-I – JAUGS SPAWAR Systems Center, San Diego San Diego CA 92152-7383 Basic UXO Gathering System (BUGS) Use tens of...processing resources • Modularity improves sensor fusion for alarms and alerts • Joint Architecture for Unmanned Ground Systems ( JAUGS ) SPAWAR Systems...pp lic at io ns 1996 1998 2000 2002 SPAWAR Systems Center, San Diego San Diego CA 92152-7383 JAUGS : Joint Architecture for Unmanned Ground Systems

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record No. 946

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

VA 22350 U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-5001 Distribution Unlimited, July 2017. The use of a...Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 2.1.2 System Description ...4 2.1.3 Data Processing Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2.1.4 Data Submission

Demonstration Report: ESTCP UXO Discrimination Study ESTCP PROJECT # MM-0838

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gasperikova, Erika

2010-02-15

In 2003, the Defense Science Board observed: 'The problem is that instruments that can detect the buried UXOs also detect numerous scrap metal objects and other artifacts, which leads to an enormous amount of expensive digging. Typically 100 holes may be dug before a real UXO is unearthed! The Task Force assessment is that much of this wasteful digging can be eliminated by the use of more advanced technology instruments that exploit modern digital processing and advanced multi-mode sensors to achieve an improved level of discrimination of scrap from UXOs.' Significant progress has been made in discrimination technology. To date,more » testing of these approaches has been primarily limited to test sites with only limited application at live sites. Acceptance of discrimination technologies requires demonstration of system capabilities at real UXO sites under real world conditions. Any attempt to declare detected anomalies to be harmless and requiring no further investigation will require demonstration to regulators of not only individual technologies, but of an entire decision making process. This characterization study was be the second phase in what is expected to be a continuing effort that will span several years. The FY06 Defense Appropriation contained funding for the 'Development of Advanced, Sophisticated, Discrimination Technologies for UXO Cleanup' in the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). ESTCP responded by conducting a UXO Discrimination Study at the former Camp Sibert, AL. The results of this first demonstration were very encouraging. Although conditions were favorable at this site, a single target of interest (4.2-in mortar) and benign topography and geology, all of the classification approaches demonstrated were able to correctly identify a sizable fraction of the anomalies as arising from non-hazardous items that could be safely left in the ground. To build upon the success of the first phase of this study, ESTCP sponsored a second study in 2009 at the former Camp San Luis Obispo, CA, a site with more challenging topography and a wider mix of targets-of-interest (TOI). There were two primary objectives of this study: (1) Test and validate detection and discrimination capabilities of currently available and emerging technologies on real sites under operational conditions; and (2) Investigate in cooperation with regulators and program managers how discrimination technologies can be implemented in cleanup operations.« less

Geo-location Requirements for UXO Discrimination (Guidance Document)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-01

Signatures Measured by MTADS," Proceedings of the UXO Forum, Anaheim, pp. 282-291, May 1998. [5] Billings, S., L. Pasion and D. Oldenburg, "UXO...February 2002. [6] Billings, S., L. Pasion and D. Oldenburg, "Inversion of Magnetics for UXO Discrimination and Identification," UXO/Countermine Forum...1286-1293, June 2001. [10] Pasion , L. and D. Oldenburg, "A Discrimination Algorithm for UXO Using Time Domain Electromagnetics," J. Environmental

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Blind Grid Record No. 904 (Sky Research, Inc.). EM61 MKII/Towed Array

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

DEMONSTRATOR’S FIELD PERSONNEL Geophysicist: Craig Hyslop Geophysicist: John Jacobsen Geophysicist: Rob Mehl 3.7 DEMONSTRATOR’S FIELD SURVEYING...Yuma Proving Ground Soil Survey Report, May 2003. 5. Practical Nonparametric Statistics, W.J. Conover, John Wiley & Sons, 1980 , pages 144 through

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record No. 945

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

DISTRIBUTION LIST ATEC Project No. 2011-DT-ATC-DODSP-F0292 Note: A copy of this test report has been posted to the Versatile Information Systems...Directorate July 2017 Report Produced by: U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-5059 Report Produced for: Strategic...U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005-5001 Distribution Unlimited, July 2017. The use of a trade name or the

Live Site Demonstration Munitions Response Program Site UXO 01 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twentynine Palms, California

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

ground surface (bgs) and is composed of crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks . The ranges are located on Cajon soils (Jacobs Engineering Group...Twentynine Palms, California ESTCP Project MR-201229 NOVEMBER 2015 Steve Stacy ARCADIS- US , Inc. Distribution Statement A REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE...geophysical classification (AGC) technologies for Munitions Response (MR). This demonstration was designed to evaluate the use of AGC methodology

Vortex Lattice UXO Mobility Model for Reef-Type Range Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-01

unexploded ordnance WAA Wide Area Assessment 10...of a given underwater UXO field. By using the upgraded UXO MM to develop an initial Wide Area Assessment (WAA), that subdivides a UXO field into... areas outside of human contact and b) areas where UXO are fully stabilized and pose little risk to humans. Further consideration of the risks presented

EMI Array for Cued UXO Discrimination ESTCP MM-0601 Demonstration Data Report. APG Standardized UXO Test Site

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-14

30 cm above the ground. The sensor boom is designed to pivot up to protect the sensors from damage due to impact with obstructions. This degree of...day for immediate use for background subtraction and future analysis regarding issues of background variability and the impact on fit parameter...I13 H13 G13 F13 E13 D13 C13 B13 A13 T12 S12 R12 Q12 P12 O12 N12 M12 L12 K12 J12 I12 H12 G12 F12 E12 D12 C12 B12 A12 T11 S11 R11 Q11 P11 O11 N11 M11

PELAN: a pulsed neutron portable probe for UXO and land mine identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vourvopoulos, George; Womble, Phillip C.; Paschal, Jonathon

2000-12-01

There has been much work increasing the sensitivity of detecting metallic objects in soils and other environments. This has lead to a problem in discriminating unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmines form other metallic clutter. PELAN is a small portable system for the detection of explosives. PELAN weights less than 45 kg and is man portable. It is based on the principle that explosives and other contraband contain various chemical elements such as H, C, N, O, etc. in quantities and ratios that differentiate them from other innocuous substances. The pulsed neutrons are produced with a 14 MeV neutron generator. Separate gamma-ray spectra form fast neutron, thermal neutron and activation reactions are accumulated and analyzed to determine elemental content. The data analysis is performed in an automatic manner and a result of whether a threat is present is returned to the operator. PELAN has successfully undergone field demonstrations for explosive detection. In this paper, we will discuss the application of PELAN to the problem of differentiating threats from metallic clutter.

Remedial Design/Remedial Action Work Plan for Operable Units 6-05 and 10-04, Phase IV

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

R. P. Wells

2006-11-14

This Phase IV Remedial Design/Remedial Action Work Plan addresses the remediation of areas with the potential for UXO at the Idaho National Laboratory. These areas include portions of the Naval Proving Ground, the Arco High-Altitude Bombing Range, and the Twin Buttes Bombing Range. Five areas within the Naval Proving Ground that are known to contain UXO include the Naval Ordnance Disposal Area, the Mass Detonation Area, the Experimental Field Station, The Rail Car Explosion Area, and the Land Mine Fuze Burn Area. The Phase IV remedial action will be concentrated in these five areas. For other areas, such as themore » Arco High-Altitude Bombing Range and the Twin Buttes Bombing Range, ordnance has largely consisted of sand-filled practice bombs that do not pose an explosion risk. Ordnance encountered in these areas will be addressed under the Phase I Operations and Maintenance Plan that allows for the recovery and disposal of ordnance that poses an imminent risk to human health or the environment.« less

Numerical modeling of magnetic moments for UXO applications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanchez, V.; Li, Y.; Nabighian, M.; Wright, D.

2006-01-01

The surface magnetic anomaly observed in UXO clearance is mainly dipolar and, consequently, the dipole is the only magnetic moment regularly recovered in UXO applications. The dipole moment contains information about intensity of magnetization but lacks information about shape. In contrast, higher-order moments, such as quadrupole and octupole, encode asymmetry properties of the magnetization distribution within the buried targets. In order to improve our understanding of magnetization distribution within UXO and non-UXO objects and its potential utility in UXO clearance, we present a 3D numerical modeling study for highly susceptible metallic objects. The basis for the modeling is the solution of a nonlinear integral equation describing magnetization within isolated objects. A solution for magnetization distribution then allows us to compute magnetic moments of the object, analyze their relationships, and provide a depiction of the surface anomaly produced by different moments within the object. Our modeling results show significant high-order moments for more asymmetric objects situated at depths typical of UXO burial, and suggest that the increased relative contribution to magnetic gradient data from these higher-order moments may provide a practical tool for improved UXO discrimination.

Relative importance of magnetic moments in UXO clearance applications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanchez, V.; Li, Y.; Nabighian, M.; Wright, D.

2006-01-01

Surface magnetic anomaly observed in UXO clearance is mainly dipolar and, as a result, the dipole is the only moment used regularly in UXO applications. The dipole moment contains intensity of magnetization information but lacks shape information. Unlike dipole, higher-order moments, such as quadrupole and octupole, encode asymmetry properties of magnetization distribution within buried targets. In order to improve our understanding of magnetization distribution within UXO and non-UXO objects and its potential utility in UXO clearance, we present results of a 3D numerical modeling study for highly susceptible metallic objects. The basis for modeling is the solution of a nonlinear integral equation, describing magnetization within isolated objects, allowing us to compute magnetic moments of the object, analyze their relationships, and provide a depiction of the surface anomaly produced by the different moments within the object. Our modeling results show significant high-order moments for more asymmetric objects situated at typical UXO burial depths, and suggest that the increased relative contribution to magnetic gradient data from these higher-order moments may provide a practical tool for improved UXO discrimination. ?? 2005 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

Seismic Imaging of UXO-Contaminated Underwater Sites (Interim Report)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gritto, Roland; Korneev, Valeri; Nihei, Kurt

2004-11-30

Finite difference modeling with 2-dimensional models were conducted to evaluate the performance of source-receiver arrays to locate UXO in littoral environments. The model parameters were taken from measurements in coastal areas with typical bay mud and from examples in the literature. Seismic arrays are well suited to focus energy by steering the elements of the array to any point in the medium that acts as an energy source. This principle also applies to seismic waves that are backscattered by buried UXO. The power of the array is particularly evident in strong noise conditions when the signal-to-noise ratio is too lowmore » to observe the scattered signal on the seismograms. Using a seismic array, it was possible to detect and locate the UXO with a reliability similar to noise free situations. When the UXO was positioned within 3-6 wavelengths of the incident signal from the source array, the resolution was good enough to determine the dimensions of the UXO from the scattered waves. Beyond this distance this distinction decreased gradually while the location and the center of the UXO were still determined reliably. The location and the dimensions of two adjacent UXO were resolved down to a separation of 1/3 of the dominant wavelength of the incident wave, at which time interference effects began to appear. In the investigated cases, the ability to locate a UXO was independent on the use of a model with a rippled or a flat seafloor, as long as the array was located above the UXO. Nevertheless, the correct parameters of the seafloor interface were obtained in these cases. An investigation to find the correct migration velocity in the sediments to locate the UXO revealed that a range of velocity gradients centered around the correct velocity model produced comparable results, which needs to be further investigated with physical modeling.« less

Large-Scale Laboratory Experiments of Initiation of Motion and Burial of Objects under Currents and Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landry, B. J.; Wu, H.; Wenzel, S. P.; Gates, S. J.; Fytanidis, D. K.; Garcia, M. H.

2017-12-01

Unexploded ordnances (UXOs) can be found at the bottom of coastal areas as the residue of military wartime activities, training or accidents. These underwater objects are hazards for humans and the coastal environment increasing the need for addressing the knowledge gaps regarding the initiation of motion, fate and transport of UXOs under currents and wave conditions. Extensive experimental analysis was conducted for the initiation of motion of UXOs under various rigid bed roughness conditions (smooth PVC, pitted steel, marbles, gravels and bed of spherical particles) for both unidirectional and oscillatory flows. Particle image velocimetry measurements were conducted under both flow conditions to resolve the flow structure estimate the critical flow conditions for initiation of motion of UXOs. Analysis of the experimental observations shows that the geometrical characteristics of the UXOs, their properties (i.e. volume, mass) and their orientation with respect to the mean flow play an important role on the reorientation and mobility of the examined objects. A novel unified initiation of motion diagram is proposed using an effective/unified hydrodynamic roughness and a new length scale which includes the effect of the projected area and the bed-UXO contact area. Both unidirectional and oscillatory critical flow conditions collapsed into a single dimensionless diagram highlighting the importance and practical applicability of the proposed work. In addition to the rigid bed experiments, the burial dynamics of proud UXOs on a mobile sand bed were also examined. The complex flow-bedform-UXOs interactions were evaluated which highlighted the effect of munition density on burial rate and final burial depth. Burial dynamics and mechanisms for motion were examined for various UXOs types, and results show that, for the case of the low density UXOs under energetic conditions, lateral transport coexists with burial. Prior to burial, UXO re-orientation was also observed depending on the geometric characteristics of the objects.

Handheld Sensor for UXO Discrimination:

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

between buried UXO and clutter. This project demonstrated the use of commercially available technology (Geonics EM61-HH handheld metal detector ) for...determine whether each target was UXO or clutter. The Geonics EM61-HH handheld metal detector is a pulsed electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensor. The...processing, the EM61-HH handheld metal detector can 2 be used in a cued identification mode to reliably discriminate between buried UXO and clutter

Numerical modeling of higher order magnetic moments in UXO discrimination

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanchez, V.; Yaoguo, L.; Nabighian, M.N.; Wright, D.L.

2008-01-01

The surface magnetic anomaly observed in unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance is mainly dipolar, and consequently, the dipole is the only magnetic moment regularly recovered in UXO discrimination. The dipole moment contains information about the intensity of magnetization but lacks information about the shape of the target. In contrast, higher order moments, such as quadrupole and octupole, encode asymmetry properties of the magnetization distribution within the buried targets. In order to improve our understanding of magnetization distribution within UXO and non-UXO objects and to show its potential utility in UXO clearance, we present a numerical modeling study of UXO and related metallic objects. The tool for the modeling is a nonlinear integral equation describing magnetization within isolated compact objects of high susceptibility. A solution for magnetization distribution then allows us to compute the magnetic multipole moments of the object, analyze their relationships, and provide a depiction of the anomaly produced by different moments within the object. Our modeling results show the presence of significant higher order moments for more asymmetric objects, and the fields of these higher order moments are well above the noise level of magnetic gradient data. The contribution from higher order moments may provide a practical tool for improved UXO discrimination. ?? 2008 IEEE.

Clearing Unexploded Ordnance: Bayesian Methodology for Assessing Success

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, K K.

2005-10-30

The Department of Defense has many Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) that are slated for transfer for public use. Some sites have unexploded ordnance (UXO) that must be cleared prior to any land transfers. Sites are characterized using geophysical sensing devices and locations are identified where possible UXO may be located. In practice, based on the analysis of the geophysical surveys, a dig list of N suspect locations is created for a site that is possibly contaminated with UXO. The suspect locations on the dig list are often assigned into K bins ranging from ``most likely to contain UXO" tomore » ``least likely to be UXO" based on signal discrimination techniques and expert judgment. Usually all dig list locations are sampled to determine if UXO is present before the site is determined to be free of UXO. While this method is 100% certain to insure no UXO remains in the locations identified by the signal discrimination and expert judgment, it is very costly. This paper proposes a statistical Bayesian methodology that may result in digging less than 100% of the suspect locations to reach a pre-defined tolerable risk, where risk is defined in terms of a low probability that any UXO remains in the unsampled dig list locations. Two important features of a Bayesian approach are that it can account for uncertainties in model parameters and that it can handle data that becomes available in stages. The results from each stage of data can be used to direct the subsequent digs.« less

Hand-Held EMI Sensor Combined with Inertial Positioning for Cued UXO Discrimination - APG Standardized UXO Test Site

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

Measurement Tracking System (SAINT) with an advanced hand-held, time-domain electromagnetic sensor (TEM-HH) and document classification performance at...rejecting 77% of the clutter. 15. SUBJECT TERMS EMI, electromagnetic induction, UXO classification, UXO, IMU, inertial measurement unit, 16. SECURITY...U c. THIS PAGE U UU 19b. TELEPHONE NUMBER (include area code) 919-677-1560 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18

Explosion probability of unexploded ordnance: expert beliefs.

PubMed

MacDonald, Jacqueline Anne; Small, Mitchell J; Morgan, M G

2008-08-01

This article reports on a study to quantify expert beliefs about the explosion probability of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Some 1,976 sites at closed military bases in the United States are contaminated with UXO and are slated for cleanup, at an estimated cost of $15-140 billion. Because no available technology can guarantee 100% removal of UXO, information about explosion probability is needed to assess the residual risks of civilian reuse of closed military bases and to make decisions about how much to invest in cleanup. This study elicited probability distributions for the chance of UXO explosion from 25 experts in explosive ordnance disposal, all of whom have had field experience in UXO identification and deactivation. The study considered six different scenarios: three different types of UXO handled in two different ways (one involving children and the other involving construction workers). We also asked the experts to rank by sensitivity to explosion 20 different kinds of UXO found at a case study site at Fort Ord, California. We found that the experts do not agree about the probability of UXO explosion, with significant differences among experts in their mean estimates of explosion probabilities and in the amount of uncertainty that they express in their estimates. In three of the six scenarios, the divergence was so great that the average of all the expert probability distributions was statistically indistinguishable from a uniform (0, 1) distribution-suggesting that the sum of expert opinion provides no information at all about the explosion risk. The experts' opinions on the relative sensitivity to explosion of the 20 UXO items also diverged. The average correlation between rankings of any pair of experts was 0.41, which, statistically, is barely significant (p= 0.049) at the 95% confidence level. Thus, one expert's rankings provide little predictive information about another's rankings. The lack of consensus among experts suggests that empirical studies are needed to better understand the explosion risks of UXO.

Unexploded Ordnance Characterization And Detection in Muddy Estuarine Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trembanis, A. C.; DuVal, C.

2017-12-01

There is recognized need for better quantitative understanding of the impact of coastal environments on UXO mobility, burial, and detection. Current efforts are underway to address aspects of UXO mobility and detection in sandy coastal areas. However, a significant data gap has been identified regarding UXO in shallow, muddy environments; 139 Formally Used Defense Sites (FUDS), in U.S. tidal waters alone, have been identified as containing muddy sediments. This study works to address this data gap. Using a shallow estuarine site in the Delaware Bay, this study 1) monitors the mobility and behavior of sensor-integrated surrogate munitions in muddy environments using a high-accuracy acoustic positioning system, 2) directly observes surrogate munition response to hydrodynamic forcing through instrumented bottom frame time-lapse hydrodynamic data and sonar imagery, and 3) monitors site changes through repetitive site surveying autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) using both sonar and magnetometry. Surrogate UXO, modified with acoustic tracking devices and inertial motion units (IMU), are being deployed at a previously characterized muddy estuarine site. The surrogates are being monitored for changes in mobility and burial using the VEMCO positioning system, an off-the-shelf acoustic positioning system that is capable of tracking the position of multiple acoustic tags with accuracies down to 10 cm. Concurrently, time-series acoustic imagery and hydrodynamic sensors are being deployed to characterize UXO response to varied hydrodynamic conditions and compared to site-wide surrogate behavior. A series of repetitive surveys are being conducted using a magnetometer specifically designed for UXO detection on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). Survey results will be compared to long-term acoustic positioning of the surrogate UXO to determine the effectiveness of the magnetometer for efficiently and effectively locating UXO in shallow, muddy environments. Additionally, this study will help inform parameters for UXO mobility and behavior in storms and muddy environments for integration into existing expert system models of UXO burial and mobility.

UXO Characterization in Challenging Survey Environments Using the MPV

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

DEMONSTRATION REPORT Demonstration of the MPV at a Residential Area in Puako, Hawaii: UXO Characterization in Challenging Survey ...DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE UXO Characterization in Challenging Survey Environments Using the MPV 5a...19 5.4.1 Detection survey

Dipole Models for UXO Discrimination at Live Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-01

Discriminator CCR Combined Classifier Ranking cm Centimeter(s) EM Electromagnetic EMI Electromagnetic Induction ESTCP Environmental Security Technology...fraction of the anomalies as arising from non-hazardous items that could be safely left in the ground. Of particular note, the contractor EM -61-MK2 cart...use of classification metrics applied to production quality EM - 61 data, it was possible to significantly reduce the number of clutter items excavated

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Blind Grid Scoring Record Number 891

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

magnetometers (Foerster CON650 gradiometers) and RTK-DGPS georeferencing will be used. The spacing between the individual fluxgate sensors will be 25 cm...used for data acquisition usually ranges from 8 to 32. b. For the demonstration at Aberdeen Proving Ground, a system with eight fluxgate ...up to 32 fluxgate gradiometers (for the APG demonstration: eight fluxgate gradiometers), a robust, all-terrain trailer, the MonMX data acquisition

Standardized Analysis for UXO Demonstration Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

is a time-domain electromagnetic instrument designed to detect shallow ferrous and nonferrous metallic objects. The applicability of the EM61 for UXO...or spots show EMI field anomalies caused by buried metal objects, both UXO and clutter. Anomaly maps for APG are shown in Figure 5. The Blind Grid

Pedemis: A Portable Electromagnetic Induction Sensor with Integrated Positioning

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-27

International Society for Optical Engineering 5794(Part I), 346 – 357 (2005). [18] Pasion , L. R., “A unified approach to uxo discrimination using the...B., and O’Neill, K., “Camp butner uxo data inversion and classification using advanced emi models,” (2010). SERDP-MR-1572. [27] Pasion , L., “Uxo

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Open Field Scoring Record No. 908

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

demonstration at Aberdeen Proving Ground, a system with eight fluxgate magnetometers (Foerster CON650 gradiometers) and RTK-DGPS georeferencing will...be used. The spacing between the individual fluxgate sensors will be 25 cm (ca. 10 inches), totaling to a swath width of 2 m. c. The MAGNETO...MX system consists of: the MX-compact hardware multiplexer electronic module, up to 32 fluxgate gradiometers (for the APG demonstration: 8 fluxgate

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Scoring Record No. 943

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

COLLERAN ROAD ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND 21005-5059 Printed on Recycled Paper TEDT-AT-SL-M MEMORANDUM FOR Program Manager – SERDP...equipment. Small munitions grid Contains 300 grid cells . The center of each grid cell contains either munitions, clutter, or nothing with a portion...weather was warm and the field dry throughout the survey period for Battelle. 12 3.3.3 Soil Moisture Three soil probes were placed at various

Remote Excavation of Heavily Contaminated UXO Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-01

detonation RF radio frequency RPM revolutions per minute Shaw Shaw Environmental Services SUXOS senior UXO supervisor Timberline Timberline ... Timberline Environmental Services, Inc. ( Timberline ). Timberline , and most notably Mr. Terry Northcutt, was the heart and soul of this project...the prime contractor responsible for project management and UXO support; and Timberline Environmental Services, 2 Inc. ( Timberline ) is responsible

UXO Forum 1996

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-01-01

Materiel (PM NSCM) Western Governors’ Association (WGA) 20070430075 March 26 - 28, 1996 Williamsburg, Virginia Distribution unlimited, Copy approved...for Public release UXO FORUM 1996 Conference Proceedings Williamsburg, Virginia March 26 - 28, 1996 DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED per Marty Stutz zin April...2007 Best Available Copy DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EXPLOSIVES SAFETY BOARD 2461 EISENHOWER AVENUE ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA 22331-0600 5 UXO FORUM 1996

Accounting for geophysical information in geostatistical characterization of unexploded ordnance (UXO) sites.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saito, Hirotaka; Goovaerts, Pierre; McKenna, Sean Andrew

2003-06-01

Efficient and reliable unexploded ordnance (UXO) site characterization is needed for decisions regarding future land use. There are several types of data available at UXO sites and geophysical signal maps are one of the most valuable sources of information. Incorporation of such information into site characterization requires a flexible and reliable methodology. Geostatistics allows one to account for exhaustive secondary information (i.e.,, known at every location within the field) in many different ways. Kriging and logistic regression were combined to map the probability of occurrence of at least one geophysical anomaly of interest, such as UXO, from a limited numbermore » of indicator data. Logistic regression is used to derive the trend from a geophysical signal map, and kriged residuals are added to the trend to estimate the probabilities of the presence of UXO at unsampled locations (simple kriging with varying local means or SKlm). Each location is identified for further remedial action if the estimated probability is greater than a given threshold. The technique is illustrated using a hypothetical UXO site generated by a UXO simulator, and a corresponding geophysical signal map. Indicator data are collected along two transects located within the site. Classification performances are then assessed by computing proportions of correct classification, false positive, false negative, and Kappa statistics. Two common approaches, one of which does not take any secondary information into account (ordinary indicator kriging) and a variant of common cokriging (collocated cokriging), were used for comparison purposes. Results indicate that accounting for exhaustive secondary information improves the overall characterization of UXO sites if an appropriate methodology, SKlm in this case, is used.« less

Stratification of risk to the surgical team in removal of small arms ammunition implanted in the craniofacial region: case report.

PubMed

Forbes, Jonathan A; Laughlin, Ian; Newberry, Shane; Ryhn, Michael; Pasley, Jason; Newberry, Travis

2016-09-01

In cases of penetrating injury with implantation of small arms ammunition, it can often be difficult to tell the difference between simple ballistics and ballistics associated with unexploded ordnances (UXOs). In the operative environment, where highly flammable substances are often close to the surgical site, detonation of UXOs could have catastrophic consequences for both the patient and surgical team. There is a paucity of information in the literature regarding how to evaluate whether an implanted munition contains explosive material. This report describes a patient who presented during Operation Enduring Freedom with an implanted munition suspicious for a UXO and the subsequent workup organized by Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Company prior to surgical removal. Clinical risk factors for UXOs include assassination attempts and/or wartime settings. Specific radiological features suggestive of a UXO include projectile size greater than 7.62-mm caliber, alterations in density of the tip, as well as radiological evidence of a hollowed-out core. If an implanted UXO is suspected, risks to the surgical and anesthesia teams can be minimized by notifying the nearest military installation with EOD capabilities and following clinical practice guidelines set forth by the Joint Theater Trauma System.

UXO detection and identification based on intrinsic target polarizabilities: A case history

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gasperikova, E.; Smith, J.T.; Morrison, H.F.

2008-07-15

Electromagnetic induction data parameterized in time dependent object intrinsic polarizabilities allow discrimination of unexploded ordnance (UXO) from false targets (scrap metal). Data from a cart-mounted system designed for discrimination of UXO with 20 mm to 155 mm diameters are used. Discrimination of UXO from irregular scrap metal is based on the principal dipole polarizabilities of a target. A near-intact UXO displays a single major polarizability coincident with the long axis of the object and two equal smaller transverse polarizabilities, whereas metal scraps have distinct polarizability signatures that rarely mimic those of elongated symmetric bodies. Based on a training data setmore » of known targets, object identification was made by estimating the probability that an object is a single UXO. Our test survey took place on a military base where both 4.2-inch mortar shells and scrap metal were present. The results show that we detected and discriminated correctly all 4.2-inch mortars, and in that process we added 7%, and 17%, respectively, of dry holes (digging scrap) to the total number of excavations in two different survey modes. We also demonstrated a mode of operation that might be more cost effective than the current practice.« less

Discrimination Report ESTCP Project #MM-0437

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gasperikova, Erika

2008-10-01

The FY06 Defense Appropriation contains funding for the 'Development of Advanced, Sophisticated, and Discrimination Technologies for UXO Cleanup' in the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. In 2003, the Defense Science Board observed: 'The...problem is that instruments that can detect the buried UXOs also detect numerous scrap metal objects and other artifacts, which leads to an enormous amount of expensive digging. Typically 100 holes may be dug before a real UXO is unearthed. The Task Force assessment is that much of this wasteful digging can be eliminated by the use of more advanced technology instruments that exploit modern digital processing andmore » advanced multi-mode sensors to achieve an improved level of discrimination of scrap from UXOs'. Significant progress has been made in discrimination technology. To date, testing of these approaches has been primarily limited to test sites with only limited application at live sites. Acceptance of discrimination technologies requires demonstration of system capabilities at UXO sites under real world conditions. FE Warren Air Force Base (AFB) in Cheyenne, WY is one such site. The demonstration objective was to determine the discrimination capabilities, cost and reliability of the Berkeley UXO Discriminator (BUD) in discrimination of UXO from scrap metal in real life conditions. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory performed a detection and discrimination survey of the Priority 1 area ({approx}5 acres) of the FE Warren AFB. The data included a system characterization with the emplaced calibration items and targets in the Geophysical Prove Out (GPO) area.« less

Experiences with unexploded ordnance discrimination using magnetometry at a live-site in Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billings, Stephen; Youmans, Clifton

2007-03-01

Advanced discrimination methods and careful optimization of operational procedures are critical for efficient remediation of unexploded ordnance (UXO) contaminated sites. In this paper, we report on our experiences with a 200 acre magnetic survey that was collected and processed under production survey conditions at Chevallier Ranch, Montana. All anomalies with fitted moments above 0.05 Am 2 were excavated. During the survey the magnetic remanence metric was predicted but not used to guide the discrimination. The retrospective analysis presented here reveals that discrimination using remanence would have significantly reduced the total number of anomalies (with good dipolar fits) that needed to be excavated, from 524 to 290 while still recovering all 69 UXO. The false alarm rate (FAR = number of non-UXOs excavated divided / number of UXO found) was reduced from 6.3 to 2.9. At a cut-off of 75% remanence, 77% of anomalies due to shrapnel and metallic debris and 64% of geological anomalies were rejected. Geological anomalies due to variations in magnetite concentration introduced a significant human-element into the interpretation process. Three different interpreters added a total of 305 additional anomalies that were not fit with a dipole model and which were later found to be non-UXO. Between 40 and 50% of anomalies picked by the two relatively inexperienced interpreters who analyzed the data turned out to be geology, as compared to 14% for an experienced interpreter. Critical analysis of results, operator training and feedback from the UXO technicians validating the anomaly are essential components towards improving the quality and consistency of the anomaly interpretations. This is consistent with the tenants of Total Quality Management (TQM). We compare the actual FAR that resulted during the survey when there was little feedback between UXO technician validation results, to a hypothetical result that could have been achieved had there been a constant feedback system in place at the onset of operations. Feedback would have significantly reduced the number of geological anomalies and decreased the FAR from 10.7 to 4.0. The hypothetical results presented here demonstrate the value of using TQM principles to guide the UXO remediation process. They further show that improvements in the efficiency and costs of UXO remediation require both technological advances and operational optimization of the technology when implemented in a production setting. Furthermore, by treating geophysical modeling and UXO validation as separate entities, both with respect to contracting and operational reporting, there is little incentive for the geophysicist to leave an anomaly off the dig-sheet. Only potential negative consequences will result if that anomaly is later found to be a UXO. An incentive based mechanism that rewards the geophysicist for reductions in follow-on costs would have a strong potential to reduce the number of unnecessary excavations, and hence reduce the total cost of the UXO remediation effort.

Demonstration of the MPV at a Residential Area in Puako, Hawaii: UXO Characterization in Challenging Survey Environments Using the MPV

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

DEMONSTRATION REPORT Demonstration of the MPV at a Residential Area in Puako, Hawaii: UXO Characterization in Challenging Survey ...DATES COVERED (From - To) 09/2012-04/2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE UXO Characterization in Challenging Survey Environments Using the MPV 5a. CONTRACT...19 5.4.1 Detection survey ..................................................................................................... 19 5.4.2 Cued

Handheld Broadband Electromagnetic UXO Sensor

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

metal pipes of various sizes, some ferrous (steel) and some nonferrous (3 aluminum, 2 copper), have been buried at depths ranging from 10 to 110cm...Cart- or Sled-Mounted, and Pushed or Towed ......4 Figure 4. Example of Metallic Target Spectra for Sensor Axis...1 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 BACKGROUND Detection of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and discrimination between UXO and metallic clutter pose challenges

Intra-Inversion Filtering for Use of Magnetic Fields to Locate and Characterize Magnetic Dipoles for Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Cleanup

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-26

IIGE Intra-Inversion Gradient Estimation JPG Jefferson Proving Ground (Indiana); www.jpgbrac.com MTADS Multi- sensor Towed Array Detection...wherein the Statement of Need sought development of algorithms to exploit data from current state-of-the-art geophysical sensors and advanced sensors ...profile direction using an array of magnetometers as in the Multi- sensor Towed Array Detection System (MTADS). In most instances, such data may be

Discrimination between landmine and mine-like targets using wavelets and spectral analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohana, Mahmoud A.; Abbas, Abbas M.; Gomaa, Mohamed L.; Ebrahim, Shereen M.

2013-06-01

Landmine is an explosive apparatus hidden in or on the ground, which blows up when a person or vehicle passes over it. Egypt is one of the countries suffering due to the unexploded ordnance (UXO). Around 2 million UXO are present in the Egyptian soil especially at Al-Alameen province, north of the western desert. Detection of buried landmines is a problem of military and humanitarian importance. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a powerful and non-destructive geophysical approach with a wide range of advantages in the field of landmine inspection. In the present paper, we apply different simulation models with Vivaldi antenna and mine-like targets by using the CST Microwave studio program. The field work is carried out by using a GPR device of model SIR 2000 from GSSI (Geophysical Survey Systems Incorporation) connected to 900 MHz antenna where the targets were buried in sand soil. Depending on the fact that the receiving powers (reflected, refracted and scattered) from the different materials are different, we study the spectral power densities for the received power from the different targets. The techniques used in this study are: direct fast Fourier transform, short time Fourier transform (spectrogram), wavelets transform and denoising techniques. Our results ought to be considered as finger prints for different scanned targets during this work. So we can discriminate between landmines and mine-like targets.

Evaluation of Statistical Methodologies Used in U. S. Army Ordnance and Explosive Work

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ostrouchov, G

2000-02-14

Oak Ridge National Laboratory was tasked by the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center (Huntsville, AL) to evaluate the mathematical basis of existing software tools used to assist the Army with the characterization of sites potentially contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO). These software tools are collectively known as SiteStats/GridStats. The first purpose of the software is to guide sampling of underground anomalies to estimate a site's UXO density. The second purpose is to delineate areas of homogeneous UXO density that can be used in the formulation of response actions. It was found that SiteStats/GridStats does adequately guide the sampling somore » that the UXO density estimator for a sector is unbiased. However, the software's techniques for delineation of homogeneous areas perform less well than visual inspection, which is frequently used to override the software in the overall sectorization methodology. The main problems with the software lie in the criteria used to detect nonhomogeneity and those used to recommend the number of homogeneous subareas. SiteStats/GridStats is not a decision-making tool in the classical sense. Although it does provide information to decision makers, it does not require a decision based on that information. SiteStats/GridStats provides information that is supplemented by visual inspections, land-use plans, and risk estimates prior to making any decisions. Although the sector UXO density estimator is unbiased regardless of UXO density variation within a sector, its variability increases with increased sector density variation. For this reason, the current practice of visual inspection of individual sampled grid densities (as provided by Site-Stats/GridStats) is necessary to ensure approximate homogeneity, particularly at sites with medium to high UXO density. Together with Site-Stats/GridStats override capabilities, this provides a sufficient mechanism for homogeneous sectorization and thus yields representative UXO density estimates. Objections raised by various parties to the use of a numerical ''discriminator'' in SiteStats/GridStats were likely because of the fact that the concerned statistical technique is customarily applied for a different purpose and because of poor documentation. The ''discriminator'', in Site-Stats/GridStats is a ''tuning parameter'' for the sampling process, and it affects the precision of the grid density estimates through changes in required sample size. It is recommended that sector characterization in terms of a map showing contour lines of constant UXO density with an expressed uncertainty or confidence level is a better basis for remediation decisions than a sector UXO density point estimate. A number of spatial density estimation techniques could be adapted to the UXO density estimation problem.« less

Final Report: Resolving and Discriminating Overlapping Anomalies from Multiple Objects in Cluttered Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-15

UXO community . NAME Total Number: PERCENT_SUPPORTEDNAME FTE Equivalent: Total Number: Irma Shamatava 0.50 0.50 1 Resolving and Discriminating...Distinguishing an object of interest from innocuous items is the main problem that the UXO community is facing currently. This inverse problem...innocuous items is the main problem that the UXO community is facing currently. This inverse problem demands fast and accurate representation of

The UXO Classification Demonstration at the Former Camp Butner, NC

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

Symposium and Workshop, Technical Session 2D: Classification Methods for Military Munitions Response. 1 December 2010. [49] Pasion , L. Personal...Communication. 15 June 2011. [50] Pasion , L. “Practical Strategies for UXO Discrimination: Camp Butner Analysis.” ESTCP Munitions Management In-Progress...Review. 9 February 2011. [51] Pasion , L., et al. “UXO Discrimination Using Full Coverage and Cued Interrogation Data Sets at Camp Butner, NC.” Partners

Man-Portable Vector (MPV) EMI Sensor for UXO Contamination Assessment at Former Spencer Artillery Range, Tennessee

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-16

instantaneous polarization model ( Pasion and Oldenburg, 2001). The target polarizability decay parameters are the main features for the ensuing...Bell, T., Geo-location Requirements for UXO Discrimination. SERDP Geo-location Workshop, 2005. Billings, S., Pasion , L., Lhomme, N. and Oldenburg...Report. ESTCP Project MR-201005, 2011b. Pasion , L. & Oldenburg, D., A Discrimination Algorithm for UXO Using Time Domain Electromagnetics. Journal of

Spatial Statistical Models and Optimal Survey Design for Rapid Geophysical characterization of UXO Sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

G. Ostrouchov; W.E.Doll; D.A.Wolf

2003-07-01

Unexploded ordnance(UXO)surveys encompass large areas, and the cost of surveying these areas can be high. Enactment of earlier protocols for sampling UXO sites have shown the shortcomings of these procedures and led to a call for development of scientifically defensible statistical procedures for survey design and analysis. This project is one of three funded by SERDP to address this need.

An exploratory study of the perceived impact of health problems of landmine/UXO victims versus another disability group

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The purpose of this exploratory study is to pilot a biopsychosocial instrument called the Perceived Impact of Problem Profile (PIPP) on a cohort of landmine/Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) victims with lower limb disability versus a cohort of persons with similar disability due to other trauma or medical causes. The aim is to provide greater understanding of the psychosocial impact of landmine/UXO injury to inform victim assistance a interventions within Lao PDR. Methods This study employs a mixed methods design, which involved piloting the PIPP instrument through an interviewer administered questionnaire and demographic questionnaire. Fifty one participants were interviewed in both urban and rural locations within Lao PDR. Results An analysis of the data reveals significant differences in perceived impact for pain, anxiety and how recently the injury/illness occurred. Both groups complained of high levels of anxiety and depression; landmine/UXO victims who complained of anxiety and depression reported a much greater impact on life satisfaction and mood. Conclusion The perceived impact of the disability is greatest on psychosocial factors for both cohorts, but especially in landmine/UXO victims emphasising the need to focus on improving psychosocial interventions for landmine/UXO victims within Victim assistance programmes in Lao PDR. PMID:23016958

Statistical Methods and Tools for Uxo Characterization (SERDP Final Technical Report)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pulsipher, Brent A.; Gilbert, Richard O.; Wilson, John E.

2004-11-15

The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) issued a statement of need for FY01 titled Statistical Sampling for Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Site Characterization that solicited proposals to develop statistically valid sampling protocols for cost-effective, practical, and reliable investigation of sites contaminated with UXO; protocols that could be validated through subsequent field demonstrations. The SERDP goal was the development of a sampling strategy for which a fraction of the site is initially surveyed by geophysical detectors to confidently identify clean areas and subsections (target areas, TAs) that had elevated densities of anomalous geophysical detector readings that could indicate the presencemore » of UXO. More detailed surveys could then be conducted to search the identified TAs for UXO. SERDP funded three projects: those proposed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) (SERDP Project No. UXO 1199), Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The projects were closely coordinated to minimize duplication of effort and facilitate use of shared algorithms where feasible. This final report for PNNL Project 1199 describes the methods developed by PNNL to address SERDP's statement-of-need for the development of statistically-based geophysical survey methods for sites where 100% surveys are unattainable or cost prohibitive.« less

Discrimination Report: ESTCP UXO Discrimination Study, ESTCPProject #MM-0437

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gasperikova, Erika; Smith, J. Torquil; Morrison, H. Frank

2007-12-21

The FY06 Defense Appropriation contains funding for the 'Development of Advanced, Sophisticated, Discrimination Technologies for UXO Cleanup' in the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. In 2003, the Defense Science Board observed: 'The problem is that instruments that can detect the buried UXOs also detect numerous scrap metal objects and other artifacts, which leads to an enormous amount of expensive digging. Typically 100 holes may be dug before a real UXO is unearthed! The Task Force assessment is that much of this wasteful digging can be eliminated by the use of more advanced technology instruments that exploit modern digital processing andmore » advanced multi-mode sensors to achieve an improved level of discrimination of scrap from UXOs.' Significant progress has been made in discrimination technology. To date, testing of these approaches has been primarily limited to test sites with only limited application at live sites. Acceptance of discrimination technologies requires demonstration of system capabilities at real UXO sites under real world conditions. Any attempt to declare detected anomalies to be harmless and requiring no further investigation require demonstration to regulators of not only individual technologies, but of an entire decision making process. This discrimination study was be the first phase in what is expected to be a continuing effort that will span several years.« less

Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling of Submerged Objects Under Unidirectional and Oscillatory Flows.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fytanidis, D. K.; Wu, H.; Landry, B. J.; Garcia, M. H.

2017-12-01

Abandoned Unexploded Ordnances (UXOs) from wartime events, accidents, training or other military activities can be found in coastal environments. While the interest for these hazardous submerged objects is increased, there are still existing knowledge gaps regarding the mechanisms of incipient motion and flow behavior around UXOs lying on the seafloor. Numerical modeling of flow around near bed placed UXOs is conducted for unidirectional and oscillatory flow conditions using Computational Fluid Dynamics techniques. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) approach is used to simulate the complex turbulent flow field around UXOs. The numerical results are compared with two-dimensional Particle Image Velocimetry measurements from experiments conducted in unidirectional and oscillatory flow facilities within the Ven Te Chow Hydrosystems Laboratory to evaluate the accuracy of the applied RANS-based solver. Realistic boundary conditions are imposed in the numerical models to mimic the experimental conditions in the laboratory facilities. The comparison between the numerical results and the experimental data agrees well. In addition, the effect of the angle of attack on the forces that UXOs experience is examined. Numerical results suggest that the orientation of UXOs with respect to the mean flow is an important parameter for incipient motion under critical flow conditions which is in agreement with prior laboratory experimental results regarding the identification of critical flow conditions for the initiation of motion of UXOs. Finally, an extensive parametric analysis is conducted to evaluate the effect of the maximum current velocity and wave characteristics (maximum velocity and period) on the flow forces and the mean flow pattern around the objects.

A Complex Approach to UXO Discrimination: Combining Advanced EMI Forward Models and Statistical Signal Processing

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

discrimination at live-UXO sites. Namely, under this project first we developed and implemented advanced, physically complete forward EMI models such as, the...detection and discrimination at live-UXO sites. Namely, under this project first we developed and implemented advanced, physically complete forward EMI...Shubitidze of Sky Research and Dartmouth College, conceived, implemented , and tested most of the approaches presented in this report. He developed

Geostatistical noise filtering of geophysical images : application to unexploded ordnance (UXO) sites.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saito, Hirotaka; McKenna, Sean Andrew; Coburn, Timothy C.

2004-07-01

Geostatistical and non-geostatistical noise filtering methodologies, factorial kriging and a low-pass filter, and a region growing method are applied to analytic signal magnetometer images at two UXO contaminated sites to delineate UXO target areas. Overall delineation performance is improved by removing background noise. Factorial kriging slightly outperforms the low-pass filter but there is no distinct difference between them in terms of finding anomalies of interest.

Demonstration of Airborne Electromagnetic Systems for Detection and Characterization of Unexploded Ordnance at the Badlands Bombing Range, South Dakota. Revision 3

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-08-01

base station Attitude Measurement Ashtech ADU-2 Bartington MAG03ML7ONT 3-axis fluxgate magnetometer , Navigation Picodas PNAV100 Model P141-E Real...BBR Test Grid, horizontal difference (outer coil minus scaled inner coil). 46 22 Analytic signal derived from ground-based magnetometer bottom...one meter over UXO-contaminated terrain. As with the magnetic systems, GPS and laser altimetry provide precise positioning to within a few tens of

Detection of Underwater UXOs in Mud

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

the system can operate in a water depth up to 30 m. 4 1.3 Outline of Report The report is structured as follows: Section 2 provides an...and tilt angle can be modified, such that the system can operate in a water depth up to 30 m. Figure 2 – Data flow diagram for the MUD processing...ground-truth location. The water depth is in the range between 8 and 15 m. Figure 4 – SAS image snippets of the CMRE EVA cylinder using (a) regular

UXO Detection and Characterization using new Berkeley UXO Discriminator (BUD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasperikova, E.; Morrison, H. F.; Smith, J. T.; Becker, A.

2006-05-01

An optimally designed active electromagnetic system (AEM), Berkeley UXO Discriminator, BUD, has been developed for detection and characterization of UXO in the 20 mm to 150 mm size range. The system incorporates three orthogonal transmitters, and eight pairs of differenced receivers. The transmitter-receiver assembly together with the acquisition box, as well as the battery power and GPS receiver, is mounted on a small cart to assure system mobility. BUD not only detects the object itself but also quantitatively determines its size, shape, orientation, and metal content (ferrous or non-ferrous, mixed metals). Moreover, the principal polarizabilities and size of a metallic target can be determined from a single position of the BUD platform. The search for UXO is a two-step process. The object must first be detected and its location determined then the parameters of the object must be defined. A satisfactory classification scheme is one that determines the principal dipole polarizabilities of a target. While UXO objects have a single major polarizability (principal moment) coincident with the long axis of the object and two equal transverse polarizabilities, the scrap metal has all three principal moments entirely different. This description of the inherent polarizabilities of a target is a major advance in discriminating UXO from irregular scrap metal. Our results clearly show that BUD can resolve the intrinsic polarizabilities of a target and that there are very clear distinctions between symmetric intact UXO and irregular scrap metal. Target properties are determined by an inversion algorithm, which at any given time inverts the response to yield the location (x, y, z) of the target, its attitude and its principal polarizabilities (yielding an apparent aspect ratio). Signal-to-noise estimates (or measurements) are interpreted in this inversion to yield error estimates on the location, attitude and polarizabilities. This inversion at a succession of times provides the polarizabilities as a function of time, which can in turn yield the size, true aspect ratio and estimates of the conductivity and permeability of the target. The accuracy of these property estimates depends on the time window over which the polarizability measurements, and their accuracies, are known. Initial tests at a local site over a variety of test objects and inert UXOs showed excellent detection and characterization results within the predicted size-depth range. This research was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense under ESTCP Project # UX-0437.

Overview of the laser activities at Rheinmetall Waffe Munition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludewigt, Klaus; Riesbeck, Thomas; Schünemann, B.; Graf, A.; Jung, Markus; Schreiber, Th.; Eberhardt, Ramona; Tünnermann, A.

2012-11-01

The paper will give an overview over the laser weapon activities at RWM (Rheinmetall Waffe Munition) over the last years. Starting from the actual scenarios for laser weapon applications as: CRAM (Counter Rocket Artillery Mortar), Air Defence and UXO (unexploded ordnance) clearing. The basic requirements of a future laser weapon as beam diameter, beam quality, tracking capability, adaptive optics were deduced. For the UXO scenario a mobile directed energy laser demonstrator for humanitarian mine and UXO clearing based on fiber lasers is presented. Based on the parameters the system concept including the cooling system, power supply and the integration into the armoured vehicle TM 170 are explained. The contribution show first experiments of UXO and IED clearing. Different technical approaches to achieve laser power in the 100 kW regime combined with very good beam quality are discussed to fulfil the requirements of the CRAM and Air Defence scenario. Spectral coupling and the beam superimposing both are performed by Rheinmetall Waffe Munition. At the spectral coupling the basic technology parameters for the fiber laser and the dielectric grating as the latest results were put into context with the power levels reached at other groups. For the beam super imposing technology the basic experiments regarding the tracking capability and compensation of the atmosphere on the test range at Unterlüß will be explained. A generic 10 kW Laser Weapon Demonstrator based on 2 Laser Weapon Modules (LWM) from RWM each 5 kW fiber Laser with beam forming and tracking integrate by the team of RWM and RAD (Rheinmetall Air Defense) into a Ground based Air Defend system consisting of Skyguard and Millenium turret are presented. The flight path of the UAV within the valley of the life firing range at Ochsenboden Switzerland is shown. Selected results of the successful tests against UAV's are presented. It shows the capability of the generic 10 kW Laser Weapon Demonstrator to track and to destroy the target. From these results the next steps of Rheinmetall Waffe Munition for a 100 kW class laser weapon are explained.

Automated Hand-Held UXO Detection, Classification & Discrimination Sensor

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bell, Thomas H.

2000-06-12

The research focused on procedures for target discrimination and classification using hand-held EMI sensors. The idea is to have a small, portable sensor that can be operated in a sweep or similar pattern in front of the operator, and that is capable of distinguishing between buried UXO and clutter on the spot. Curing Phase 1, we developed the processing techniques for distinguishing between buried UXO and clutter using the EM61-HH hand-held metal detector.

Coaxial EMI Sensor for UXO Detection and Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-01

Raleigh, North Carolina. Geophex has a 10 m x 10 m test bed in which 21 metal pipes of various sizes, some ferrous (steel) and some nonferrous (3...spectral matching was expected to lower the FAR, but with the wide range of anticipated UXO in terms of size and metal content, the corresponding wide...warrant further investigation.” Grid squares with a response stage below the stated noise threshold are declared empty (neither UXO nor metallic

Inversion of High Frequency Acoustic Data for Sediment Properties Needed for the Detection and Classification of UXOs

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-26

FINAL REPORT Inversion of High Frequency Acoustic Data for Sediment Properties Needed for the Detection and Classification of UXOs SERDP...DOCUMENTATION PAGE Prescribed by ANSI Std. Z39.18 Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 The public reporting burden for this collection of information is...2015 Inversion of High Frequency Acoustic Data for Sediment Properties Needed for the Detection and Classification of UXO’s W912HQ-12-C-0049 MR

The effect of explosive remnants of war on global public health: a systematic mixed-studies review using narrative synthesis.

PubMed

Frost, Alexandra; Boyle, Peter; Autier, Philippe; King, Colin; Zwijnenburg, Wim; Hewitson, David; Sullivan, Richard

2017-06-01

Explosive remnants of war (ERW)-landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and abandoned explosive ordnance (AXO)-have been recognised as a threat to health since the 1990s. We aimed to study the effect of ERW on global public health. In this systematic mixed-studies review, we searched the Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and ProQuest databases, and hand searched relevant websites, for articles published between Jan 1, 1990, and Aug 31, 2015. We used keywords and Medical Subject Headings related to ERW, landmines, UXO, and AXO to locate original peer-reviewed quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods studies in English of the direct physical or psychological effects of ERW on direct victims of the explosive device or reverberating social and economic effects on direct victims and indirect victims (their families and the wider at-risk community). We excluded studies if more than 20% of participants were military, if they were of deminers, if they were from high-income countries, or if they were of chemical weapons. We identified no peer-reviewed studies of AXO effects, so we extended the search to include grey literature. We critically appraised study quality using a mixed methods appraisal tool. We used a narrative synthesis approach to categorise and synthesise the literature. We extracted quantitative data and calculated means and percentages. The initial search identified 10 226 studies, leaving 8378 (82%) after removal of duplicates, of which we reviewed 54 (26 [48%] were quantitative descriptive studies, 20 [37%] were quantitative non-randomised studies, four [7%] were mixed-methods studies, and four [7%] were grey literature). The direct psychological effects of landmines or UXO appear high. We identified comorbidity of anxiety and depression in landmine or UXO victims in four studies, more women presented with post-traumatic stress disorder than did men in two studies, and landmine or UXO victims reported a greater prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or depression than did control groups in two studies. Overall injury and mortality rates caused by landmines or UXO decreased over time across five studies and increased in one. More men were injured or killed by landmines or UXO than were women (0-30·6% of women), the mean ages of casualties ranged from 18·5 years to 38·1 years, and victims were likely to be doing an activity of economic necessity at the time of injury. The proportion of casualties of landmines or UXO younger than 18 years ranged from 22% to 55% across twelve studies. Landmine or UXO victims who had one or more limbs amputated ranged from 19·5% to 82·6%. Landmines and UXO had a negative effect on internally displaced populations and returning refugees, physical security, economic productivity, child health and educational attainment, food security, and agriculture in studies from seven countries. We could not establish the proportion of casualties caused by AXO from unplanned explosions at munitions sites, although the grey literature suggests that AXO is a substantial problem. Individually, these landmine and UXO results are not new and substantiate findings from existing research. Taken together, however, these findings provide a picture of the effect of landmines and UXO that stretches far beyond injury and mortality prevalence, making landmine and UXO clearance a more favourable option for funders. AXO effects are understudied and warrant further research. King's College London. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Operational field evaluation of the PAC-MAG man-portable magnetometer array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keranen, Joe; Topolosky, Zeke; Schultz, Gregory; Miller, Jonathan

2013-06-01

Detection and discrimination of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in areas of prior conflict is of high importance to the international community and the United States government. For humanitarian applications, sensors and processing methods need to be robust, reliable, and easy to train and implement using indigenous UXO removal personnel. This paper describes system characterization, system testing, and a continental United States (CONUS) Operational Field Evaluations (OFE) of the PAC-MAG man-portable UXO detection system. System testing occurred at a government test facility in June, 2010 and December, 2011 and the OFE occurred at the same location in June, 2012. NVESD and White River Technologies personnel were present for all testing and evaluation. The PAC-MAG system is a manportable magnetometer array for the detection and characterization of ferrous UXO. System hardware includes four Cesium vapor magnetometers for detection, a Real-time Kinematic Global Position System (RTK-GPS) for sensor positioning, an electronics module for merging array data and WiFi communications and a tablet computer for transmitting and logging data. An odometer, or "hipchain" encoder, provides position information in GPS-denied areas. System software elements include data logging software and post-processing software for detection and characterization of ferrous anomalies. The output of the post-processing software is a dig list containing locations of potential UXO(s), formatted for import into the system GPS equipment for reacquisition of anomalies. Results from system characterization and the OFE will be described.

Classification of Uxo by Principal Dipole Polarizability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kappler, K. N.

2010-12-01

Data acquired by multiple-Transmitter, multiple-receiver time-domain electromagnetic devices show great potential for determining the geometric and compositional information relating to near surface conductive targets. Here is presented an analysis of data from one such system; the Berkeley Unexploded-ordnance Discriminator (BUD) system. BUD data are succinctly reduced by processing the multi-static data matrices to obtain magnetic dipole polarizability matrices for data from each time gate. When viewed over all time gates, the projections of the data onto the principal polar axes yield so-called polarizability curves. These curves are especially well suited to discriminating between subsurface conductivity anomalies which correspond to objects of rotational symmetry and irregularly shaped objects. The curves have previously been successfully employed as library elements in a pattern recognition scheme aimed at discriminating harmless scrap metal from dangerous intact unexploded ordnance. However, previous polarizability-curve matching methods have only been applied at field sites which are known a priori to be contaminated by a single type of ordnance, and furthermore, the particular ordnance present in the subsurface was known to be large. Thus signal amplitude was a key element in the discrimination process. The work presented here applies feature-based pattern classification techniques to BUD field data where more than 20 categories of object are present. Data soundings from a calibration grid at the Yuma, AZ proving ground are used in a cross validation study to calibrate the pattern recognition method. The resultant method is then applied to a Blind Test Grid. Results indicate that when lone UXO are present and SNR is reasonably high, Polarizability Curve Matching successfully discriminates UXO from scrap metal when a broad range of objects are present.

Statistical Tools for Designing Initial and Post-Removal UXO Characterization Surveys

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pulsipher, Brent A.; Gilbert, Richard O.; Wilson, John E.

2002-09-06

The Department of Defense (DoD) is in the process of assessing and remediating closed, transferred, and transferring ranges. It is estimated that over 20 million acres of land in the United States potentially contain UXO. The release of DoD sites for public use will require high confidence that UXO is not present. This high confidence may be achieved solely from an extensive knowledge of historical site operations as documented in the conceptual site model or in combination with geophysical sensor surveys designed to have a sufficiently high probability of finding UXO contaminated zones. Many of these sites involve very largemore » geographical areas such that it is often impractical and/or cost prohibitive to perform 100% surveys of the entire site of interest. In that case, it is necessary to be explicit about the performance required of a survey that covers less than 100% of the site.« less

Abundance and diversity of octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX)-metabolizing bacteria in UXO-contaminated marine sediments.

PubMed

Zhao, Jian-Shen; Manno, Dominic; Hawari, Jalal

2007-03-01

Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) is a toxic explosive known to be resistant to biodegradation. In this study, we found that sediment collected from two unexploded ordnance (UXO) disposal sites (UXO-3, UXO-5) and one nearby reference site (midref) in Hawaii contained anaerobic bacteria capable of removing HMX. Two groups of HMX-removing bacteria were found in UXO-5: group I contained aerotolerant anaerobes and microaerophiles, and group II contained facultative anaerobes. In UXO-3 and midref sediments, HMX-metabolizing bacteria were strictly anaerobic (group III and group IV). Using 16S rRNA sequencing, group I was assigned to a novel phylogenetic cluster of Clostridiales, and groups II and III were related to Paenibacillus and Tepidibacter of Firmicutes, respectively. Group IV bacteria were identified as Desulfovibrio of Deltaproteobacteria. Using [UL-(14)C]-HMX, group IV isolates were found to mineralize HMX (26.8% in 308 d) as determined by liberated (14)CO(2), but negligible mineralization was observed in groups I-III. Resting cells of isolates metabolized HMX to N(2)O and HCHO via the intermediary formation of 1-nitroso-octahydro-3,5,7-trinitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine together with methylenedinitramine. These experimental findings suggest that HMX biotransformation occurred either via initial denitration followed by ring cleavage or via reduction of one or more of the N-NO(2) group(s) to the corresponding N-NO bond(s) prior to ring cleavage.

Electromagnetic Induction E-Sensor for Underwater UXO Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

EMF Electromotive force FET Field Effect Transitor Hz Hertz ms millisecond nV nanoVolt QFS QUASAR Federal...processing. Statistical discrimination techniques based on model analysis, such as the Time-Domain Three Dipole (TD3D) model, can separate UXO-like objects

Development of an instrument for non-destructive identification of Unexploded Ordnance using tagged neutrons - a proof of concept study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitra, S.; Dioszegi, I.

2011-10-23

Range clearance operations at munitions testing grounds must discriminate Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) from clutter items and distinguish UXO filled with High Explosives (HE) from those with inert fillers. Non-destructive technologies are thus necessary for the cost-effective disposal of UXO during remediation of such sites. The only technique showing promise so far for the non-destructive elemental characterization of UXO fillers utilizes neutron interactions with the material to detect carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) which have unique ratios in HE. However, several unresolved issues hinder the wide application of this potentially very suitable technique. The most important one is thatmore » neutrons interact with all surrounding matter in addition to the interrogated material, leading to a very high gamma-ray background in the detector. Systems requiring bulky shielding and having poor signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) for measuring elements are unsuitable for field deployment. The inadequacies of conventional neutron interrogation methods are overcome by using the tagged-neutron approach, and the availability of compact sealed neutron generators exploiting this technique offers field deployment of non-intrusive measurement systems for detecting threat materials, like explosives and drugs. By accelerating deuterium ions into a tritium target, the subsequent fusion reaction generates nearly back-to-back emissions of neutrons and alpha particles of energy 14.1 and 3.5 MeV respectively. A position-sensitive detector recognizes the associated alpha particle, thus furnishing the direction of the neutron. The tagged neutrons interact with the nuclei of the interrogated object, producing element-specific prompt gamma-rays that the gamma detectors recognize. Measuring the delay between the detections of the alpha particle and the gamma-ray determines where the reaction occurred along the axis of the neutron beam (14.1 MeV neutrons travel at 5 cm/nanosecond, while gamma rays cover 30 cm/nanosecond). The main advantage of the technique is its ability to simultaneously provide 2D and 3D imaging of objects and their elemental composition. This work reports on the efficacy of using 14 MeV neutrons tagged by the associated particle neutron time-of-flight technique (APnTOF) to extract neutron induced characteristic gamma-rays from an object-of-interest with high SNR and without interference from nearby clutter.« less

TEMTADS Adjunct Sensor Systems Hand-Held EMI Sensor for Cued UXO Discrimination (ESTCP MR-200807) and Man-Portable EMI Array for UXO Detection and Discrimination (ESTCP MR-200909)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-05

C la ss ifi ca tio n TY PE D ep th (M ) A zi m ut h (D eg re es ) D ip (D eg re es ) 1 2 3...Naval Research Laboratory Washington, DC 20375-5320 NRL/MR/ 6110 --12-9401 TEMTADS Adjunct Sensor Systems Hand-held EMI Sensor for Cued UXO...NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 2 . REPORT TYPE1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 4

TEMTADS Adjunct Sensor Systems Hand-held EMI Sensor for Cued UXO Discrimination (ESTCP MR-200807) and Man-Portable EMI Array for UXO Detection and Discrimination (ESTCP MR-200909) Cost and Performance Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-27

notes and team orienteering functions. Data collection with the MP system at the former Camp Beale, CA is shown in Figure 5- 2 (right). 5.3.3...Naval Research Laboratory Washington, DC 20375-5320 NRL/MR/ 6110 --12-9424 TEMTADS Adjunct Sensor Systems Hand-held EMI Sensor for Cued UXO...CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 2 . REPORT TYPE1. REPORT DATE (DD

Characterization of Freshwater EM Sub Bottom Sediment Properties and Target Responses for Detection of UXO with Ground-Penetrating RADAR (GPR)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

such that n*= √ε*. We computed phase velocity vph = c/Real(n*). We computed the one-way attenuation rate β (dB m−1) from the imaginary part of the...velocities of propagation at 100 MHz and 1 GHz. At 1 GHz we might expect vph to be controlled by the free, or nearly free value of εshi. The complex...distorted waveform resulted from changes in vph , β, or both across the pulse bandwidth. The small differences in vphmeas between 100 MHz and 1 GHz at

Demonstration Report, Munitions Management Projects, ESTCP Project MR-200809, ALLTEM Multi-Axis Electromagnetic Induction System Demonstration and Validation, Aberdeen Proving Ground Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Version 1.0

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-17

to emulate typical impact area conditions. The Open Field area is now divided into four subareas: Legacy, Indirect fire, Direct fire, and Challenge...that could be typically found at an impact area of an indirect fire weapons range. These are 81 mm and 60 mm mortars and 105 ALLTEM APG...munitions. • Open field (direct fire) The direct fire subarea contains only three munition types that could be typically found at an impact area of

UXO Forum 1996

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-01-01

used to locate and characterize a magnetic dipole source, and this finding accelerated the development of superconducting tensor gradiometers for... superconducting magnetic field gradiometer, two-color infrared camera, synthetic aperture radar, and a visible spectrum camera. The combination of these...Pieter Hoekstra, Blackhawk GeoSciences ......................................... 68 Prediction for UXO Shape and Orientation Effects on Magnetic

Electromagnetic Induction Sensing of UneXploded Ordnance with Pedemis

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-22

Pasion , L. R., “A unified approach to uxo discrimination using the method of auxiliary sources,” tech. rep. (2006). [19] Barrowes, B. E., O’Neill, K...inversion and classification using advanced emi models,” (2010). SERDP-MR-1572. [27] Pasion , L., “Uxo discrimination using full coverage and cued

A multisensor system for detection and characterization of UXO(MM-0437) - Demonstration Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gasperikova, Erika; Smith, J.T.; Morrison, H.F.

2006-06-01

The Berkeley UXO discriminator (BUD) (Figure 1) is a portable Active Electromagnetic (AEM) system for UXO detection and characterization that quickly determines the location, size, and symmetry properties of a suspected UXO. The BUD comprises of three orthogonal transmitters that 'illuminate' a target with fields in three independent directions in order to stimulate the three polarization modes that, in general, characterize the target EM response. In addition, the BUD uses eight pairs of differenced receivers for response recording. Eight receiver coils are placed horizontally along the two diagonals of the upper and lower planes of the two horizontal transmitter loops.more » These receiver coil pairs are located on symmetry lines through the center of the system and each pair sees identical fields during the on-time of the pulse in all of the transmitter coils. They are wired in opposition to produce zero output during the on-time of the pulses in three orthogonal transmitters. Moreover, this configuration dramatically reduces noise in the measurements by canceling the background electromagnetic fields (these fields are uniform over the scale of the receiver array and are consequently nulled by the differencing operation), and by canceling the noise contributed by the tilt of the receivers in the Earth's magnetic field, and greatly enhances receivers sensitivity to the gradients of the target response. The BUD performs target characterization from a single position of the sensor platform above a target. BUD was designed to detect and characterize UXO in the 20 mm to 155 mm size range for depths between 0 and 1 m. The relationship between the object size and the depth at which it can be detected is illustrated in Figure 2. This curve was calculated for BUD assuming that the receiver plane is 20 cm above the ground. Figure 2 shows that, for example, BUD can detect and characterize an object with 10 cm diameter down to the depth of 90 cm with depth uncertainty of 10%. Any objects buried at the depth more than 1 m have a low probability of detection. With existing algorithms in the system computer it is not possible to recover the principal polarizabilities of large objects close to the system. Detection of large shallow objects is assured, but at present real time discrimination for shallow objects is not. Post processing of the field data is required for shape discrimination of large shallow targets. Next generation of BUD software will not have this limitation. Successful application of the inversion algorithm that solves for the target parameters is contingent upon resolution of this limitation. At the moment, interpretation software is developed for a single object only. In case of multiple objects the software indicates the presence of a cluster of objects but is unable to provide characteristics of each individual object.« less

Engineering Evaluation of UXO Detection Technologies and Interrogation Methodologies for Use in Panama: Empire, Balboa West and Pina Ranges

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-07-01

7 2.5 PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES...False Alarm Ratio (FAR) ...................................................................... 5 Table 2-1 Plant And Animal Species Found On Areas...be effected by the implementation of UXO detection and interrogation technologies. The ranges contain many species of plants , mammals, and birds

SERDP/Office of Naval Research Workshop on Acoustic Detection and Classification of UXO in the Underwater Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

of combat operations A maritime wreck An artificial reef The Navy considers munitions located in waters between high and low tides terrestrial...e.g., operational areas, beach assess). UXO are cleared to provide for civilian safety (e.g., fisheries, diving , cable and pipeline laying

Wide Area Detection and Identification of Underwater UXO Using Structural Acoustic Sensors

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-08

acoustic scattering measurements of underwater unexploded ordnance (UXO),” J. Acoustic. Soc. Am. 123, 738-746 (2008). 10. R. J. Urick ...Review, 97-98, 2004. 13. Urick , op. cit., pp 291-327. 14. S. Dey and D.K. Datta, “A parrallel hp-FEM infrastructure for three-dimensional

Wide Area Detection and Identification of Underwater UXO Using Structural Acoustic Sensors

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-01

measurements of underwater unexploded ordnance (UXO),” J. Acoustic. Soc. Am. 123, 738-746 (2008). 10. R. J. Urick , “Principles of Underwater Sound... Urick , op. cit., pp 291-327. 14. S. Dey and D.K. Datta, “A parrallel hp-FEM infrastructure for three-dimensional structural acoustics,” Int. J

Multifractal Characterization of Geologic Noise for Improved UXO Detection and Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

12 Recovery of the Universal Multifractal Parameters ...dipole-model to each magnetic anomaly and compares the extracted model parameters with a library of UXO items. They found that remnant magnetization...the survey parameters , and the geologic environment. In this pilot study we have focused on the multifractal representation of natural variations

Hand-held EMI Sensor for Cued UXO Discrimination Man-Portable EMI Array for UXO Detection and Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE MAR 2012 2 . REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED...1 1.4 IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES .............................................................................. 2 2.0...assembled sensor with end caps attached. ................................................................................ 5 Figure 2 . Construction details

Focused feasibility study for surface soil at the main pits and pushout area, J-field toxic burning pits area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Patton, T.; Benioff, P.; Biang, C.

1996-06-01

The Environmental Management Division of Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Maryland, is conducting a remedial investigation and feasibility study of the J-Field area at APG pursuant to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended (CERCLA). J-Field is located within the Edgewood Area of APG in Harford County, Maryland. Since World War II, activities in the Edgewood Area have included the development, manufacture, testing, and destruction of chemical agents and munitions. These materials were destroyed at J-Field by open burning/open detonation. Portions of J-Field continue to be used for the detonation and disposal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) by openmore » burning/open detonation under authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.« less

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Scoring Record No. 928

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

magnetic permittivity (possibly complex and frequency dependent), ω is radian frequency, Vrx is the voltage at the receiver coil, txn̂ and rxn̂ are the...voltage induced in the receiver coil Vrx due to the induced target dipole moment m  is related to magnetic field uxoH  at the target due to a

UXO Discrimination Using Vehicle Towed and Man Portable Sensor Data Collected at Camp Beale, California

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-01

UXO Discrimination Using Vehicle Towed and Man Portable Sensor Data Collected at Camp Beale, California Len Pasion , Laurens Beran, Stephen Billings...PORTABLE SENSOR DATA COLLECTED AT CAMP BEALE, CALIFORNIA LEN PASION Sky Research 112A 2386 East Mall Vancouver, BC V6T1Z3 CANADA (604) 221

Applied Behavior Analysis Is Ideal for the Development of a Land Mine Detection Technology Using Animals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, B. M.

2011-01-01

The detection and subsequent removal of land mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) from many developing countries are slow, expensive, and dangerous tasks, but have the potential to improve the well-being of millions of people. Consequently, those involved with humanitarian mine and UXO clearance are actively searching for new and more efficient…

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Blind Grid Scoring Record No. 806 (U.S. Geological Survey, TMGS Magnetometer/Towed Array)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

BOX 25046, FEDERAL CENTER, M.S. 964 DENVER, CO 80225-0046 TECHNOLOGY TYPE/PLATFORM: TMGS MAGNETOMETER/TOWED ARRAY PREPARED BY: U.S. ARMY...GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, TMGS MAGNETOMETER/TOWED ARRAY) 8-CO-160-UXO-021 Karwatka, Michael... TMGS Magnetometer/Towed Array, MEC Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified SAR (Page ii Blank) i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration Plan for Corrective Action Unit 489: WWII UXO Sites, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada; May 2005

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bechtel Nevada; U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office

2005-05-01

This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration Plan provides the details for the closure of Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 489: WWII UXO Sites, Tonopah Test Range. CAU 489 is located at the Tonopah Test Range and is currently listed in Appendix III of the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order of 1996.

Improving UXO Detection and Discrimination in Magnetic Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-01

Krahenbuhl, Todd Meglich Center for Gravity, Electrical , & Magnetic Studies Department of Geophysics Colorado School of Mines Doug Oldenburg, Len...NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Colorado School of Mines,Department of Geophysics,Center for Gravity, Electrical , & Magnetic Studies,Golden,CO,80401 8...SERDP Project MM-1414 Improving UXO Detection and Discrimination in Magnetic Environments Final Report Center for Gravity, Electrical , & Magnetic Studies

Neutron Spectrometry for Identification of filler material in UXO - Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bliss, Mary

2007-09-12

Unexploded ordnance (UXO)-contaminated sites often include ordnance filled with inert substances that were used in dummy rounds. During UXO surveys, it is difficult to determine whether ordnance is filled with explosives or inert material (e.g., concrete, plaster-of-paris, wax, etc.) or is empty. Without verification of the filler material, handling procedures often necessitate that the object be blown in place, which has potential impacts to the environment, personnel, communities and survey costs. The Department of Defense (DoD) needs a reliable, timely, non-intrusive and cost-effective way to identify filler material before a removal action. A new technology that serves this purpose wouldmore » minimize environmental impacts, personnel safety risks and removal costs; and, thus, would be especially beneficial to remediation activities.« less

Corrective Action Plan for Corrective Action Unit 453: Area 9 UXO Landfill, Tonopah Test Range, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bechtel Nevada

1998-09-30

This corrective action plan proposes the closure method for the area 9 unexploded Ordnance landfill, corrective action unit 453 located at the Tonopah Test Range. The area 9 UXO landfill consists of corrective action site no. 09-55-001-0952 and is comprised of three individual landfill cells designated as A9-1, A9-2, and A9-3. The three landfill cells received wastes from daily operations at area 9 and from range cleanups which were performed after weapons testing. Cell locations and contents were not well documented due to the unregulated disposal practices commonly associated with early landfill operations. However, site process knowledge indicates that themore » landfill cells were used for solid waste disposal, including disposal of UXO.« less

Explosive Remnants of War in Stability Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

strategic partner capacity building, global ERW and Counter-IED (C-IED) efforts, while adhering to global Mine /UXO awareness efforts. 15. NUMBER OF...PAGES 139 14. SUBJECT TERMS Explosive Remnants of War—Collection Point (ERW - CP), Landmine, Anti- Personnel Mine , Mine Action, Cluster Munitions...strategic partner capacity building, global ERW and Counter- IED (C-IED) efforts, while adhering to global Mine /UXO awareness efforts. vi THIS PAGE

UXO Navigation Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-01

modeling operator and dobs is the observed data (details in Pasion 2007). Figure 42. Geometry of EM61HH-MK2 sensor. The transmitter and receiver...1979. Stochastic models, estimation, and control (Vol. 141). Pasion , L. R., 2007. Inversion of Time Domain Electromagnetic Data for the Detection of...Unexploded Ordnance. Ph.D. Thesis, The University of British Columbia. Pasion , L. R., Oldenburg, D. W., 2001. A Discrimination Algorithm for UXO

Observing Migration and Burial of Unexploded Ordnance in the Nearshore Environment with Instrumented Surrogates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruder, B. L.; Cristaudo, D.; Puleo, J. A.

2016-12-01

Prior to 1972, it was legal and common practice to unload unexploded ordnance (UXO) into the ocean. Only 60-100 miles off the US coast alone there are 72 dumping sites where it is estimated 31 million pounds of UXO lie. As recently as 2015, UXO have been found not only in the nearshore environment, but on populated beaches. Thus, understanding the migration and burial of these objects is not only of oceanographic interest, but a matter of public safety. The presented project evaluates the efficacy of instrumented UXO surrogates for observing munition migration and burial. Instrumented surrogates were exposed to near prototype scale wave conditions over a mobile bed at the Littoral Warfare Environment at Aberdeen Test Center, MD. Surrogates were deployed in the swash zone, inner and outer surf zones. Dependent on munition size, surrogates housed multiple suites of self-logging sensors. Sensor suites included different combinations of inertial motion units, ultra-wideband tracking tags, pressure transducers, shock recorders, and photocells. Preliminary results show sensor suites can resolve various types of surrogate movement. Pressure transducers accurately record ambient wave conditions as well as changes in mean depth due to surrogate migration. Inertial motion units resolve munition accelerations for rolling and translational motion. Inertial motion unit data is used to estimate trajectory as well when coupled with mean depth and bathymetric data. Photocells, which measure ambient light, resolve munition burial as well as serve as proxies for surrounding environmental conditions such as suspended sediment and water depth. The presented project will continue to utilize and couple surrogate sensor data to resolve munition movement and burial under different conditions. Knowledge of munition migration helps focus UXO detection and recovery, conserving US military and coastal resources.

UXO Engineering Design. Technical Specification and ConceptualDesign

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beche, J-F.; Doolittle, L.; Greer, J.

2005-04-23

The design and fabrication of the UXO detector has numerous challenges and is an important component to the success of this study. This section describes the overall engineering approach, as well as some of the technical details that brought us to the present design. In general, an array of sensor coils is measuring the signal generated by the UXO object in response to a stimulation provided by the driver coil. The information related to the location, shape and properties of the object is derived from the analysis of the measured data. Each sensor coil is instrumented with a waveform digitizermore » operating at a nominal digitization rate of 100 kSamples per second. The sensor coils record both the large transient pulse of the driver coil and the UXO object response pulse. The latter is smaller in amplitude and must be extracted from the large transient signal. The resolution required is 16 bits over a dynamic range of at least 140 dB. The useful signal bandwidth of the application extends from DC to 40 kHz. The low distortion of each component is crucial in order to maintain an excellent linearity over the full dynamic range and to minimize the calibration procedure. The electronics must be made as compact as possible so that the response of its metallic parts has a minimum signature response. Also because of a field system portability requirement, the power consumption of the instrument must be kept as low as possible. The theory and results of numerical and experimental studies that led to the proof-of-principle multitransmitter-multireceiver Active ElectroMagnetic (AEM) system, that can not only accurately detect but also characterize and discriminate UXO targets, are summarized in LBNL report-53962: ''Detection and Classification of Buried Metallic Objects, UX-1225''.« less

Demonstration of Advanced EMI Models for Live-Site UXO Discrimination at Waikoloa, Hawaii

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

magnetic source models PNN Probabilistic Neural Network SERDP Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program SLO San Luis Obispo...SNR Signal to noise ratio SVM Support vector machine TD Time Domain TEMTADS Time Domain Electromagnetic Towed Array Detection System TOI... intrusive procedure, which was used by Parsons at WMA, failed to document accurately all intrusive results, or failed to detect and clear all UXO like

Demonstration of UXO-PenDepth for the Estimation of Projectile Penetration Depth

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-01

Effects (JTCG/ME) in August 2001. The accreditation process included verification and validation (V&V) by a subject matter expert (SME) other than...Within UXO-PenDepth, there are three sets of input parameters that are required: impact conditions (Fig. 1a), penetrator properties , and target... properties . The impact conditions that need to be defined are projectile orientation and impact velocity. The algorithm has been evaluated against

Predicting the Mobility and Burial of Underwater Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Using the UXO Mobility Model (ESTCP) 200417

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-01

Abbreviations and Acronyms Acronym Definition ADCP Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler AGD Applications Guidance Document ARAMS Army Risk Assessment Modeling...Center iv NESDI Navy Environmental Sustainability Development to Integration NOS National Ocean Service NS Naval Station NWS Naval Weapons...Plan QAS Quality Assurance Specialist RAC Risk Assessment Code REF/DIF Refraction/Diffraction ROI Return on Investment SAJ Dr. Scott A. Jenkins

Man Portable Vector EMI Sensor for Full UXO Characterization

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

with project management and coordination. Drs. Laurens Beran, Leonard Pasion , and Stephen Billings advised on technical aspects and Dr. Gregory Schultz...approximated as a point dipole (e.g., Bell et al., 2001; Pasion and Oldenburg, 2001; Gasperikova et al., 2009). The process of estimating the target...39, 1286–1293. Bell, T. 2005. Geo-location Requirements for UXO Discrimination. SERDP Geo-location Workshop. Billings, S., L. Pasion , N. Lhomme

Vortex Lattice UXO Mobility Model Integration

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

law , no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB...predictions of the fate and transport of a broad-field UXO population are extremely sensitive to the initial state of that population, specifically: the...limit the model’s computational domain. This revised model software was built on the concept of interconnected geomorphic control cells consisting of

Hand-Held UXO Discriminator

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

structure design showed that we could achieve both of these goals with a 14-in (0.35 m) sensor cube. To avoid the reliance on accurate multiple...differenced pair receiver. 4. Conclusions We have designed and built a sensor package of a 14-in (0.35 m) cube based on the...funding (UX-1225, MM-0437, and MM-0838), we have successfully designed and built a cart-mounted Berkeley UXO Discriminator (BUD) and demonstrated its

Summary of Progress on SIG Ft. Ord ESTCP DemVal

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-01

We report on progress under an ESTCP demonstration plan dedicated to demonstrating active learning - based UXO detection on an actual former UXO site...Ft. Ord), using EMI data. In addition to describing the details of the active - learning algorithm, we discuss techniques that were required when...terms of two dipole-moment magnitudes and two resonant frequencies. Information-theoretic active learning is then conducted on all anomalies to

Statistical methods for identifying and bounding a UXO target area or minefield

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McKinstry, Craig A.; Pulsipher, Brent A.; Gilbert, Richard O.

2003-09-18

The sampling unit for minefield or UXO area characterization is typically represented by a geographical block or transect swath that lends itself to characterization by geophysical instrumentation such as mobile sensor arrays. New spatially based statistical survey methods and tools, more appropriate for these unique sampling units have been developed and implemented at PNNL (Visual Sample Plan software, ver. 2.0) with support from the US Department of Defense. Though originally developed to support UXO detection and removal efforts, these tools may also be used in current form or adapted to support demining efforts and aid in the development of newmore » sensors and detection technologies by explicitly incorporating both sampling and detection error in performance assessments. These tools may be used to (1) determine transect designs for detecting and bounding target areas of critical size, shape, and density of detectable items of interest with a specified confidence probability, (2) evaluate the probability that target areas of a specified size, shape and density have not been missed by a systematic or meandering transect survey, and (3) support post-removal verification by calculating the number of transects required to achieve a specified confidence probability that no UXO or mines have been missed.« less

The DTIC Review. Volume 2, Number 1: Land Mine Warfare: Detection and Clearance

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-03-01

almost all explosives, of some nitrate form, can be used as a key to determine ordnance presence. Assuming the presence of explosive contamination on the...heat the nitrate compounds found therein in the presence of a catalyst to produce nitrous oxide. This gas can then be measured and a direct... economical means of characterizing and remediating sites contaminated with UXO. This program extends from UXO detection systems, through artificial

Sonar Detection and Classification of Underwater UXO and Environmental Parameters

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-07-09

For these targets, representations like those in Figs. 10 and 11 may be more useful because they focus on properties of the isolated target signal ... using time-frequency phenomena extracted from strong ROIs in target scattering data. In general, backscattered signals contain specular as well as...database of sonar target signals useful for developing and evaluating C/ID algorithms that separate UXO from bottom clutter and to look for and

Munitions Response Projects Shallow Water Marine UXO Detection Survey - Underwater Survey of Camp Lejeune

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

following: disturbance of sensitive environments (including wildlife); dredging up potentially contaminated sediments; physical contact with UXO; damaging or...is discussed below. 2.1.1 EM61 System and Sensors The EM61 is a high-resolution time-domain electromagnetic metal detector that is capable of...the position of the tow boat and then try to extrapolate the position of the detector based on cable length and GPS heading. In most cases, the

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Blind Grid Scoring Record Number 909 (Sky Research, Inc.)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

heading north from the southern end point, and then returning south from the northern end point. 2) A metallic pin-flag is placed over the midpoint...test involves traverses across a known point located away from buried UXO or other metallic debris. A 5-meter- length of line is walked in eight...ferrous and nonferrous anomalies. Due to limitations of the magnetometer, the nonferrous items cannot be detected. Therefore, the ROC curves

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Woods Scoring Record Number 902 (Sky Research, Inc.)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

endpoint. 8 2) A metallic pin-flag is placed over the midpoint. 3) The operator logs data along the same path, first traveling north, and then...data and after completion of data collection. This test involves traverses across a known point located away from buried UXO or other metallic ...areas, dips, ruts and obstructions that challenge platform systems or hand held detectors . The challenges include a gravel road, wet areas and trees

Predicting the Mobility and Burial of Underwater Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) using the UXO Mobility Model. Field Test Report (PMRF Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-20

of the demonstration; yellow stars indicate the inshore and offshore fields. ................. 39 Figure 19. Wave height (upper) and current...demonstration; yellow stars indicate the inshore and offshore fields. 40 Figure 19. Wave height (upper) and current magnitude (lower) measured...State Park to Barking Sands, are composed of material eroded from the Kokee Highlands, remnant of a shield volcano that is dissected on its western side

Kalman Filters for UXO Detection: Real-Time Feedback and Small Target Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

last two decades. Accomplishments reported from both hardware and software point of views have moved the re- search focus from simple laboratory tests...quality data which in turn require a good positioning of the sensors atop the UXOs. The data collection protocol is currently based on a two-stage process...Note that this results is merely an illustration of the convergence of the Kalman filter. In practise , the linear part can be directly inverted for if

Advanced UXO Detection and Discrimination Using Magnetic Data Based on Extended Euler Deconvolution and Shape Identification Through Multipole Moments

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-01

detection. We also thank Len Pasion and Todd Meglich for helpful discussions on the Camp Sibert data set. Finally, we thank Kris Davis from Colorado...depth of potential UXO using a continuous wavelet transform: Conference proceedings, 1012– 1022, SPIE. Billings, S. D., L. R. Pasion , and D. W...1638 2009 Annual Report. Lanczos, C., 1988, Applied analysis: Courier Dover Publications. Li, Y., Krahenbuhl, R., Meglich, T., Pasion , L

Demonstration Report for Geonics EM-63 Cued-Interrogation Data Collection, Processing and Archiving at Camp Sibert, Alabama

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

Requirements for UXO Discrimination: Paper prepared for UXO Location Workshop, Annapolis, May 2005. Billings, S. D., Pasion , L. R., Beran, L., Oldenburg, D...Discrimination Strategies for Application to Live Sites. Billings, S. D., Pasion , L. R. and Oldenburg, D., 2007b, Sky Research/University of British Columbia...moved RTS to reacquire SE1-12 which was lost by the DAS issue as well. o Talked with Len Pasion about the best approach for full coverage data given

Ultra-Wideband EMI Sensing: Non-Metallic Target Detection and Automatic Classification of Unexploded Ordnance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sigman, John Brevard

Buried explosive hazards present a pressing problem worldwide. Millions of acres and thousands of sites are contaminated in the United States alone [1, 2]. There are three categories of explosive hazards: metallic, intermediate-electrical conducting (IEC), and non-conducting targets. Metallic target detection and classification by electromagnetic (EM) signature has been the subject of research for many years. Key to the success of this research is modern multi-static Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) sensors, which are able to measure the wideband EMI response from metallic buried targets. However, no hardware solutions exist which can characterize IEC and non-conducting targets. While high-conducting metallic targets exhibit a quadrature peak response for frequencies in a traditional EMI regime under 100 kHz, the response of intermediate-conducting objects manifests at higher frequencies, between 100 kHz and 15 MHz. In addition to high-quality electromagnetic sensor data and robust electromagnetic models, a classification procedure is required to discriminate Targets of Interest (TOI) from clutter. Currently, costly human experts are used for this task. This expense and effort can be spared by using statistical signal processing and machine learning. This thesis has two main parts. In the first part, we explore using the high frequency EMI (HFEMI) band (100 kHz-15 MHz) for detection of carbon fiber UXO, voids, and of materials with characteristics that may be associated with improvised explosive devices (IED). We constructed an HFEMI sensing instrument, and apply the techniques of metal detection to sensing in a band of frequencies which are the transition between the induction and radar bands. In this transition domain, physical considerations and technological issues arise that cannot be solved via the approaches used in either of the bracketing lower and higher frequency ranges. In the second half of this thesis, we present a procedure for automatic classification of UXO. For maximum generality, our algorithm is robust and can handle sparse training examples of multi-class data. This procedure uses an unsupervised starter, semi-supervised techniques to gather training data, and concludes with supervised learning until all TOI are found. Additionally, an inference method for estimating the number of remaining true positives from a partial Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve is presented and applied to live-site dig histories.

Fluxgate vector magnetometers: Compensated multi-sensor devices for ground, UAV and airborne magnetic survey for various application in near surface geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gavazzi, Bruno; Le Maire, Pauline; Munschy, Marc; Dechamp, Aline

2017-04-01

Fluxgate 3-components magnetometer is the kind of magnetometer which offers the lightest weight and lowest power consumption for the measurement of the intensity of the magnetic field. Moreover, vector measurements make it the only kind of magnetometer allowing compensation of magnetic perturbations due to the equipment carried with it. Unfortunately, Fluxgate magnetometers are quite uncommon in near surface geophysics due to the difficulty to calibrate them precisely. The recent advances in calibration of the sensors and magnetic compensation of the devices from a simple process on the field led Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg to develop instruments for georeferenced magnetic measurements at different scales - from submetric measurements on the ground to aircraft-conducted acquisition through the wide range offered by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - with a precision in the order of 1 nT. Such equipment is used for different kind of application: structural geology, pipes and UXO detection, archaeology.

Version 2.0 Visual Sample Plan (VSP): UXO Module Code Description and Verification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gilbert, Richard O.; Wilson, John E.; O'Brien, Robert F.

2003-05-06

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is developing statistical methods for determining the amount of geophysical surveys conducted along transects (swaths) that are needed to achieve specified levels of confidence of finding target areas (TAs) of anomalous readings and possibly unexploded ordnance (UXO) at closed, transferring and transferred (CTT) Department of Defense (DoD) ranges and other sites. The statistical methods developed by PNNL have been coded into the UXO module of the Visual Sample Plan (VSP) software code that is being developed by PNNL with support from the DoD, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE, and the U.S. Environmental Protectionmore » Agency (EPA). (The VSP software and VSP Users Guide (Hassig et al, 2002) may be downloaded from http://dqo.pnl.gov/vsp.) This report describes and documents the statistical methods developed and the calculations and verification testing that have been conducted to verify that VSPs implementation of these methods is correct and accurate.« less

Statistical Algorithms for Designing Geophysical Surveys to Detect UXO Target Areas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Brien, Robert F.; Carlson, Deborah K.; Gilbert, Richard O.

2005-07-29

The U.S. Department of Defense is in the process of assessing and remediating closed, transferred, and transferring military training ranges across the United States. Many of these sites have areas that are known to contain unexploded ordnance (UXO). Other sites or portions of sites are not expected to contain UXO, but some verification of this expectation using geophysical surveys is needed. Many sites are so large that it is often impractical and/or cost prohibitive to perform surveys over 100% of the site. In that case, it is particularly important to be explicit about the performance required of the survey. Thismore » article presents the statistical algorithms developed to support the design of geophysical surveys along transects (swaths) to find target areas (TAs) of anomalous geophysical readings that may indicate the presence of UXO. The algorithms described here determine 1) the spacing between transects that should be used for the surveys to achieve a specified probability of traversing the TA, 2) the probability of both traversing and detecting a TA of anomalous geophysical readings when the spatial density of anomalies within the TA is either uniform (unchanging over space) or has a bivariate normal distribution, and 3) the probability that a TA exists when it was not found by surveying along transects. These algorithms have been implemented in the Visual Sample Plan (VSP) software to develop cost-effective transect survey designs that meet performance objectives.« less

Statistical Algorithms for Designing Geophysical Surveys to Detect UXO Target Areas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Brien, Robert F.; Carlson, Deborah K.; Gilbert, Richard O.

2005-07-28

The U.S. Department of Defense is in the process of assessing and remediating closed, transferred, and transferring military training ranges across the United States. Many of these sites have areas that are known to contain unexploded ordnance (UXO). Other sites or portions of sites are not expected to contain UXO, but some verification of this expectation using geophysical surveys is needed. Many sites are so large that it is often impractical and/or cost prohibitive to perform surveys over 100% of the site. In such cases, it is particularly important to be explicit about the performance required of the surveys. Thismore » article presents the statistical algorithms developed to support the design of geophysical surveys along transects (swaths) to find target areas (TAs) of anomalous geophysical readings that may indicate the presence of UXO. The algorithms described here determine (1) the spacing between transects that should be used for the surveys to achieve a specified probability of traversing the TA, (2) the probability of both traversing and detecting a TA of anomalous geophysical readings when the spatial density of anomalies within the TA is either uniform (unchanging over space) or has a bivariate normal distribution, and (3) the probability that a TA exists when it was not found by surveying along transects. These algorithms have been implemented in the Visual Sample Plan (VSP) software to develop cost-effective transect survey designs that meet performance objectives.« less

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Moguls Scoring No. 903 (Sky Research, Inc.)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

endpoint, and then returning south from the northern endpoint. 8 2) A metallic pin-flag is placed over the midpoint. 3) The operator logs data...point located away from buried UXO or other metallic debris. A 5-meter-length of line is walked in eight cardinal directions (N-S, S-N, E-W, W-E, SE-NW...systems or handheld detectors . The challenges include a gravel road, wet areas and trees. The vegetation height varies from 15 to 25 cm. Moguls A 1.30

77 FR 37733 - Technical Standard Order (TSO)-C68a, Airborne Automatic Dead Reckoning Computer Equipment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-22

..., Airborne Automatic Dead Reckoning Computer Equipment Utilizing Aircraft Heading and Doppler Ground Speed.... ACTION: Notice of intent to cancel Technical Standard Order (TSO)-C68a, Airborne automatic dead reckoning... dead reckoning computer equipment utilizing aircraft heading and Doppler ground speed and drift angle...

Electromagnetic packable technology (EMPACT) for detection and characterization of ordnance in post-conflict areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schultz, Gregory; Miller, Jonathan; Keranen, Joe

2013-06-01

Land reclamation efforts in post-conflict regions are often hampered by the presence of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) or other Explosive Remnants of War (ERW). Surface geophysical methods, such as Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) and magnetometry, are typically applied to screen rehabilitation areas for UXO prior to excavation; however, the prevalence of innocuous magnetic clutter related to indigenous scrap, fragmentation, or geology can severely impede the progress and efficiency of these remediation efforts. Additionally, the variability in surface conditions and local topography necessitates the development of sensor technologies that can be applied to a range of sites including those that prohibit the use of vehicle-mounted or large array systems. We present a man-portable EMI sensor known as the Electromagnetic Packable Technology (EMPACT) system that features a multi-axis sensor configuration in a compact form factor. The system is designed for operation in challenging site conditions and can be used in low ground-standoff modes to detect small and low-metal content objects. The EMPACT acquires high spatial density, multi-axis data that enable high resolution of small objects. This high density data can also be used to provide characterization of target physical features, such as size, material content, and shape. We summarize the development of this system for humanitarian demining operations and present results from preliminary system evaluations against a range of target types. Specifically, we assess the general detection capabilities of the EMPACT system and we evaluate the potential for target classification based on analysis of data and target model features.

Modeling the tagged-neutron UXO identification technique using the Geant4 toolkit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou Y.; Mitra S.; Zhu X.

2011-10-16

It is proposed to use 14 MeV neutrons tagged by the associated particle neutron time-of-flight technique (APnTOF) to identify the fillers of unexploded ordnances (UXO) by characterizing their carbon, nitrogen and oxygen contents. To facilitate the design and construction of a prototype system, a preliminary simulation model was developed, using the Geant4 toolkit. This work established the toolkit environment for (a) generating tagged neutrons, (b) their transport and interactions within a sample to induce emission and detection of characteristic gamma-rays, and (c) 2D and 3D-image reconstruction of the interrogated object using the neutron and gamma-ray time-of-flight information. Using the modeling,more » this article demonstrates the novelty of the tagged-neutron approach for extracting useful signals with high signal-to-background discrimination of an object-of-interest from that of its environment. Simulations indicated that an UXO filled with the RDX explosive, hexogen (C{sub 3}H{sub 6}O{sub 6}N{sub 6}), can be identified to a depth of 20 cm when buried in soil.« less

Automatic tracking of wake vortices using ground-wind sensor data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-01-03

Algorithms for automatic tracking of wake vortices using ground-wind anemometer : data are developed. Methods of bad-data suppression, track initiation, and : track termination are included. An effective sensor-failure detection-and identification : ...

Model based approach to UXO imaging using the time domain electromagnetic method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lavely, E.M.

1999-04-01

Time domain electromagnetic (TDEM) sensors have emerged as a field-worthy technology for UXO detection in a variety of geological and environmental settings. This success has been achieved with commercial equipment that was not optimized for UXO detection and discrimination. The TDEM response displays a rich spatial and temporal behavior which is not currently utilized. Therefore, in this paper the author describes a research program for enhancing the effectiveness of the TDEM method for UXO detection and imaging. Fundamental research is required in at least three major areas: (a) model based imaging capability i.e. the forward and inverse problem, (b) detectormore » modeling and instrument design, and (c) target recognition and discrimination algorithms. These research problems are coupled and demand a unified treatment. For example: (1) the inverse solution depends on solution of the forward problem and knowledge of the instrument response; (2) instrument design with improved diagnostic power requires forward and inverse modeling capability; and (3) improved target recognition algorithms (such as neural nets) must be trained with data collected from the new instrument and with synthetic data computed using the forward model. Further, the design of the appropriate input and output layers of the net will be informed by the results of the forward and inverse modeling. A more fully developed model of the TDEM response would enable the joint inversion of data collected from multiple sensors (e.g., TDEM sensors and magnetometers). Finally, the author suggests that a complementary approach to joint inversions is the statistical recombination of data using principal component analysis. The decomposition into principal components is useful since the first principal component contains those features that are most strongly correlated from image to image.« less

Hand-held UXO Discriminator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gasperikova, E.; Smith, J.T.; Kappler, K.N.

2010-04-01

With prior funding (UX-1225, MM-0437, and MM-0838), we have successfully designed and built a cart-mounted Berkeley UXO Discriminator (BUD) and demonstrated its performance at various test sites (e.g., Gasperikova et al., 2007, 2009). It is a multi-transmitter multi-receiver active electromagnetic system that is able to discriminate UXO from scrap at a single measurement position, hence eliminates equirement of a very accurate sensor location. The cart-mounted system comprises of three orthogonal transmitters and eight pairs of differenced receivers (Smith et al., 2007). Receiver coils are located on ymmetry lines through the center of the system and see identical fields during themore » on-time of the pulse in all of the transmitter coils. They can then be wired in opposition to produce zero output during the n-ime of the pulses in three orthogonal transmitters. Moreover, this configuration dramatically reduces noise in the measurements by canceling the background electromagnetic fields (these fields are uniform ver the scale of the receiver array and are consequently nulled by the differencing operation), and by canceling the noise contributed by the tilt of the receivers in the Earth's magnetic field, and therefore reatly enhances receivers sensitivity to the gradients of the target.« less

Multi-optical mine detection: results from a field trial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Letalick, Dietmar; Tolt, Gustav; Sjökvist, Stefan K.; Nyberg, Sten; Grönwall, Christina; Andersson, Pierre; Linderhed, Anna; Forssell, Göran; Larsson, Håkan; Uppsäll, Magnus

2006-05-01

As a part of the Swedish mine detection project MOMS, an initial field trial was conducted at the Swedish EOD and Demining Centre (SWEDEC). The purpose was to collect data on surface-laid mines, UXO, submunitions, IED's, and background with a variety of optical sensors, for further use in the project. Three terrain types were covered: forest, gravel road, and an area which had recovered after total removal of all vegetation some years before. The sensors used in the field trial included UV, VIS, and NIR sensors as well as thermal, multi-spectral, and hyper-spectral sensors, 3-D laser radar and polarization sensors. Some of the sensors were mounted on an aerial work platform, while others were placed on tripods on the ground. This paper describes the field trial and the presents some initial results obtained from the subsequent analysis.

Epidemiological Study of Child Casualties of Landmines and Unexploded Ordnances: A National Study from Iran.

PubMed

Mousavi, Batool; Soroush, Mohammad Reza; Masoumi, Mehdi; Khateri, Shahriar; Modirian, Ehsan; Shokoohi, Hamid; Fatemi, Mohammad Javad; Ali Hematti, Mohammad; Soroush, Mansour; Ghassemi-Broumand, Mohammad; Rassafiani, Mehdi; Allami, Mostafa; Nouri, Farshad; Yavari, Amir; Ganjparvar, Zohreh; Kamyab, Mojtaba; Mirsadeghi, Seyed Abbas

2015-10-01

Despite landmine-risk education programs and extensive demining activities on the Western border of Iran, landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) still cause civilian and child casualties three decades after the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988). The objective of this study was to understand the epidemiological patterns and risk factors of injury in child casualties of landmines and UXOs in Western and Southwestern Iran. Children who were 18 years old or younger at the time of study and who sustained injuries from landmines and UXOs were identified through a search at the Iranian National Veterans Registry. These children participated in a 5-day gathering. The information on socioeconomic status, health-related issues, quality of life, health care utilization, and clinical profiles concerning the landmine and UXO injuries were collected. The method of data collection consisted of three component surveys: health interview, social survey, and medical examinations. Social surveys and health interviews were conducted in a face-to-face method by utilizing a questionnaire consisting of 39 questions addressing household and individual components, including information on time and type of injuries, physical activity, mental health, and quality of life. A comprehensive team of physicians in different subspecialties evaluated and examined children to assess the current medical and psychiatric conditions and physical activity, and recommended and arranged further medical, rehabilitation, or surgical planning. Seventy-eight child casualties were identified and participated in the study. The mean age of the participants at the time of study was 16.11 years old (SD=2 years). The mean age of victims at the time of injury was 8.2 years (SD=3.12 years; ranged from 2 to 15 years old). Sixty-seven (85.9%) of the children were male. Provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah had the highest number of casualties, with a total number of 54 children (68.3%). Eighty percent of the injuries were caused by landmines, and UXO explosions were reported in 20% of the cases. Overall, 24 children (30%) had received some landmine-risk education before or after the events. Sixty percent of the explosions had happened in the morning between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm. Playing and grazing livestock were the most prevalent activities/reasons at the time of injury, which were reported in 77% of the subjects. Sixty-three percent of incidents had multiple casualties and in only 13 explosions were the children the only victims of the explosion. The most prevalent injuries were amputations in 41 subjects (52.56%), followed by hearing loss in 23 subjects (29.5%). Amputations were more common in upper extremities (62%) than in lower extremities (38%). Landmines and UXOs comprise a significant safety hazard to the children living in the Western border of Iran decades after the Iraq-Iran War. The large number of injuries and lack of risk training among victims suggest that landmine cleanings and landmine-risk education should be age-specifically targeted and expanded substantially.

Automatic Traffic Advisory and Resolution Service (ATARS) Multi-Site Algorithms. Revision 1,

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-10-01

Summary Concept Description The Automatic Traffic Advisory and Resolution Service is a ground based collision avoidance system to be implemented in the...capability. A ground based computer processes the data and continuously provides proximity warning information and, when necessary, resolution advisories to...of ground- based air traffic control which provides proximity warning and separation services to uncontrolled aircraft in a given region of airspace. it

Applications of the associated-particle neutron-time-of-flight interrogation technique - From sheep to unexploded ordnance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitra, S.

2013-04-01

The associated-particle technique (APT) will be presented for some diverse applications that include on the one hand, analyzing the body composition of live sheep and on the other, identifying the fillers of unexploded ordnance (UXO). What began with proof-of-concept studies using a large laboratory based 14 MeV neutron generator of the "associated-particle" type, soon became possible for the first time to measure total body protein, fat and water simultaneously in live sheep using a compact field deployable associated-particle sealed-tube neutron generator (APSTNG). This non-invasive technique offered the animal physiologist a tool to monitor the growth of an animal in response to new genetic, nutritional and pharmacologic methods for livestock improvement. While measurement of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) determined protein, fat and water because of the fixed stoichiometric proportions of these elements in these body components, the unique C/N and C/O ratios of high explosives revealed their identity in UXO. The algorithm that was developed and implemented to extract C, N and O counts from an APT generated gamma-ray spectrum will be presented together with the UXO investigations that involved preliminary proofof-concept studies and modeling with Monte Carlo produced synthetic spectra of 57-155 mm projectiles.

Acquisition and processing of advanced sensor data for ERW and UXO detection and classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schultz, Gregory M.; Keranen, Joe; Miller, Jonathan S.; Shubitidze, Fridon

2014-06-01

The remediation of explosive remnants of war (ERW) and associated unexploded ordnance (UXO) has seen improvements through the injection of modern technological advances and streamlined standard operating procedures. However, reliable and cost-effective detection and geophysical mapping of sites contaminated with UXO such as cluster munitions, abandoned ordnance, and improvised explosive devices rely on the ability to discriminate hazardous items from metallic clutter. In addition to anthropogenic clutter, handheld and vehicle-based metal detector systems are plagued by natural geologic and environmental noise in many post conflict areas. We present new and advanced electromagnetic induction (EMI) technologies including man-portable and towed EMI arrays and associated data processing software. While these systems feature vastly different form factors and transmit-receive configurations, they all exhibit several fundamental traits that enable successful classification of EMI anomalies. Specifically, multidirectional sampling of scattered magnetic fields from targets and corresponding high volume of unique data provide rich information for extracting useful classification features for clutter rejection analysis. The quality of classification features depends largely on the extent to which the data resolve unique physics-based parameters. To date, most of the advanced sensors enable high quality inversion by producing data that are extremely rich in spatial content through multi-angle illumination and multi-point reception.

Identifying Minefields and Verifying Clearance: Adapting Statistical Methods for UXO Target Detection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gilbert, Richard O.; O'Brien, Robert F.; Wilson, John E.

2003-09-01

It may not be feasible to completely survey large tracts of land suspected of containing minefields. It is desirable to develop a characterization protocol that will confidently identify minefields within these large land tracts if they exist. Naturally, surveying areas of greatest concern and most likely locations would be necessary but will not provide the needed confidence that an unknown minefield had not eluded detection. Once minefields are detected, methods are needed to bound the area that will require detailed mine detection surveys. The US Department of Defense Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) is sponsoring the development ofmore » statistical survey methods and tools for detecting potential UXO targets. These methods may be directly applicable to demining efforts. Statistical methods are employed to determine the optimal geophysical survey transect spacing to have confidence of detecting target areas of a critical size, shape, and anomaly density. Other methods under development determine the proportion of a land area that must be surveyed to confidently conclude that there are no UXO present. Adaptive sampling schemes are also being developed as an approach for bounding the target areas. These methods and tools will be presented and the status of relevant research in this area will be discussed.« less

Applications of the associated-particle neutron-time-of-flight interrogation technique - From sheep to unexploded ordnance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mitra, S.

The associated-particle technique (APT) will be presented for some diverse applications that include on the one hand, analyzing the body composition of live sheep and on the other, identifying the fillers of unexploded ordnance (UXO). What began with proof-of-concept studies using a large laboratory based 14 MeV neutron generator of the 'associated-particle' type, soon became possible for the first time to measure total body protein, fat and water simultaneously in live sheep using a compact field deployable associated-particle sealed-tube neutron generator (APSTNG). This non-invasive technique offered the animal physiologist a tool to monitor the growth of an animal in responsemore » to new genetic, nutritional and pharmacologic methods for livestock improvement. While measurement of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) determined protein, fat and water because of the fixed stoichiometric proportions of these elements in these body components, the unique C/N and C/O ratios of high explosives revealed their identity in UXO. The algorithm that was developed and implemented to extract C, N and O counts from an APT generated gamma-ray spectrum will be presented together with the UXO investigations that involved preliminary proofof-concept studies and modeling with Monte Carlo produced synthetic spectra of 57-155 mm projectiles.« less

Presentation video retrieval using automatically recovered slide and spoken text

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Matthew

2013-03-01

Video is becoming a prevalent medium for e-learning. Lecture videos contain text information in both the presentation slides and lecturer's speech. This paper examines the relative utility of automatically recovered text from these sources for lecture video retrieval. To extract the visual information, we automatically detect slides within the videos and apply optical character recognition to obtain their text. Automatic speech recognition is used similarly to extract spoken text from the recorded audio. We perform controlled experiments with manually created ground truth for both the slide and spoken text from more than 60 hours of lecture video. We compare the automatically extracted slide and spoken text in terms of accuracy relative to ground truth, overlap with one another, and utility for video retrieval. Results reveal that automatically recovered slide text and spoken text contain different content with varying error profiles. Experiments demonstrate that automatically extracted slide text enables higher precision video retrieval than automatically recovered spoken text.

Discrimination Report: A Multisensor system for detection andcharacterization of UXO, ESTCP Project MM-0437,

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gasperikova, Erika; Smith, J. Torquil; Morrison, H.Frank

2008-01-14

The Berkeley UXO Discriminator (BUD) is an optimally designed active electromagnetic system that not only detects but also characterizes UXO. The performance of the system is governed by a target size-depth curve. BUD was designed to detect UXO in the 20 mm to 155 mm size range for depths between 0 and 1.5 m, and to characterize them in a depth range from 0 to 1.1 m. The system incorporates three orthogonal transmitters and eight pairs of differenced receivers. Eight receiver coils are placed horizontally along the two diagonals of the upper and lower planes of the two horizontal transmittermore » loops. These receiver coil pairs are located on symmetry lines through the center of the system and each pair sees identical fields during the on-time of the pulse in all of the transmitter coils. They are wired in opposition to produce zero output during the on-time of the pulses in three orthogonal transmitters. Moreover, this configuration dramatically reduces noise in the measurements by canceling the background electromagnetic fields (these fields are uniform over the scale of the receiver array and are consequently nulled by the differencing operation), and by canceling the noise contributed by the tilt motion of the receivers in the Earth's magnetic field, and greatly enhances receiver sensitivity to the gradients of the target response. BUD is mounted on a small cart to assure system mobility. System positioning is provided by a Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS receiver. The system has two modes of operation: (1) the search mode, in which BUD moves along a profile and exclusively detects targets in its vicinity providing target depth and horizontal location, and (2) the discrimination mode, in which BUD is stationary above a target, and determines three discriminating polarizability responses together with the object location and orientation from a single position of the system. The detection performance of the system is governed by a size-depth curve shown in Figure 2. This curve was calculated for BUD assuming that the receiver plane is 0.2 m above the ground. Figure 2 shows that, for example, BUD can detect an object with 0.1 m diameter down to the depth of 0.9 m with a depth uncertainty of 10%. Any objects buried at a depth of more than 1.3 m will have a low probability of detection. The discrimination performance of the system is governed by a size-depth curve shown in Figure 3. Again, this curve was calculated for BUD assuming that the receiver plane is 0.2 m above the ground. Figure 3 shows that, for example, BUD can determine the polarizability of an object with 0.1 m diameter down to the depth of 0.63 m with polarizability uncertainty of 10%. Any objects buried at the depth more than 0.9 m will have a low discrimination probability. Object orientation estimates and equivalent dipole polarizability estimates used for large and shallow UXO/scrap discrimination are more problematic as they are affected by higher order (non-dipole) terms induced in objects due to source field gradients along the length of the objects. For example, a vertical 0.4 m object directly below the system needs to be about 0.90 m deep for perturbations due to gradients along the length of the object to be of the order of 20% of the uniform field object response. Similarly, vertical objects 0.5 m, and 0.6 m long need to be 1.15 m, and 1.42 m, respectively, below the system. For horizontal objects the effect of gradients across the object diameter are much smaller. For example, 155 mm and 105 mm projectiles need to be only 0.30 m, and 0.19 m, respectively, below the system. A polarizability index (in cm{sup 3}), which is an average value of the product of time (in seconds) and polarizability rate (in m{sup 3}/s) over the 34 sample times logarithmically spaced from 143 to 1300 {micro}s, and three polarizabilities, can be calculated for any object. We used this polarizability index to decide when the object is in a uniform source field. Objects with the polarizability index smaller than 600 cm{sup 3} and deeper than 1.8 m below BUD, or smaller than 200 cm{sup 3} and deeper than 1.35 m, or smaller than 80 cm{sup 3} and deeper than 0.90 m, or smaller than 9 cm{sup 3} and deeper than 0.20 m below BUD are sufficiently deep that the effects of vertical source field gradients should be less than 15%. All other objects are considered large and shallow objects. At the moment, interpretation software is available for a single object only. In case of multiple objects the software indicates the possible presence of metallic objects but is unable to provide characteristics of each individual object.« less

49 CFR 236.552 - Insulation resistance; requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RULES, STANDARDS, AND INSTRUCTIONS GOVERNING THE INSTALLATION... resistance between wiring and ground of continuous inductive automatic cab signal system, automatic train...

Automatic Barometric Updates from Ground-Based Navigational Aids

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-12

ro fAutomatic Barometric Updates US Department from of Transportation Ground-Based Federal Aviation Administration Navigational Aids Office of Safety...tighter vertical spacing controls , particularly for operations near Terminal Control Areas (TCAs), Airport Radar Service Areas (ARSAs), military climb and...E.F., Ruth, J.C., and Williges, B.H. (1987). Speech Controls and Displays. In Salvendy, G., E. Handbook of Human Factors/Ergonomics, New York, John

System Identification and Automatic Mass Balancing of Ground-Based Three-Axis Spacecraft Simulator

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

commanded torque to move away from these singularity points. The introduction of this error may not degrade the performance for large slew angle ...trajectory has been generated and quaternion feedback control has been implemented for reference trajectory tracking. The testbed was reasonably well...System Identification and Automatic Mass Balancing of Ground-Based Three-Axis Spacecraft Simulator Jae-Jun Kim∗ and Brij N. Agrawal † Department of

ED09-0290-32

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-10-01

The F-16D Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology aircraft tests of the Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System, or Auto-GCAS, included flights in areas of potentially hazardous terrain, including canyons and mountains.

Reducing tensor magnetic gradiometer data for unexploded ordnance detection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bracken, Robert E.; Brown, Philip J.

2005-01-01

We performed a survey to demonstrate the effectiveness of a prototype tensor magnetic gradiometer system (TMGS) for detection of buried unexploded ordnance (UXO). In order to achieve a useful result, we designed a data-reduction procedure that resulted in a realistic magnetic gradient tensor and devised a simple way of viewing complicated tensor data, not only to assess the validity of the final resulting tensor, but also to preview the data at interim stages of processing. The final processed map of the surveyed area clearly shows a sharp anomaly that peaks almost directly over the target UXO. This map agrees well with a modeled map derived from dipolar sources near the known target locations. From this agreement, it can be deduced that the reduction process is valid, making the prototype TMGS a foundation for development of future systems and processes.

Applied Behavior Analysis Is Ideal for the Development of a Land Mine Detection Technology Using Animals

PubMed Central

Jones, B. M

2011-01-01

The detection and subsequent removal of land mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) from many developing countries are slow, expensive, and dangerous tasks, but have the potential to improve the well-being of millions of people. Consequently, those involved with humanitarian mine and UXO clearance are actively searching for new and more efficient detection technologies. Remote explosive scent tracing (REST) using trained dogs has the potential to be one such technology. However, details regarding how best to train, test, and deploy dogs in this role have never been made publicly available. This article describes how the key characteristics of applied behavior analysis, as described by Baer, Wolf and Risley (1968, 1987), served as important objectives for the research and development of the behavioral technology component of REST while the author worked in humanitarian demining. PMID:22532731

Applied behavior analysis is ideal for the development of a land mine detection technology using animals.

PubMed

Jones, B M

2011-01-01

The detection and subsequent removal of land mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) from many developing countries are slow, expensive, and dangerous tasks, but have the potential to improve the well-being of millions of people. Consequently, those involved with humanitarian mine and UXO clearance are actively searching for new and more efficient detection technologies. Remote explosive scent tracing (REST) using trained dogs has the potential to be one such technology. However, details regarding how best to train, test, and deploy dogs in this role have never been made publicly available. This article describes how the key characteristics of applied behavior analysis, as described by Baer, Wolf and Risley (1968, 1987), served as important objectives for the research and development of the behavioral technology component of REST while the author worked in humanitarian demining.

77 FR 53962 - Technical Standard Order (TSO)-C68a, Airborne Automatic Dead Reckoning Computer Equipment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-04

..., Airborne Automatic Dead Reckoning Computer Equipment Utilizing Aircraft Heading and Doppler Ground Speed.... ACTION: Notice of cancellation of Technical Standard Order (TSO)-C68a, Airborne Automatic Dead Reckoning... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Doppler radar is a semiautomatic self-contained dead reckoning navigation...

Vision systems for manned and robotic ground vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanders-Reed, John N.; Koon, Phillip L.

2010-04-01

A Distributed Aperture Vision System for ground vehicles is described. An overview of the hardware including sensor pod, processor, video compression, and displays is provided. This includes a discussion of the choice between an integrated sensor pod and individually mounted sensors, open architecture design, and latency issues as well as flat panel versus head mounted displays. This technology is applied to various ground vehicle scenarios, including closed-hatch operations (operator in the vehicle), remote operator tele-operation, and supervised autonomy for multi-vehicle unmanned convoys. In addition, remote vision for automatic perimeter surveillance using autonomous vehicles and automatic detection algorithms is demonstrated.

An automatic locating system for cloud-to-ground lightning. [which utilizes a microcomputer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krider, E. P.; Pifer, A. E.; Uman, M. A.

1980-01-01

Automatic locating systems which respond to cloud to ground lightning and which discriminate against cloud discharges and background noise are described. Subsystems of the locating system, which include the direction finder and the position analyzer, are discussed. The direction finder senses the electromagnetic fields radiated by lightning on two orthogonal magnetic loop antennas and on a flat plate electric antenna. The position analyzer is a preprogrammed microcomputer system which automatically computes, maps, and records lightning locations in real time using data inputs from the direction finder. The use of the locating systems for wildfire management and fire weather forecasting is discussed.

Comparing Management Approaches for Automatic Test Systems: A Strategic Missile Case Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-03-01

ground up, and is commonly conducted following five methods : ethnography , grounded theory , case study , phenomenological study , and biography...traditions frequently used (Creswell, 1998:5). The five traditions are biography, phenomenological study , grounded theory study , ethnography , and... Ethnography Biography Case Study Grounded Theory

32 CFR 179.7 - Sequencing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... and social factors. (3) Economic factors, including economic considerations pertaining to... maintenance; alternatives to removal or treatment of contamination when existing technology cannot achieve... availability of appropriate technology (e.g., technology to detect, discriminate, recover, and destroy UXO...

32 CFR 179.7 - Sequencing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... and social factors. (3) Economic factors, including economic considerations pertaining to... maintenance; alternatives to removal or treatment of contamination when existing technology cannot achieve... availability of appropriate technology (e.g., technology to detect, discriminate, recover, and destroy UXO...

32 CFR 179.7 - Sequencing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... and social factors. (3) Economic factors, including economic considerations pertaining to... maintenance; alternatives to removal or treatment of contamination when existing technology cannot achieve... availability of appropriate technology (e.g., technology to detect, discriminate, recover, and destroy UXO...

Language and vertical space: on the automaticity of language action interconnections.

PubMed

Dudschig, Carolin; de la Vega, Irmgard; De Filippis, Monica; Kaup, Barbara

2014-09-01

Grounded models of language processing propose a strong connection between language and sensorimotor processes (Barsalou, 1999, 2008; Glenberg & Kaschak, 2002). However, it remains unclear how functional and automatic these connections are for understanding diverse sets of words (Ansorge, Kiefer, Khalid, Grassl, & König, 2010). Here, we investigate whether words referring to entities with a typical location in the upper or lower visual field (e.g., sun, ground) automatically influence subsequent motor responses even when language-processing levels are kept minimal. The results show that even subliminally presented words influence subsequent actions, as can be seen in a reversed compatibility effect. These finding have several implications for grounded language processing models. Specifically, these results suggest that language-action interconnections are not only the result of strategic language processes, but already play an important role during pre-attentional language processing stages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High Density LiDAR and Orthophotography in UXO Wide Area Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

4 Figure 2. Helicopter-Mounted LiDAR and Orthophoto Sensor Equipment...4 Figure 3. LiDAR and Orthophoto System Installed on Helicopter........................................ 6 Figure 4. Kirtland Precision...17 Figure 11. Orthophoto Data Density Results

Multiscale Structure of UXO Site Characterization: Spatial Estimation and Uncertainty Quantification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ostrouchov, George; Doll, William E.; Beard, Les P.

2009-01-01

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) site characterization must consider both how the contamination is generated and how we observe that contamination. Within the generation and observation processes, dependence structures can be exploited at multiple scales. We describe a conceptual site characterization process, the dependence structures available at several scales, and consider their statistical estimation aspects. It is evident that most of the statistical methods that are needed to address the estimation problems are known but their application-specific implementation may not be available. We demonstrate estimation at one scale and propose a representation for site contamination intensity that takes full account of uncertainty,more » is flexible enough to answer regulatory requirements, and is a practical tool for managing detailed spatial site characterization and remediation. The representation is based on point process spatial estimation methods that require modern computational resources for practical application. These methods have provisions for including prior and covariate information.« less

Statistical Algorithms Accounting for Background Density in the Detection of UXO Target Areas at DoD Munitions Sites

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matzke, Brett D.; Wilson, John E.; Hathaway, J.

2008-02-12

Statistically defensible methods are presented for developing geophysical detector sampling plans and analyzing data for munitions response sites where unexploded ordnance (UXO) may exist. Detection methods for identifying areas of elevated anomaly density from background density are shown. Additionally, methods are described which aid in the choice of transect pattern and spacing to assure with degree of confidence that a target area (TA) of specific size, shape, and anomaly density will be identified using the detection methods. Methods for evaluating the sensitivity of designs to variation in certain parameters are also discussed. Methods presented have been incorporated into the Visualmore » Sample Plan (VSP) software (free at http://dqo.pnl.gov/vsp) and demonstrated at multiple sites in the United States. Application examples from actual transect designs and surveys from the previous two years are demonstrated.« less

To fly or not to fly? The automatic influence of negation on language-space associations.

PubMed

Dudschig, Carolin; de la Vega, Irmgard; Kaup, Barbara

2015-09-01

Embodied models of language understanding propose a close association between language comprehension and sensorimotor processes. Specifically, they suggest that meaning representation is grounded in modal experiences. Converging evidence suggests that words automatically activate spatial processing. For example, words such as 'sky' ('ground') facilitate motor and visual processing associated with upper (lower) space. However, very little is known regarding the influence of linguistic operators such as negation on these language-space associations. If these associations play a crucial role for language understanding beyond the word level, one would expect linguistic operators to automatically influence or modify these language-space associations. Participants read sentences describing an event implying an upward or a downward motion in an affirmative or negated version (e.g. The granny looks to the sky/ground vs. The granny does not look to the sky/ground). Subsequently, participants responded with an upward or downward arm movement according to the colour of a dot on the screen. The results showed that the motion direction implied in the sentences influenced subsequent spatially directed motor responses. For affirmative sentences, arm movements were faster if they matched the movement direction implied in the sentence. This language-space association was modified by the negation operator. Our results show that linguistic operators--such as negation--automatically modify language-space associations. Thus, language-space associations seem to reflect language processes beyond pure word-based activations.

GOAL - A test engineer oriented language. [Ground Operations Aerospace Language for coding automatic test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, T. R.

1974-01-01

The development of a test engineer oriented language has been under way at the Kennedy Space Center for several years. The result of this effort is the Ground Operations Aerospace Language, GOAL, a self-documenting, high-order language suitable for coding automatic test, checkout and launch procedures. GOAL is a highly readable, writable, retainable language that is easily learned by nonprogramming oriented engineers. It is sufficiently powerful for use at all levels of Space Shuttle ground processing, from line replaceable unit checkout to integrated launch day operations. This paper will relate the language development, and describe GOAL and its applications.

A cross-sectional community study of post-traumatic stress disorder and social support in Lao People's Democratic Republic

PubMed Central

Southivong, Bouavanh; Nakahara, Shinji; Southivong, Chanhpheng

2013-01-01

Abstract Objective To estimate post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in those injured and not injured by landmines or unexploded ordnance (UXO) in rural Lao People's Democratic Republic and to determine whether the perception of social support was associated with PTSD symptom severity. Methods A community survey was conducted among 190 people injured by landmines or UXO and 380 age-, sex- and neighbourhood-matched non-injured individuals in the Sepone district of Savannakhet Province, the part of the Lao People's Democratic Republic most heavily bombed during the Viet Nam War. Using the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, trained health-care workers conducted face-to-face interviews to assess PTSD symptoms and level of perceived social support. Multiple linear regression was performed to explore the association between social support and other factors and PTSD. Findings The prevalence of PTSD was higher among the injured (10%) than among the non-injured (4%), but the level of perceived social support was not significantly different between the two groups. A higher level of perceived social support was associated with milder symptoms of PTSD. Women, older people and those with a formal education were more often and more severely affected by PTSD. Conclusion The perception of strong social support might help to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD among people injured by landmines or UXO in rural parts of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Psychosocial interventions should be incorporated in assistance for the injured because they have more severe and longer-lasting symptoms of PTSD than the non-injured. PMID:24115800

Development of an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System Using a Digital Terrain Database

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

release; distribution unlimited I I I I The purpose of this study was to develop a working control system that would perform automatic ground... control system analysis. I also wish to extend a hand of appreciation to my sponsor Mr. I Finley Barfield of the Flight Dynamics Laboratory for the use of...facilities, as- sistance in deciphering control law diagrams, and his expert knowledge of the F-16. Under the area of morale, I wish to thank all of my

Efficient Word Reading: Automaticity of Print-Related Skills Indexed by Rapid Automatized Naming through Cusp-Catastrophe Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sideridis, Georgios D.; Simos, Panagiotis; Mouzaki, Angeliki; Stamovlasis, Dimitrios

2016-01-01

The study explored the moderating role of rapid automatized naming (RAN) in reading achievement through a cusp-catastrophe model grounded on nonlinear dynamic systems theory. Data were obtained from a community sample of 496 second through fourth graders who were followed longitudinally over 2 years and split into 2 random subsamples (validation…

Moving belt metal detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, Carl V.; Mendat, Deborah P.; Huynh, Toan B.

2006-05-01

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has developed a prototype metal detection survey system that will increase the search speed of conventional technology while maintaining high sensitivity. Higher search speeds will reduce the time to clear roads of landmines and improvised explosive devices (IED) and to locate unexploded ordnance (UXO) at Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) sites, thus reducing remediation costs. The new survey sensor system is called the moving belt metal detector (MBMD) and operates by both increasing sensor speed over the ground while maintaining adequate sensor dwell time over the target for good signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and reducing motion-induced sensor noise. The MBMD uses an array of metal detection sensors mounted on a flexible belt similar to a tank track. The belt motion is synchronized with the forward survey speed so individual sensor elements remain stationary relative to the ground. A single pulsed transmitter coil is configured to provide a uniform magnetic field along the length of the receivers in ground contact. Individual time-domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) receivers are designed to sense a single time-gate measurement of the total metal content. Each sensor module consists of a receiver coil, amplifier, digitizing electronics and a low power UHF wireless transmitter. This paper presents the survey system design concepts and metal detection data from various targets at several survey speeds. Although the laboratory prototype is designed to demonstrate metal detection survey speeds up to 10 m/s, higher speeds are achievable with a larger sensor array. In addition, the concept can be adapted to work with other sensor technologies not previously considered for moving platforms.

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

32 CFR 179.2 - Applicability and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... MUNITIONS RESPONSE SITE PRIORITIZATION PROTOCOL (MRSPP) § 179.2 Applicability and scope. (a) This part... ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), or munitions constituents (MC), and (3) That are... munitions results from combat operations, (5) Currently operating military munitions storage and...

Automatic extraction of road features in urban environments using dense ALS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soilán, Mario; Truong-Hong, Linh; Riveiro, Belén; Laefer, Debra

2018-02-01

This paper describes a methodology that automatically extracts semantic information from urban ALS data for urban parameterization and road network definition. First, building façades are segmented from the ground surface by combining knowledge-based information with both voxel and raster data. Next, heuristic rules and unsupervised learning are applied to the ground surface data to distinguish sidewalk and pavement points as a means for curb detection. Then radiometric information was employed for road marking extraction. Using high-density ALS data from Dublin, Ireland, this fully automatic workflow was able to generate a F-score close to 95% for pavement and sidewalk identification with a resolution of 20 cm and better than 80% for road marking detection.

Fighting Testing ACAT/FRRP: Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology/Fighter Risk Reduction Project

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skoog, Mark A.

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the work of the Flight testing Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology/Fighter Risk Reduction Project (ACAT/FRRP). The goal of this project is to develop common modular architecture for all aircraft, and to enable the transition of technology from research to production as soon as possible to begin to reduce the rate of mishaps. The automated Ground Collision Avoidance System (GCAS) system is designed to prevent collision with the ground, by avionics that project the future trajectory over digital terrain, and request an evasion maneuver at the last instance. The flight controls are capable of automatically performing a recovery. The collision avoidance is described in the presentation. Also included in the presentation is a description of the flight test.

Comparative analyses of different variants of standard ground for automatic control systems of technical processes of oil and gas production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gromakov, E. I.; Gazizov, A. T.; Lukin, V. P.; Chimrov, A. V.

2017-01-01

The paper analyses efficiency (interference resistance) of standard TT, TN, IT networks in control links of automatic control systems (ACS) of technical processes (TP) of oil and gas production. Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is a standard term used to describe the interference in grounding circuits. Improved EMC of ACS TP can significantly reduce risks and costs of malfunction of equipment that could have serious consequences. It has been proved that an IT network is the best type of grounds for protection of ACS TP in real life conditions. It allows reducing the interference down to the level that is stated in standards of oil and gas companies.

CORRECTIVE ACTION DECISION DOCUMENT FOR AREA 9 UXO LANDFILL, TONOPAH TEST RNGE, CAU 453, REVISION 0, MARCH 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

none

1998-03-01

This Corrective Action Decision Document (CADD) has been prepared for the Area 9 Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Landfill (Corrective Action Unit [CAU] 453) in accordance with the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO) of 1996. Corrective Action Unit 453 is located at the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), Nevada, and is comprised of three individual landfill cells located northwest of Area 9. The cells are listed as one Corrective Action Site (CAS) 09-55-001-0952. The landfill cells have been designated as: � Cell A9-1 � Cell A9-2 � Cell A9-3 The purpose of this CADD is to identify and provide a rationalemore » for the selection of a recommended corrective action alternative for CAU 453. The scope of this CADD consists of the following tasks: � Develop corrective action objectives. � Identify corrective action alternative screening criteria. � Develop corrective action alternatives. � Perform detailed and comparative evaluations of the corrective action alternatives in relation to the corrective action objectives and screening criteria. � Recommend and justify a preferred corrective action alternative for the CAU. In June and July 1997, a corrective action investigation was performed that consisted of activities set forth in the Corrective Action Investigation Plan (CAIP) (DOE/NV, 1997). Subsurface investigation of the soils surrounding the cells revealed no contaminants of concern (COCs) above preliminary action levels. The cell contents were not investigated due to the potential for live UXO. Details concerning the analytical and investigation results can be found in Appendix A of this CADD. Based on the potential exposure pathways, the following corrective action objectives have been identified for CAU 453: � Prevent or mitigate human exposure to subsurface soils containing COCs, solid waste, and/or UXO. � Prevent adverse impacts to groundwater quality. Based on the review of existing data, future land use, and current operations at the TTR, the following alternatives have been developed for consideration at the Area 9 UXO Landfill CAU: � Alternative 1 - No Further Action � Alternative 2 - Closure in Place by Administrative Controls � Alternative 3 - Closure in Place by Capping � Alternative 4 - Clean Closure by Removal The corrective action alternatives were evaluated based on four general corrective action standards and five remedy selection decision factors. Based on the results of this evaluation, Alternative 2, Closure in Place by Administrative Controls, was selected as the preferred corrective action alternative. The preferred corrective action alternative was evaluated on its technical merits, focusing on performance, reliability, feasibility, and safety. The alternative was judged to meet all requirements for the technical components evaluated and to represent the most cost-effective corrective action. The alternative meets all applicable state and federal regulations for closure of the site and will reduce potential future exposure pathways to the contents of the landfill. During corrective action implementation, this alternative will present minimal potential threat to site workers. However, appropriate health and safety procedures will be developed and implemented.« less

14 CFR 170.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... (i.e., ATCT) divided by the discounted life cycle costs. Ceiling means the vertical distance between... landing system (ILS) means an instrument landing system whereby the pilot guides his approach to a runway... ground can be fed into the automatic pilot for automatically controlled approaches. Instrument...

Advanced Geophysical Classification with the Marine Towed Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinhurst, D.; Harbaugh, G.; Keiswetter, D.; Bell, T. W.; Massey, G.; Wright, D.

2017-12-01

The Marine Towed Array, or MTA, is an underwater dual-mode sensor array that has been successfully deployed at multiple marine venues in support of Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) demonstrations beginning in 2004. It provided both marine electromagnetic and marine magnetic sensors for detection and mapping of underwater UXO. The EMI sensor array was based on older technology, which in several ESTCP demonstrations has not been able to support advanced geophysical classification (AGC). Under ESTCP funding, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is in the process of upgrading the MTA with modern, advanced electromagnetic (EMI) electronics and replacing the sensor array with a modern, multistatic array design. A half-scale version of the proposed array has been built and tested on land. Six tri-axial receiver cubes were placed inside two- and three- transmit coil configurations in equivalent positions to design locations for the MTA wing. The responses of a variety of munitions items and test spheres were measured over a range of target-to-array geometries and in both static and simulated dynamic data collection modes. The multi-transmit coil configuration was shown to provide enhanced single-pass classification performance over the original single coil design, particularly as a function of target location relative to the centerline. The ability to go beyond anomaly detection and additionally classify detected anomalies from survey data would dramatically improve the state of the art for underwater UXO remediation by reducing costs and improving the efficiency of these efforts. The results of our efforts to return the MTA to service and validating the new EMI array's design for UXO detection and classification in the underwater environment will be the focus of this presentation.

Automatic target detection using binary template matching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jun, Dong-San; Sun, Sun-Gu; Park, HyunWook

2005-03-01

This paper presents a new automatic target detection (ATD) algorithm to detect targets such as battle tanks and armored personal carriers in ground-to-ground scenarios. Whereas most ATD algorithms were developed for forward-looking infrared (FLIR) images, we have developed an ATD algorithm for charge-coupled device (CCD) images, which have superior quality to FLIR images in daylight. The proposed algorithm uses fast binary template matching with an adaptive binarization, which is robust to various light conditions in CCD images and saves computation time. Experimental results show that the proposed method has good detection performance.

Automatic Scheduling and Planning (ASAP) in future ground control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matlin, Sam

1988-01-01

This report describes two complementary approaches to the problem of space mission planning and scheduling. The first is an Expert System or Knowledge-Based System for automatically resolving most of the activity conflicts in a candidate plan. The second is an Interactive Graphics Decision Aid to assist the operator in manually resolving the residual conflicts which are beyond the scope of the Expert System. The two system designs are consistent with future ground control station activity requirements, support activity timing constraints, resource limits and activity priority guidelines.

Automatic Detection and Positioning of Ground Control Points Using TerraSAR-X Multiaspect Acquisitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montazeri, Sina; Gisinger, Christoph; Eineder, Michael; Zhu, Xiao xiang

2018-05-01

Geodetic stereo Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is capable of absolute three-dimensional localization of natural Persistent Scatterer (PS)s which allows for Ground Control Point (GCP) generation using only SAR data. The prerequisite for the method to achieve high precision results is the correct detection of common scatterers in SAR images acquired from different viewing geometries. In this contribution, we describe three strategies for automatic detection of identical targets in SAR images of urban areas taken from different orbit tracks. Moreover, a complete work-flow for automatic generation of large number of GCPs using SAR data is presented and its applicability is shown by exploiting TerraSAR-X (TS-X) high resolution spotlight images over the city of Oulu, Finland and a test site in Berlin, Germany.

32 CFR 179.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... effects on human beings, is intended for use in military operations to kill, seriously injure, or..., and emission, degradation, or breakdown elements of such ordnance or munitions. (10 U.S.C. 2710(e)(3..., to address the explosives safety, human health, or environmental risks presented by UXO, discarded...

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Moguls Scoring Record Number 907 (Sky Research, Inc.)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

day timeframe. 3.6 DEMONSTRATOR’S FIELD PERSONNEL Geophysicist: Craig Hyslop Geophysicist: John Jacobsen Geophysicist: Rob Mehl...Conover, John Wiley & Sons, 1980 , pages 144 through 151. APPENDIX F. ABBREVIATIONS F-1 (Page F-2 Blank) ADST = Aberdeen Data Services Team

Wide Area UXO Screening with the Multi-Sensor Fixed-Wing Airborne System MARS

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-01

snakes, lizards, and spiders may contain sufficient poison to warrant medical attention. In addition, ticks can spread Rocky Mountain spotted fever ...is extremely serious • Systemic hypothermia manifests itself in five stages of symptoms, including: (1) shivering ; (2) apathy, listlessness

POLLUTANT EMISSION FACTORS FOR A TRANSPORTABLE DETONATION SYSTEM FOR DESTROYING UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discourages the disposal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) by open air and soil-covered detonations, because these processes cause toxic metals, organics and explosives to be released into the environment. This paper presents the resul...

Chemical Sensing of Unexploded Ordnance with the Mobile Underwater Survey System (MUDSS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darrach, M. R.; Chutjian, A.

1995-01-01

The ability to sense explosives residues in the marine environment is a critical tool for identification and classification of underwater unexploded ordnance (UXO). Trace explosives signatures of TNT and DNT have been extracted from multiple sediment samples adjacent to unexploded undersea ordnance at Halifax Harbor, Canada. The ordnance was hurled into the harbor during a massive explosion fifty years earlier, in 1945 after World War II had ended. Laboratory sediment extractions were made using the solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method in seawater, and detection using the Reversal Electron Attachment Detection (READ) technique and, in the case of DNT, a commercial gas-chromatography/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Results show that, after more than 50 years in the environment, ordnance which appeared to be physically intact gave good explosives signatures at the parts-per-billion level, whereas ordnance which had been cracked open during the explosion gave no signatures at the 10 parts-per-trillion sensitivity level. These measurements appear to provide the first reported data of explosives signatures from undersea UXOs.

Automatic satellite capture and berthing with robot arm (ASCABRA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Inaba, Noriyasu; Wakabayashi, Yasufumi; Iijima, Takahiko

1994-01-01

The NASDA office of R&D is studying an automatic technique to capture and berth free-floating satellites using a robot arm on another satellite. A demonstration experiment plan with the Japanese engineering test satellite ETS-7 is being developed based on the basic research on the ground. The overview and key technologies of this experiment plan are presented, and future applications of the automatic capture technique are also reviewed.

Automatic classification of scar tissue in late gadolinium enhancement cardiac MRI for the assessment of left-atrial wall injury after radiofrequency ablation

PubMed Central

Morris, Alan; Burgon, Nathan; McGann, Christopher; MacLeod, Robert; Cates, Joshua

2013-01-01

Radiofrequency ablation is a promising procedure for treating atrial fibrillation (AF) that relies on accurate lesion delivery in the left atrial (LA) wall for success. Late Gadolinium Enhancement MRI (LGE MRI) at three months post-ablation has proven effective for noninvasive assessment of the location and extent of scar formation, which are important factors for predicting patient outcome and planning of redo ablation procedures. We have developed an algorithm for automatic classification in LGE MRI of scar tissue in the LA wall and have evaluated accuracy and consistency compared to manual scar classifications by expert observers. Our approach clusters voxels based on normalized intensity and was chosen through a systematic comparison of the performance of multivariate clustering on many combinations of image texture. Algorithm performance was determined by overlap with ground truth, using multiple overlap measures, and the accuracy of the estimation of the total amount of scar in the LA. Ground truth was determined using the STAPLE algorithm, which produces a probabilistic estimate of the true scar classification from multiple expert manual segmentations. Evaluation of the ground truth data set was based on both inter- and intra-observer agreement, with variation among expert classifiers indicating the difficulty of scar classification for a given a dataset. Our proposed automatic scar classification algorithm performs well for both scar localization and estimation of scar volume: for ground truth datasets considered easy, variability from the ground truth was low; for those considered difficult, variability from ground truth was on par with the variability across experts. PMID:24236224

Automatic classification of scar tissue in late gadolinium enhancement cardiac MRI for the assessment of left-atrial wall injury after radiofrequency ablation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, Daniel; Morris, Alan; Burgon, Nathan; McGann, Christopher; MacLeod, Robert; Cates, Joshua

2012-03-01

Radiofrequency ablation is a promising procedure for treating atrial fibrillation (AF) that relies on accurate lesion delivery in the left atrial (LA) wall for success. Late Gadolinium Enhancement MRI (LGE MRI) at three months post-ablation has proven effective for noninvasive assessment of the location and extent of scar formation, which are important factors for predicting patient outcome and planning of redo ablation procedures. We have developed an algorithm for automatic classification in LGE MRI of scar tissue in the LA wall and have evaluated accuracy and consistency compared to manual scar classifications by expert observers. Our approach clusters voxels based on normalized intensity and was chosen through a systematic comparison of the performance of multivariate clustering on many combinations of image texture. Algorithm performance was determined by overlap with ground truth, using multiple overlap measures, and the accuracy of the estimation of the total amount of scar in the LA. Ground truth was determined using the STAPLE algorithm, which produces a probabilistic estimate of the true scar classification from multiple expert manual segmentations. Evaluation of the ground truth data set was based on both inter- and intra-observer agreement, with variation among expert classifiers indicating the difficulty of scar classification for a given a dataset. Our proposed automatic scar classification algorithm performs well for both scar localization and estimation of scar volume: for ground truth datasets considered easy, variability from the ground truth was low; for those considered difficult, variability from ground truth was on par with the variability across experts.

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Blind Grid Scoring Record No. 906 (Sky Research, Inc.)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-08-01

DEMONSTRATOR’S FIELD PERSONNEL Geophysicist: Craig Hyslop Geophysicist: John Jacobsen Geophysicist: Rob Mehl 3.7 DEMONSTRATOR’S FIELD...Practical Nonparametric Statistics, W.J. Conover, John Wiley & Sons, 1980 , pages 144 through 151. APPENDIX F. ABBREVIATIONS F-1 (Page F-2

Active Tensor Magnetic Gradiometer System

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-01

Modify Forward Computer Models .............................................................................................2 Modify TMGS Simulator...active magnetic gradient measurement system are based upon the existing tensor magnetic gradiometer system ( TMGS ) developed under project MM-1328...Magnetic Gradiometer System ( TMGS ) for UXO Detection, Imaging, and Discrimination.” The TMGS developed under MM-1328 was successfully tested at the

EMI Array for Cued UXO Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-07

that comprise a chain of former volcanoes extending from the southwest portion of the site to the coast. Due to its proximity to the tectonic ...interaction of the North American and Pacific crustal plates, the area is seismically active. Additional details are available in Reference 11. 4.2.3

Low-Cost Ultra-Wideband EM Sensor for UXO Detection and Classification

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

Mechanical System MOTU Mark of the Unicorn – a brand name for audio equipment MR Magneto-Resistance NIST National Institute of Standards and...magnetic surveys are able to detect ferrous bodies at a further distance than EMI measurements. Consequently , the magnetic anomaly is broader

A real-time freehand ultrasound calibration system with automatic accuracy feedback and control.

PubMed

Chen, Thomas Kuiran; Thurston, Adrian D; Ellis, Randy E; Abolmaesumi, Purang

2009-01-01

This article describes a fully automatic, real-time, freehand ultrasound calibration system. The system was designed to be simple and sterilizable, intended for operating-room usage. The calibration system employed an automatic-error-retrieval and accuracy-control mechanism based on a set of ground-truth data. Extensive validations were conducted on a data set of 10,000 images in 50 independent calibration trials to thoroughly investigate the accuracy, robustness, and performance of the calibration system. On average, the calibration accuracy (measured in three-dimensional reconstruction error against a known ground truth) of all 50 trials was 0.66 mm. In addition, the calibration errors converged to submillimeter in 98% of all trials within 12.5 s on average. Overall, the calibration system was able to consistently, efficiently and robustly achieve high calibration accuracy with real-time performance.

Automatic ground control point recognition with parallel associative memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Al-Tahir, Raid; Toth, Charles K.; Schenck, Anton F.

1990-01-01

The basic principle of the associative memory is to match the unknown input pattern against a stored training set, and responding with the 'closest match' and the corresponding label. Generally, an associative memory system requires two preparatory steps: selecting attributes of the pattern class, and training the system by associating patterns with labels. Experimental results gained from using Parallel Associative Memory are presented. The primary concern is an automatic search for ground control points in aerial photographs. Synthetic patterns are tested followed by real data. The results are encouraging as a relatively high level of correct matches is reached.

Method and appartus for converting static in-ground vehicle scales into weigh-in-motion systems

DOEpatents

Muhs, Jeffrey D.; Scudiere, Matthew B.; Jordan, John K.

2002-01-01

An apparatus and method for converting in-ground static weighing scales for vehicles to weigh-in-motion systems. The apparatus upon conversion includes the existing in-ground static scale, peripheral switches and an electronic module for automatic computation of the weight. By monitoring the velocity, tire position, axle spacing, and real time output from existing static scales as a vehicle drives over the scales, the system determines when an axle of a vehicle is on the scale at a given time, monitors the combined weight output from any given axle combination on the scale(s) at any given time, and from these measurements automatically computes the weight of each individual axle and gross vehicle weight by an integration, integration approximation, and/or signal averaging technique.

UXO Discrimination in Cases with Overlapping Signatures

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-07

13. APPENDIX B: HFE -BIEM ..........................................................................................................290 - 7...First principals numerical solutions developed were a Hybrid Finite Element – Boundary Integral Equation Method ( HFE -BIEM) body of revolution (BOR...attacks, namely the Method of Auxiliary Sources (MAS) and the Hybrid Finite Element – Boundary Integral Equation Method ( HFE -BIEM). These work

Chemical Sensing of Unexploded Ordnance with the Mobile Underwater Survey System (MUDSS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chutjian, A.; Darrach, M.

1999-01-01

The ability to sense explosives residues in the marine environment is a critical tool for identification and classification of underwater unexploded ordnance (UXO). Trace explosives signatures of TNT and DNT have been extracted from mulitple sediment samples adjacent to unexploded undersea ordnance at Halifax Harbor, Canada.

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Scoring Record No. 942

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

the Mid- Atlantic Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. 11 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center (ERDC...cleared woods (tree removal with only stumps remaining), partially cleared woods (including all underbrush and fallen trees), and virgin woods (i.e

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Scoring Record No. 944

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

and in depressions of the Mid- Atlantic Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Engineering Research...woods (including all underbrush and fallen trees), and virgin woods (i.e., woods in natural state with all trees, underbrush, and fallen trees left

EMI Array for Cued UXO Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-16

that comprise a chain of former volcanoes extending from the southwest portion of the site to the coast. Due to its proximity to the tectonic ...interaction of the North American and Pacific crustal plates, the area is seismically active. A large portion of the site consists of hills and mountains

EMI Array for Cued UXO Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

that comprise a chain of former volcanoes extending from the southwest portion of the site to the coast. Due to its proximity to the tectonic ...interaction of the North American and Pacific crustal plates, the area is seismically active. A large portion of the site consists of hills and mountains

2009 ESTCP UXO Discrimination Study, San Luis Obispo, CA

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

SUPERVISED LEARNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2.5 ACTIVE LEARNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8...PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 7.2 ACTIVE LEARNING CLASSIFICATION PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . . . 30 8 COST ASSESSMENT 32 9... learning on EM61-array and TEMTADS data. During active learning , SIG started with no a priori labeled data, and acquired labels for a small subset that

A conceptual study of automatic and semi-automatic quality assurance techniques for round image processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

This report summarizes the results of a study conducted by Engineering and Economics Research (EER), Inc. under NASA Contract Number NAS5-27513. The study involved the development of preliminary concepts for automatic and semiautomatic quality assurance (QA) techniques for ground image processing. A distinction is made between quality assessment and the more comprehensive quality assurance which includes decision making and system feedback control in response to quality assessment.

3D Orbit Visualization for Earth-Observing Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacob, Joseph C.; Plesea, Lucian; Chafin, Brian G.; Weiss, Barry H.

2011-01-01

This software visualizes orbit paths for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO), but was designed to be general and applicable to any Earth-observing mission. The software uses the Google Earth user interface to provide a visual mechanism to explore spacecraft orbit paths, ground footprint locations, and local cloud cover conditions. In addition, a drill-down capability allows for users to point and click on a particular observation frame to pop up ancillary information such as data product filenames and directory paths, latitude, longitude, time stamp, column-average dry air mole fraction of carbon dioxide, and solar zenith angle. This software can be integrated with the ground data system for any Earth-observing mission to automatically generate daily orbit path data products in Google Earth KML format. These KML data products can be directly loaded into the Google Earth application for interactive 3D visualization of the orbit paths for each mission day. Each time the application runs, the daily orbit paths are encapsulated in a KML file for each mission day since the last time the application ran. Alternatively, the daily KML for a specified mission day may be generated. The application automatically extracts the spacecraft position and ground footprint geometry as a function of time from a daily Level 1B data product created and archived by the mission s ground data system software. In addition, ancillary data, such as the column-averaged dry air mole fraction of carbon dioxide and solar zenith angle, are automatically extracted from a Level 2 mission data product. Zoom, pan, and rotate capability are provided through the standard Google Earth interface. Cloud cover is indicated with an image layer from the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) aboard the Aqua satellite, which is automatically retrieved from JPL s OnEarth Web service.

Are Automatic Conceptual Cores the Gold Standard of Semantic Processing? The Context-Dependence of Spatial Meaning in Grounded Congruency Effects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lebois, Lauren A. M.; Wilson-Mendenhall, Christine D.; Barsalou, Lawrence W.

2015-01-01

According to grounded cognition, words whose semantics contain sensory-motor features activate sensory-motor simulations, which, in turn, interact with spatial responses to produce grounded congruency effects (e.g., processing the spatial feature of "up" for sky should be faster for up vs. down responses). Growing evidence shows these…

Propagation of sound through the Earth's atmosphere. 1: Measurement of sound absorption in the air. 2: Measurement of ground impedance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becher, J.; Meredith, R. W.; Zuckerwar, A. J.

1981-01-01

The fabrication of parts for the acoustic ground impedance meter was completed, and the instrument tested. Acoustic ground impedance meter, automatic data processing system, cooling system for the resonant tube, and final results of sound absorption in N2-H2O gas mixtures at elevated temperatures are described.

Alleviating Search Uncertainty through Concept Associations: Automatic Indexing, Co-Occurrence Analysis, and Parallel Computing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hsinchun; Martinez, Joanne; Kirchhoff, Amy; Ng, Tobun D.; Schatz, Bruce R.

1998-01-01

Grounded on object filtering, automatic indexing, and co-occurrence analysis, an experiment was performed using a parallel supercomputer to analyze over 400,000 abstracts in an INSPEC computer engineering collection. A user evaluation revealed that system-generated thesauri were better than the human-generated INSPEC subject thesaurus in concept…

Experimental investigation of an accelerometer controlled automatic braking system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dreher, R. C.; Sleeper, R. K.; Nayadley, J. R., Sr.

1972-01-01

An investigation was made to determine the feasibility of an automatic braking system for arresting the motion of an airplane by sensing and controlling braked wheel decelerations. The system was tested on a rotating drum dynamometer by using an automotive tire, wheel, and disk-brake assembly under conditions which included two tire loadings, wet and dry surfaces, and a range of ground speeds up to 70 knots. The controlling parameters were the rates at which brake pressure was applied and released and the Command Deceleration Level which governed the wheel deceleration by controlling the brake operation. Limited tests were also made with the automatic braking system installed on a ground vehicle in an effort to provide a more realistic proof of its feasibility. The results of this investigation indicate that a braking system which utilizes wheel decelerations as the control variable to restrict tire slip is feasible and capable of adapting to rapidly changing surface conditions.

PRESBYOPIA OPTOMETRY METHOD BASED ON DIOPTER REGULATION AND CHARGE COUPLE DEVICE IMAGING TECHNOLOGY.

PubMed

Zhao, Q; Wu, X X; Zhou, J; Wang, X; Liu, R F; Gao, J

2015-01-01

With the development of photoelectric technology and single-chip microcomputer technology, objective optometry, also known as automatic optometry, is becoming precise. This paper proposed a presbyopia optometry method based on diopter regulation and Charge Couple Device (CCD) imaging technology and, in the meantime, designed a light path that could measure the system. This method projects a test figure to the eye ground and then the reflected image from the eye ground is detected by CCD. The image is then automatically identified by computer and the far point and near point diopters are determined to calculate lens parameter. This is a fully automatic objective optometry method which eliminates subjective factors of the tested subject. Furthermore, it can acquire the lens parameter of presbyopia accurately and quickly and can be used to measure the lens parameter of hyperopia, myopia and astigmatism.

Comparison of manual and automatic segmentation methods for brain structures in the presence of space-occupying lesions: a multi-expert study

PubMed Central

Deeley, M A; Chen, A; Datteri, R; Noble, J; Cmelak, A; Donnelly, E; Malcolm, A; Moretti, L; Jaboin, J; Niermann, K; Yang, Eddy S; Yu, David S; Yei, F; Koyama, T; Ding, G X; Dawant, B M

2011-01-01

The purpose of this work was to characterize expert variation in segmentation of intracranial structures pertinent to radiation therapy, and to assess a registration-driven atlas-based segmentation algorithm in that context. Eight experts were recruited to segment the brainstem, optic chiasm, optic nerves, and eyes, of 20 patients who underwent therapy for large space-occupying tumors. Performance variability was assessed through three geometric measures: volume, Dice similarity coefficient, and Euclidean distance. In addition, two simulated ground truth segmentations were calculated via the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) algorithm and a novel application of probability maps. The experts and automatic system were found to generate structures of similar volume, though the experts exhibited higher variation with respect to tubular structures. No difference was found between the mean Dice coefficient (DSC) of the automatic and expert delineations as a group at a 5% significance level over all cases and organs. The larger structures of the brainstem and eyes exhibited mean DSC of approximately 0.8–0.9, whereas the tubular chiasm and nerves were lower, approximately 0.4–0.5. Similarly low DSC have been reported previously without the context of several experts and patient volumes. This study, however, provides evidence that experts are similarly challenged. The average maximum distances (maximum inside, maximum outside) from a simulated ground truth ranged from (−4.3, +5.4) mm for the automatic system to (−3.9, +7.5) mm for the experts considered as a group. Over all the structures in a rank of true positive rates at a 2 mm threshold from the simulated ground truth, the automatic system ranked second of the nine raters. This work underscores the need for large scale studies utilizing statistically robust numbers of patients and experts in evaluating quality of automatic algorithms. PMID:21725140

Comparison of manual and automatic segmentation methods for brain structures in the presence of space-occupying lesions: a multi-expert study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deeley, M. A.; Chen, A.; Datteri, R.; Noble, J. H.; Cmelak, A. J.; Donnelly, E. F.; Malcolm, A. W.; Moretti, L.; Jaboin, J.; Niermann, K.; Yang, Eddy S.; Yu, David S.; Yei, F.; Koyama, T.; Ding, G. X.; Dawant, B. M.

2011-07-01

The purpose of this work was to characterize expert variation in segmentation of intracranial structures pertinent to radiation therapy, and to assess a registration-driven atlas-based segmentation algorithm in that context. Eight experts were recruited to segment the brainstem, optic chiasm, optic nerves, and eyes, of 20 patients who underwent therapy for large space-occupying tumors. Performance variability was assessed through three geometric measures: volume, Dice similarity coefficient, and Euclidean distance. In addition, two simulated ground truth segmentations were calculated via the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation algorithm and a novel application of probability maps. The experts and automatic system were found to generate structures of similar volume, though the experts exhibited higher variation with respect to tubular structures. No difference was found between the mean Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of the automatic and expert delineations as a group at a 5% significance level over all cases and organs. The larger structures of the brainstem and eyes exhibited mean DSC of approximately 0.8-0.9, whereas the tubular chiasm and nerves were lower, approximately 0.4-0.5. Similarly low DSCs have been reported previously without the context of several experts and patient volumes. This study, however, provides evidence that experts are similarly challenged. The average maximum distances (maximum inside, maximum outside) from a simulated ground truth ranged from (-4.3, +5.4) mm for the automatic system to (-3.9, +7.5) mm for the experts considered as a group. Over all the structures in a rank of true positive rates at a 2 mm threshold from the simulated ground truth, the automatic system ranked second of the nine raters. This work underscores the need for large scale studies utilizing statistically robust numbers of patients and experts in evaluating quality of automatic algorithms.

Invariant protection of high-voltage electric motors of technological complexes at industrial enterprises at partial single-phase ground faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abramovich, B. N.; Sychev, Yu A.; Pelenev, D. N.

2018-03-01

Development results of invariant protection of high-voltage motors at incomplete single-phase ground faults are observed in the article. It is established that current protections have low action selectivity because of an inadmissible decrease in entrance signals during the shirt circuit occurrence in the place of transient resistance. The structural functional scheme and an algorithm of protective actions where correction of automatic zero sequence currents signals of the protected accessions implemented according to the level of incompleteness of ground faults are developed. It is revealed that automatic correction of zero sequence currents allows one to provide the invariance of sensitivity factor for protection under the variation conditions of a transient resistance in the place of damage. Application of invariant protection allows one to minimize damages in 6-10 kV electrical installations of industrial enterprises for a cause of infringement of consumers’ power supply and their system breakdown due to timely localization of emergency of ground faults modes.

Automatic breast density classification using a convolutional neural network architecture search procedure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fonseca, Pablo; Mendoza, Julio; Wainer, Jacques; Ferrer, Jose; Pinto, Joseph; Guerrero, Jorge; Castaneda, Benjamin

2015-03-01

Breast parenchymal density is considered a strong indicator of breast cancer risk and therefore useful for preventive tasks. Measurement of breast density is often qualitative and requires the subjective judgment of radiologists. Here we explore an automatic breast composition classification workflow based on convolutional neural networks for feature extraction in combination with a support vector machines classifier. This is compared to the assessments of seven experienced radiologists. The experiments yielded an average kappa value of 0.58 when using the mode of the radiologists' classifications as ground truth. Individual radiologist performance against this ground truth yielded kappa values between 0.56 and 0.79.

Quantum Mechanical Study of Atoms and Molecules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sahni, R. C.

1961-01-01

This paper, following a brief introduction, is divided into five parts. Part I outlines the theory of the molecular orbital method for the ground, ionized and excited states of molecules. Part II gives a brief summary of the interaction integrals and their tabulation. Part III outlines an automatic program designed for the computation of various states of molecules. Part IV gives examples of the study of ground, ionized and excited states of CO, BH and N2 where the program of automatic computation and molecular integrals have been utilized. Part V enlists some special problems of Molecular Quantum Mechanics are being tackled at New York University.

High Density Lidar and Orthophotography in UXO Wide Area Assessment (Rev 1)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-01

The demonstration provided important insights regarding the appropriate uses and confidence levels for both lidar and orthophoto technologies. At...Patterns ................................................................................ 3-34 3.7.18 Lidar and Orthophoto Positional Accuracy...02-D-2008 Page iii CONTENTS (Continued) APPENDICES A Lidar and Orthophoto Positional Accuracy Results B Combining Lidar Data from Multiple

Underground UXO: Are They a Significant Source of Explosives in Soil Compared to Low- and High-Order Detonations

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

steel in marine environments. Biofouling, 15(1– 3): 37–47. Videla, H.A. (2002) Prevention and control of biocorrosion . International Bio- deterioration...Prevention and control of biocorrosion . International Bio- deterioration and Biodegradation, 49(4): 259–270. Virtanen, S., and M. Buchler (2003

Improved Magnetic STAR Methods for Real-Time, Point-by-Point Localization of Unexploded Ordnance and Buried Mines

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

of magnetic UXO. The prototype STAR Sensor comprises: a) A cubic array of eight fluxgate magnetometers . b) A 24-channel data acquisition/signal...array (shaded boxes) of eight low noise Triaxial Fluxgate Magnetometers (TFM) develops 24 channels of vector B- field data. Processor hardware

MetalMapper: A Multi-Sensor TEM System for UXO Detection and Classification

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-01

fluxgate magnetometer that provides reference heading to magnetic north. DeploymentCThe MM can be deployed either as a man-powered cart or as a...is a live site. Preliminary investigations included a magnetometer transect survey and an EMI survey over a larger area to assist in selecting a

Multi-Sensor Systems Development for UXO Detection and Discrimination: Hand-Held Dual Magnetic/Electromagnetic Induction Sensor

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

5 Fluxgate magnetometer ... magnetometer into digital format, and transmitted as a single serial data string to log the Cs and fluxgate magnetometer data. After procurement...Hardware The system hardware comprises an EMI sensor, Cs vapor magnetometer , fluxgate magnetometer , hand-held data acquisition computer, integrated

A Fast 4-D TEM System for UXO Characterization

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-07-30

responses for a small conductive and permeable sphere. Magnetic permeability is the curve parameter. Figure 2.10: Compass/ Tiltmeter package...each TCM2 record. The DOS clock on the HP200LX was manually set to UTC each day using the UTC time displayed on the Figure 2.10: Compass/ Tiltmeter

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Open Field Scoring Record No. 905 (Sky Research, Inc.) EM61 MKII/Towed Array

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

day timeframe. 3.6 DEMONSTRATOR’S FIELD PERSONNEL Geophysicist: Craig Hyslop Geophysicist: John Jacobsen Geophysicist: Rob Mehl 3.7...Practical Nonparametric Statistics, W.J. Conover, John Wiley & Sons, 1980 , pages 144 through 151. F-1 (Page F-2 Blank) APPENDIX F

Innovative Navigation Systems to Support Digital Geophysical Mapping, ESTCP #200129, Phase II Demonstrations

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-09-25

7 Figure 2-3 Blackhawk/ Applanix GPS/INS System...electro-mechanical system ms millisecond NP navigation processor OE ordnance and explosive POSLV Applanix Positioning and Orientation...demonstration GPS/INS positioning system. In Phase II, a man-portable modified version called the POSLV 310 UXO of the Applanix Positioning and

Sub-Audio Magnetics: Miniature Sensor Technology for Simultaneous Magnetic and Electromagnetic Detection of UXO

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

is comprised of 4 x 40 m lengths of braided copper wire (Figure 29) with a diameter of 15 mm, capable of passing a 500 amp current. In normal...fuel tank and rubber hoses . Sub-Audio Magnetics: Technology for Simultaneous Magnetic and Electromagnetic Detection 77 Figure 31 Quad

Intelligent Data Fusion for Wide-Area Assessment of UXO Contamination. SERDP Project MM-1510. 2006 Annual Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-20

assistance, particularly Dr. Herb Nelson and Dr. Dan Steinhurst. 1 Executive Summary Background. The remediation of sites contaminated with...and applications,” Proc. of IEEE Intl. Conf. on Multisensor Fusion and Integration for Intelligent Systems, Taipei, Taiwan , R.O.C., Aug., 1999. 4

Spatial Statistical Model and Optimal Survey Design for Rapid Geophysical Characterization of UXO Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-07-01

4, Gnanadesikan , 1977). An entity whose measured features fall into one of the regions is classified accordingly. For the approaches we discuss here... Gnanadesikan , R. 1977. Methods for Statistical Data Analysis of Multivariate Observations. John Wiley & Sons, New York. Hassig, N. L., O’Brien, R. F

UXO Detection and Characterization in the Marine Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-01

65 APPENDIX B – NAD Puget Sound Historical Documents ............................................CD APPENDIX C...16 18. A part of Ostrich Bay adjacent to the Naval Ammunition Depot Puget Sound is shown during...viii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The second demonstration of the Marine Towed Array took place June 12-30, 2006 on Ostrich Bay ( Puget Sound ) in the state

Statistical and Adaptive Signal Processing for UXO Discrimination for Next-Generation Sensor Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

using the energies of all polarizations as features in a KNN classifier variant resulted in 100% probability of detection at a probability of false...International Conference on Acoustics, Speech , and Signal Processing, vol. V, 2005, pp. 885-888. [12] C. Kreucher, K. Kastella, and A. O. Hero

Is STAPLE algorithm confident to assess segmentation methods in PET imaging?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewalle-Vignion, Anne-Sophie; Betrouni, Nacim; Baillet, Clio; Vermandel, Maximilien

2015-12-01

Accurate tumor segmentation in [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is crucial for tumor response assessment and target volume definition in radiation therapy. Evaluation of segmentation methods from clinical data without ground truth is usually based on physicians’ manual delineations. In this context, the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) algorithm could be useful to manage the multi-observers variability. In this paper, we evaluated how this algorithm could accurately estimate the ground truth in PET imaging. Complete evaluation study using different criteria was performed on simulated data. The STAPLE algorithm was applied to manual and automatic segmentation results. A specific configuration of the implementation provided by the Computational Radiology Laboratory was used. Consensus obtained by the STAPLE algorithm from manual delineations appeared to be more accurate than manual delineations themselves (80% of overlap). An improvement of the accuracy was also observed when applying the STAPLE algorithm to automatic segmentations results. The STAPLE algorithm, with the configuration used in this paper, is more appropriate than manual delineations alone or automatic segmentations results alone to estimate the ground truth in PET imaging. Therefore, it might be preferred to assess the accuracy of tumor segmentation methods in PET imaging.

Is STAPLE algorithm confident to assess segmentation methods in PET imaging?

PubMed

Dewalle-Vignion, Anne-Sophie; Betrouni, Nacim; Baillet, Clio; Vermandel, Maximilien

2015-12-21

Accurate tumor segmentation in [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is crucial for tumor response assessment and target volume definition in radiation therapy. Evaluation of segmentation methods from clinical data without ground truth is usually based on physicians' manual delineations. In this context, the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) algorithm could be useful to manage the multi-observers variability. In this paper, we evaluated how this algorithm could accurately estimate the ground truth in PET imaging. Complete evaluation study using different criteria was performed on simulated data. The STAPLE algorithm was applied to manual and automatic segmentation results. A specific configuration of the implementation provided by the Computational Radiology Laboratory was used. Consensus obtained by the STAPLE algorithm from manual delineations appeared to be more accurate than manual delineations themselves (80% of overlap). An improvement of the accuracy was also observed when applying the STAPLE algorithm to automatic segmentations results. The STAPLE algorithm, with the configuration used in this paper, is more appropriate than manual delineations alone or automatic segmentations results alone to estimate the ground truth in PET imaging. Therefore, it might be preferred to assess the accuracy of tumor segmentation methods in PET imaging.

Vector Pursuit Path Tracking for Autonomous Ground Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-08-01

vi INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1...other geometric path-tracking techniques. 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION An autonomous vehicle is one that is capable of automatic navigation. It is...Joint Architecture for Unmanned Ground Vehicles ( JAUGS ) working group meeting held at the University of Florida. 5 Figure 1.5: Autonomous

Automatic Calibration of an Airborne Imaging System to an Inertial Navigation Unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ansar, Adnan I.; Clouse, Daniel S.; McHenry, Michael C.; Zarzhitsky, Dimitri V.; Pagdett, Curtis W.

2013-01-01

This software automatically calibrates a camera or an imaging array to an inertial navigation system (INS) that is rigidly mounted to the array or imager. In effect, it recovers the coordinate frame transformation between the reference frame of the imager and the reference frame of the INS. This innovation can automatically derive the camera-to-INS alignment using image data only. The assumption is that the camera fixates on an area while the aircraft flies on orbit. The system then, fully automatically, solves for the camera orientation in the INS frame. No manual intervention or ground tie point data is required.

Demonstration and Validation of an Improved Airborne Electromagnetic System for UXO Detection and Mapping

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-01

William E. Doll Battelle 105 Mitchell Road Suite 103 Oak Ridge, TN 37830 865-483-2548 865-599-6165 dollw@battelle.org Airborne Survey...Manager David T. Bell Battelle 105 Mitchell Road Suite 103 Oak Ridge, TN 37830 865-483-2547 865-250-0578 belldt@battelle.org Battelle-Oak Ridge

The UXO Discrimination Study at the Former Camp Sibert

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

extrinsic and intrinsic parameters of the target of interest. Extrinsic parameters include the target’s location (easting and northing), orientation and...1-2 1.2 Demonstration Motivation ....................................................................... 1-3 1.3 General Approach...subset of these points. The remaining points are discussed in the summary final report produced by ESTCP [15]. 1-3 1.2 DEMONSTRATION MOTIVATION

Demonstration of an Enhanced Vertical Magnetic Gradient System for UXO

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

fluxgate magnetometers , data recording console, laser altimeter, and acoustic altimeters were tested to ensure proper operation and performance. The VG...Simultaneous Electromagnetic Induction and Magnetometer System WAA wide area assessment ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We wish to express our sincere...sensors. The benefits of vertical gradient (VG) configurations in magnetometer systems are common knowledge, and these configurations are routinely

Multi-Sensor Systems Development for UXO Detection and Discrimination: Man-Portable Dual Magnetic/Electromagnetic Induction Sensor

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-01

of the magnetic data to constrain the target depth using joint or cooperative inversions ( Pasion et al. 2002). ERDC/EL TR-08-9 24 Figure 15. EM...baseline ordnance classification test site at Blossom Pt. Naval Research Laboratory. NRL/MR/6110-00-8437, March 20, 1998. Pasion , L., S. Billings, and

EMI Modeling for UXO Detection and Discrimination Underwater

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

detection and discrimination underwater,? submitted to the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) in response to the...phenomena from highly conducting and permeable metallic objects in underwater environments, and 3) investigate the impact of the electromagnetic parameters of...to the Department of Defense Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). The publication of this report does not indicate

Control Law for Automatic Landing Using Fuzzy Logic Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Akio; Inagaki, Yoshiki

The effectiveness of fuzzy logic control law for automatic landing of aircraft, which cover both of control to lead aircraft from level flight at an altitude of 500m to the flight on the glide-path course near the runway and control for the aircraft to land smoothly on a runway, was studied. The control law of the automatic landing was designed to match the design goals of leading from the horizontal flight to the flight on the glide-path course quickly and smoothly and of landing smoothly on a runway. Because there is the ground effect at landing, design of control law and evaluation of control performance were done in consideration of the ground effect. As a result, it was confirmed that the design objective was achieved. Even if the characteristics of the plant changes greatly, this control law was able to maintain the control performance. Moreover, it was confirmed to be able to land safely when there was air turbulence. This paper shows that fuzzy logic control is an effective and flexible method when applied to control law for automatic landing and the design method of control law using fuzzy logic control was obtained.

Towards Autonomous Agriculture: Automatic Ground Detection Using Trinocular Stereovision

PubMed Central

Reina, Giulio; Milella, Annalisa

2012-01-01

Autonomous driving is a challenging problem, particularly when the domain is unstructured, as in an outdoor agricultural setting. Thus, advanced perception systems are primarily required to sense and understand the surrounding environment recognizing artificial and natural structures, topology, vegetation and paths. In this paper, a self-learning framework is proposed to automatically train a ground classifier for scene interpretation and autonomous navigation based on multi-baseline stereovision. The use of rich 3D data is emphasized where the sensor output includes range and color information of the surrounding environment. Two distinct classifiers are presented, one based on geometric data that can detect the broad class of ground and one based on color data that can further segment ground into subclasses. The geometry-based classifier features two main stages: an adaptive training stage and a classification stage. During the training stage, the system automatically learns to associate geometric appearance of 3D stereo-generated data with class labels. Then, it makes predictions based on past observations. It serves as well to provide training labels to the color-based classifier. Once trained, the color-based classifier is able to recognize similar terrain classes in stereo imagery. The system is continuously updated online using the latest stereo readings, thus making it feasible for long range and long duration navigation, over changing environments. Experimental results, obtained with a tractor test platform operating in a rural environment, are presented to validate this approach, showing an average classification precision and recall of 91.0% and 77.3%, respectively.

Development and evaluation of automatic landing control laws for power lift STOL aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feinreich, B.; Gevaert, G.

1981-01-01

A series of investigations were conducted to generate and verify through ground bases simulation and flight research a data base to aid in the design and certification of advanced propulsive lift short takeoff and landing aircraft. Problems impacting the design of powered lift short haul aircraft that are to be landed automatically on STOL runways in adverse weather were examined. An understanding of the problems was gained by a limited coverage of important elements that are normally included in the certification process of a CAT 3 automatic landing system.

Mobile and stationary laser weapon demonstrators of Rheinmetall Waffe Munition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ludewigt, K.; Riesbeck, Th.; Baumgärtel, Th.; Schmitz, J.; Graf, A.; Jung, M.

2014-10-01

For some years Rheinmetall Waffe Munition has successfully developed, realised and tested a variety of versatile high energy laser (HEL) weapon systems for air- and ground-defence scenarios like C-RAM, UXO clearing. By employing beam superimposition technology and a modular laser weapon concept, the total optical power has been successively increased. Stationary weapon platforms and now military mobile vehicles were equipped with high energy laser effectors. Our contribution summarises the most recent development stages of Rheinmetalls high energy laser weapon program. We present three different vehicle based HEL demonstrators: the 5 kW class Mobile HEL Effector Track V integrated in an M113 tank, the 20 kW class Mobile HEL Effector Wheel XX integrated in a multirole armoured vehicle GTK Boxer 8x8 and the 50 kW class Mobile HEL Effector Container L integrated in a reinforced container carried by an 8x8 truck. As a highlight, a stationary 30 kW Laser Weapon Demonstrator shows the capability to defeat saturated attacks of RAM targets and unmanned aerial vehicles. 2013 all HEL demonstrators were tested in a firing campaign at the Rheinmetall testing centre in Switzerland. Major results of these tests are presented.

Flight test results from the CV990 simulated space shuttle during unpowered automatic approaches and landings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, F. G.; Foster, J. D.

1973-01-01

Unpowered automatic approaches and landings with a CV990 aircraft were conducted to study navigation, guidance, and control problems associated with terminal area approach and landing for the space shuttle. The flight tests were designed to study from 11,300 m to touchdown the performance of a navigation and guidance concept which utilized blended radio/inertial navigation using VOR, DME, and ILS as the ground navigation aids. In excess of fifty automatic approaches and landings were conducted. Preliminary results indicate that this concept may provide sufficient accuracy to accomplish automatic landing of the shuttle orbiter without air-breathing engines on a conventional size runway.

Buried in the Warm, Warm Ground

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis-Tipton, John

2006-01-01

Buntingsdale Infant School in Shropshire has installed an environmentally friendly heating system. The school's heating system is called a Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP). Buntingsdale, a three-classroom infant school in a wooden demountable building, is one of the first schools in Britain to use this system. The system is fully automatic: it is…

A new approach for automatic matching of ground control points in urban areas from heterogeneous images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cong, Chao; Liu, Dingsheng; Zhao, Lingjun

2008-12-01

This paper discusses a new method for the automatic matching of ground control points (GCPs) between satellite remote sensing Image and digital raster graphic (DRG) in urban areas. The key of this method is to automatically extract tie point pairs according to geographic characters from such heterogeneous images. Since there are big differences between such heterogeneous images respect to texture and corner features, more detail analyzations are performed to find similarities and differences between high resolution remote sensing Image and (DRG). Furthermore a new algorithms based on the fuzzy-c means (FCM) method is proposed to extract linear feature in remote sensing Image. Based on linear feature, crossings and corners extracted from these features are chosen as GCPs. On the other hand, similar method was used to find same features from DRGs. Finally, Hausdorff Distance was adopted to pick matching GCPs from above two GCP groups. Experiences shown the method can extract GCPs from such images with a reasonable RMS error.

Automatic generation of smart earthquake-resistant building system: Hybrid system of base-isolation and building-connection.

PubMed

Kasagi, M; Fujita, K; Tsuji, M; Takewaki, I

2016-02-01

A base-isolated building may sometimes exhibit an undesirable large response to a long-duration, long-period earthquake ground motion and a connected building system without base-isolation may show a large response to a near-fault (rather high-frequency) earthquake ground motion. To overcome both deficiencies, a new hybrid control system of base-isolation and building-connection is proposed and investigated. In this new hybrid building system, a base-isolated building is connected to a stiffer free wall with oil dampers. It has been demonstrated in a preliminary research that the proposed hybrid system is effective both for near-fault (rather high-frequency) and long-duration, long-period earthquake ground motions and has sufficient redundancy and robustness for a broad range of earthquake ground motions.An automatic generation algorithm of this kind of smart structures of base-isolation and building-connection hybrid systems is presented in this paper. It is shown that, while the proposed algorithm does not work well in a building without the connecting-damper system, it works well in the proposed smart hybrid system with the connecting damper system.

Enhanced Weather Radar (EWxR) System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kronfeld, Kevin M. (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

An airborne weather radar system, the Enhanced Weather Radar (EWxR), with enhanced on-board weather radar data processing was developed and tested. The system features additional weather data that is uplinked from ground-based sources, specialized data processing, and limited automatic radar control to search for hazardous weather. National Weather Service (NWS) ground-based Next Generation Radar (NEXRAD) information is used by the EWxR system to augment the on-board weather radar information. The system will simultaneously display NEXRAD and on-board weather radar information in a split-view format. The on-board weather radar includes an automated or hands-free storm-finding feature that optimizes the radar returns by automatically adjusting the tilt and range settings for the current altitude above the terrain and searches for storm cells near the atmospheric 0-degree isotherm. A rule-based decision aid was developed to automatically characterize cells as hazardous, possibly-hazardous, or non-hazardous based upon attributes of that cell. Cell attributes are determined based on data from the on-board radar and from ground-based radars. A flight path impact prediction algorithm was developed to help pilots to avoid hazardous weather along their flight plan and their mission. During development the system was tested on the NASA B757 aircraft and final tests were conducted on the Rockwell Collins Sabreliner.

Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swihart, Donald E.; Skoog, Mark A.

2007-01-01

This document represents two views of the Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT). One viewgraph presentation reviews the development and system design of Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT). Two types of ACAT exist: Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance (AGCAS) and Automatic Air Collision Avoidance (AACAS). The AGCAS Uses Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED) for mapping functions, and uses Navigation data to place aircraft on map. It then scans DTED in front of and around aircraft and uses future aircraft trajectory (5g) to provide automatic flyup maneuver when required. The AACAS uses data link to determine position and closing rate. It contains several canned maneuvers to avoid collision. Automatic maneuvers can occur at last instant and both aircraft maneuver when using data link. The system can use sensor in place of data link. The second viewgraph presentation reviews the development of a flight test and an evaluation of the test. A review of the operation and comparison of the AGCAS and a pilot's performance are given. The same review is given for the AACAS is given.

Autonomously generating operations sequences for a Mars Rover using AI-based planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwood, Rob; Mishkin, Andrew; Estlin, Tara; Chien, Steve; Backes, Paul; Cooper, Brian; Maxwell, Scott; Rabideau, Gregg

2001-01-01

This paper discusses a proof-of-concept prototype for ground-based automatic generation of validated rover command sequences from highlevel science and engineering activities. This prototype is based on ASPEN, the Automated Scheduling and Planning Environment. This Artificial Intelligence (AI) based planning and scheduling system will automatically generate a command sequence that will execute within resource constraints and satisfy flight rules.

Self-actuating grapple automatically engages and releases loads from overhead cranes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Froehlich, J. A.; Karastas, G. A.

1966-01-01

Two-piece grapple mechanism consisting of a lift knob secured to the load and a grapple member connected to the crane or lift automatically disengages the load from the overhead lifting device when the load contacts the ground. The key feature is the sliding collar under the lift knob which enables the grapple latch to be stripped off over the lift knob.

Vehicle-mounted ground penetrating radar (Mine Stalker III) field evaluation in Angola

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laudato, Stephen; Hart, Kerry; Nevard, Michael; Lauziere, Steven; Grant, Shaun

2014-05-01

The U.S. Department of Defense Humanitarian Demining Research and Development (HD R&D) Program, Non-Intrusive Inspection Technology (NIITEK), Inc. and The HALO Trust have over the last decade funded, developed and tested various prototype vehicle mounted ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems named the Mine Stalker. The HD R&D Program and NIITEK developed the Mine Stalker to detect low metal anti-tank (LM-AT) mines in roads. The country of Angola is severely affected by LM-AT mines in and off road, some of which are buried beyond the effective range of detection sensors current used in country. The threat from LM-AT mines such as the South African Number 8 (No. 8) and the Chinese Type 72 (72AT) still persist from Angola's 30 years of civil war. These LM-AT threats are undetectable at depths greater than 5 to 10 centimeters using metal detection technology. Clearing commerce routes are a critical requirement before Angola can rebuild its infrastructure and improve safety conditions for the local populace. The Halo Trust, a non-governmental demining organization (NGO) focused on demining and clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO), has partnered with the HD R&D Program to conduct an operational field evaluation (OFE) of the Mine Stalker III (MS3) in Angola. Preliminary testing and training efforts yielded encouraging results. This paper presents a review of the data collected, testing results, system limitations and deficiencies while operating in a real world environment. Our goal is to demonstrate and validate this technology in live minefield environments, and to collect data to prompt future developments to the system.

High Density Lidar and Orthophotography in UXO Wide Area Assessment, Phase 2. Former Camp Beale Demonstration Site. Addendum, Revision 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

the delivery tiles . For the Former Camp Beale site, orthophotos were created in blocks of 2.675 square kilometers, in order to keep file sizes...3-19 3.7.12 Data Density Effects - Orthophotos ....................................................... 3-20 3.7.13 Data... Orthophoto Positional Accuracy ........................................... 3-29 4.0 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Advanced UXO Discrimination using Magnetometry: Understanding Remanent Magnetization

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

moments of steel samples. The MRIP comprises six three-component fluxgate magnetometers symmetrically distributed around a rotating sample holder. Samples...comprises six three- component fluxgate magnetometers symmetrically distributed around a rotating sample holder. Samples are placed on the holder... fluxgate magnetometers symmetrically distributed around a rotating sample holder. Samples are placed on the holder and are slowly spun through two

Integration of Advanced Statistical Analysis Tools and Geophysical Modeling

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-01

Carin Duke University Douglas Oldenburg University of British Columbia Stephen Billings Leonard Pasion Laurens Beran Sky Research...data processing for UXO discrimination is the time (or frequency) dependent dipole model (Bell and Barrow (2001), Pasion and Oldenburg (2001), Zhang...described by a bimodal distribution (i.e. two Gaussians, see Pasion (2007)). Data features are nonetheless useful when data quality is not sufficient

Demonstration of Advanced EMI Models for Live-Site UXO Discrimination at Former Camp Butner, North Carolina

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-05-01

GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7 . PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S...2.3.3 Classification using template matching ...................................................... 7 2.4 Details of classification schemes... 7 2.4.1 Camp Butner TEMTADS data inversion and classification scheme .......... 9

Time Neutron Technique for UXO Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

mixture of TNT and RDX C-4 CFD Composition 4 military plastic explosive Constant Fraction Discriminator Cps CsI counts per second inorganic...Pdfs Probability Density Functions PET Positron Emission Tomography Pfa Probability of False Alarm PFTNA Pulsed Fast/Thermal Neutron Analysis PMTs...the ordnance type (rocket, mortar , projectile, etc.) and what filler material it contains (inert or empty), practice, HE, illumination, chemical (i.e

Simultaneous Inversion of UXO Parameters and Background Response

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

11. SUPPLEMENTARY NO TES 12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Unclassified/Unlimited 12b. DISTRIBUTIO N CODE 13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200...demonstrated an ability to accurate recover dipole parameters using the simultaneous inversion method. Numerical modeling code for solving Maxwell’s...magnetics 15. NUMBER O F PAGES 160 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATIO N OF REPORT Unclassified 18. SECURITY

Continuous Monitoring of Mobility, Burial and Re exposure of Underwater Munitions in Energetic Near Shore Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-01

parameters on Wasque Shoals ..................................................... 22 Figure 19. Rotary sonar imagery showing migrating mega- ripples and the...shown by the green and yellow lines reveals the convergence and divergence of the migrating mega- ripples ...26 Figure 24. Succesive rotary sonar images showing transient burial and reexposure of a surrogate UXO by migrating mega- ripples

Incorporating advanced EMI technologies in operational munitions characterization surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Jonathan S.; Shubiditze, Fridon; Pasion, Leonard; Schultz, Gregory; Chung, Heesoo

2011-06-01

The presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO), discarded military munitions (DMM), and munitions constituents (MC) at both active and formerly used defense sites (FUDS) has created a necessity for production-level efforts to remove these munitions and explosives of concern (MEC). Ordnance and explosives (OE) and UXO removal operations typically employ electromagnetic induction (EMI) or magnetometer surveys to identify potential MEC hazards in previously determined areas of interest. A major cost factor in these operations is the significant allocation of resources for the excavation of harmless objects associated with fragmentation, scrap, or geological clutter. Recent advances in classification and discrimination methodologies, as well as the development of sensor technologies that fully exploit physics-based analysis, have demonstrated promise for significantly reducing the false alarm rate due to MEC related clutter. This paper identifies some of the considerations for and the challenges associated with implementing these discrimination methodologies and advanced sensor technologies in production-level surveys. Specifically, we evaluate the implications of deploying an advanced multi-axis EMI sensor at a variety of MEC sites, the discrimination methodologies that leverage the data produced by this sensor, and the potential for productivity increase that could be realized by incorporating this advanced technology as part of production protocol.

Magnetic sensor technology for detecting mines, UXO, and other concealed security threats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czipott, Peter V.; Iwanowski, Mark D.

1997-01-01

Magnetic sensors have been the sensor of choice in the detection and classification of buried mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), both on land and underwater, Quantum Magnetics (QM), together with its research partner IBM, have developed a variety of advanced, very high sensitivity superconducting and room temperature magnetic sensors to meet military needs. This work has led to the development and utilization of a three-sensor gradiometer (TSG) patented by IBM, which cannot only detect, but also localize mines and ordnance. QM is also working with IBM and the U.S. Navy to develop an advanced superconducting gradiometer for buried underwater mine detection. The ability to both detect and classify buried non-metallic mines is virtually impossible with existing magnetic sensors. To solve this problem, Quantum Magnetics, building on work of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), is pioneering work in the development of quadrupole resonance (QR) methods which can be used to detect the explosive material directly. Based on recent laboratory work done at QM and previous work done in the U.S., Russia and the United Kingdom, we are confident that QR can be effectively applied to the non-metallic mine identification problem.

Bistatic scattering from submerged unexploded ordnance lying on a sediment.

PubMed

Bucaro, J A; Simpson, H; Kraus, L; Dragonette, L R; Yoder, T; Houston, B H

2009-11-01

The broadband bistatic target strengths (TSs) of two submerged unexploded ordnance (UXO) targets have been measured in the NRL sediment pool facility. The targets-a 5 in. rocket and a 155 mm projectile-were among the targets whose monostatic TSs were measured and reported previously by the authors. Bistatic TS measurements were made for 0 degrees (target front) and 90 degrees (target side) incident source directions, and include both backscattered and forward scattered echo angles over a complete 360 degrees with the targets placed proud of the sediment surface. For the two source angles used, each target exhibits two strong highlights: a backscattered specular-like echo and a forward scattered response. The TS levels of the former are shown to agree reasonably well with predictions, based on scattering from rigid disks and cylinders, while the levels of the latter with predictions from radar cross section models, based on simple geometric optics appropriately modified. The bistatic TS levels observed for the proud case provide comparable or higher levels of broadband TS relative to free-field monostatic measurements. It is concluded that access to bistatic echo information in operations aimed at detecting submerged UXO targets could provide an important capability.

A multiscale curvature algorithm for classifying discrete return LiDAR in forested environments

Treesearch

Jeffrey S. Evans; Andrew T. Hudak

2007-01-01

One prerequisite to the use of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) across disciplines is differentiating ground from nonground returns. The objective was to automatically and objectively classify points within unclassified LiDAR point clouds, with few model parameters and minimal postprocessing. Presented is an automated method for classifying LiDAR returns as ground...

Electronic System for Preventing Airport Runway Incursions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dabney, Richard; Elrod, Susan

2009-01-01

A proposed system of portable illuminated signs, electronic monitoring equipment, and radio-communication equipment for preventing (or taking corrective action in response to) improper entry of aircraft, pedestrians, or ground vehicles onto active airport runways is described. The main overall functions of the proposed system would be to automatically monitor aircraft ground traffic on or approaching runways and to generate visible and/or audible warnings to affected pilots, ground-vehicle drivers, and control-tower personnel when runway incursions take place.

Management of natural resources through automatic cartographic inventory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rey, P. A.; Gourinard, Y.; Cambou, F. (Principal Investigator)

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Significant correspondence codes relating ERTS imagery to ground truth from vegetation and geology maps have been established. The use of color equidensity and color composite methods for selecting zones of equal densitometric value on ERTS imagery was perfected. Primary interest of temporal color composite is stressed. A chain of transfer operations from ERTS imagery to the automatic mapping of natural resources was developed.

Automatic aortic root segmentation in CTA whole-body dataset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xinpei; Kitslaar, Pieter H.; Scholte, Arthur J. H. A.; Lelieveldt, Boudewijn P. F.; Dijkstra, Jouke; Reiber, Johan H. C.

2016-03-01

Trans-catheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is an evolving technique for patients with serious aortic stenosis disease. Typically, in this application a CTA data set is obtained of the patient's arterial system from the subclavian artery to the femoral arteries, to evaluate the quality of the vascular access route and analyze the aortic root to determine if and which prosthesis should be used. In this paper, we concentrate on the automated segmentation of the aortic root. The purpose of this study was to automatically segment the aortic root in computed tomography angiography (CTA) datasets to support TAVR procedures. The method in this study includes 4 major steps. First, the patient's cardiac CTA image was resampled to reduce the computation time. Next, the cardiac CTA image was segmented using an atlas-based approach. The most similar atlas was selected from a total of 8 atlases based on its image similarity to the input CTA image. Third, the aortic root segmentation from the previous step was transferred to the patient's whole-body CTA image by affine registration and refined in the fourth step using a deformable subdivision surface model fitting procedure based on image intensity. The pipeline was applied to 20 patients. The ground truth was created by an analyst who semi-automatically corrected the contours of the automatic method, where necessary. The average Dice similarity index between the segmentations of the automatic method and the ground truth was found to be 0.965±0.024. In conclusion, the current results are very promising.

Automatic forest-fire measuring using ground stations and Unmanned Aerial Systems.

PubMed

Martínez-de Dios, José Ramiro; Merino, Luis; Caballero, Fernando; Ollero, Anibal

2011-01-01

This paper presents a novel system for automatic forest-fire measurement using cameras distributed at ground stations and mounted on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). It can obtain geometrical measurements of forest fires in real-time such as the location and shape of the fire front, flame height and rate of spread, among others. Measurement of forest fires is a challenging problem that is affected by numerous potential sources of error. The proposed system addresses them by exploiting the complementarities between infrared and visual cameras located at different ground locations together with others onboard Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The system applies image processing and geo-location techniques to obtain forest-fire measurements individually from each camera and then integrates the results from all the cameras using statistical data fusion techniques. The proposed system has been extensively tested and validated in close-to-operational conditions in field fire experiments with controlled safety conditions carried out in Portugal and Spain from 2001 to 2006.

Automatic Forest-Fire Measuring Using Ground Stations and Unmanned Aerial Systems

PubMed Central

Martínez-de Dios, José Ramiro; Merino, Luis; Caballero, Fernando; Ollero, Anibal

2011-01-01

This paper presents a novel system for automatic forest-fire measurement using cameras distributed at ground stations and mounted on Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). It can obtain geometrical measurements of forest fires in real-time such as the location and shape of the fire front, flame height and rate of spread, among others. Measurement of forest fires is a challenging problem that is affected by numerous potential sources of error. The proposed system addresses them by exploiting the complementarities between infrared and visual cameras located at different ground locations together with others onboard Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The system applies image processing and geo-location techniques to obtain forest-fire measurements individually from each camera and then integrates the results from all the cameras using statistical data fusion techniques. The proposed system has been extensively tested and validated in close-to-operational conditions in field fire experiments with controlled safety conditions carried out in Portugal and Spain from 2001 to 2006. PMID:22163958

Detection of Unexploded Ordnance Using Airborne LWIR Emissivity Signatures

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-25

glass and wood, are spectrally distinct and would not appear as false alarms. Index Terms— Hyperspectral, Long Wave Infrared , Emissivity, Target...hyperspectral; radar). Because of previous successes using thermal infrared bands for UXO [3, 4] and landmine detection [5], this paper aims at...potential false alarms. They included materials made of rubber , cardboard, metal, wood, glass and plastic (Figure 1). 2.2. Laboratory LWIR signature

High Density Lidar and Orthophotography in UXO Wide Area Assessment Phase 2. Final Report Addendum for Former Camp Beale Demonstration Site, Revision 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

color balancing, and trimming to the delivery tiles . For the Former Camp Beale site, orthophotos were created in blocks of 2.675 square kilometers, in...3-19 3.7.12 Data Density Effects - Orthophotos ...3-27 3.7.18 Lidar and Orthophoto Positional Accuracy ........................................... 3-29 4.0 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Demonstration of an Enhanced Vertical Magnetic Gradient System for UXO

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

flights were conducted and results evaluated. The cesium magnetometers , GPS systems (positioning and attitude), fluxgate magnetometers , data...makes a measurement and when it is time-stamped and recorded. This applies to the magnetometers , fluxgate and the GPS. Accurate positioning...requires a correction for this lag. Time lags between the magnetometers , fluxgate and GPS signals were measured by a proprietary utility. This utility

UXO Burial Prediction Fidelity

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

been developed to predict the initial penetration depth of underwater mines . SERDP would like to know if and how these existing mine models could be...designed for near-cylindrical mines —for munitions, however, projectile-specific drag, lift, and moment coefficients are needed for estimating...as inputs.  Other models have been built to estimate these initial conditions for mines dropped into water.  Can these mine models be useful for

Demonstration of the Berkeley UXO Discrimination at Live Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

BUD then occupied each of the 11 points and acquired a stationary measurement. The cart was equipped with a two-component tiltmeter and three...component magnetometer. Both devices were calibrated before the survey. The tiltmeters readings were used to compute the cart pitch (positive pitch...cart front down = negative tiltmeter change), and roll (positive=cart rightside down - positive tiltmeter change). The magnetometer values were used to

UXO Burial Prediction Fidelity: A Summary

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

should not be construed as representing the official position of either the Department of Defense or the sponsoring organization. For More Information ...equilibrium. Any complete picture of munition evolution in sediment would need to account for these effects. More relevant to the present topic: these...of adds uncertainty to predictions of munition fate, and assessments of risk probabilities would need to account for the statistical distribution of

Phenomenology and Signal Processing for UXO/Clutter Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-08-01

29 Figure 25. (a) Pasion -Oldenburg model fit to the EMI response of a 4.2 inch mortar aligned transverse to the primary field...b) Comparison between the two-component and Pasion - Oldenburg model fits to the 4.2 inch mortar response...30 Figure 26. Pasion -Oldenburg exponent γ compared to the magnetic crossover time τM for model fits to EMI data collected

Report Of Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) UXO Discrimination Study Support Activities: Former Camp Sibert, Etowah and St. Clair Counties, Alabama

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-01

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) PARSONS 4890 University Square Suite 2 Huntsville, Alabama 35816 8 . PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER...PERSON a. REPORT unclassified b. ABSTRACT unclassified c. THIS PAGE unclassified Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8 -98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18...Intrusive Investigation Results ...................................................................................... 8 8.2 CLUSTER ANOMALIES

Laser Line Scan System for UXO Characterization

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

they geometrically rectified. The Year 2 survey collected LLSS images from seven passes over two separate calibration strings and six passes over two...Microsoft DOS-based software tool. According to the side- by-side comparisons shown in Figure 9, the morphometrics were relatively equal between...survey. Note: The imagery in this figure is not presented at full resolution nor geometrically rectified. LLSS Targets, Pass One 1. Danforth

2009 ESTCP UXO Classification Study, San Luis Obispo, CA

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

and faulted. The site is underlain by a mixture of metamorphic , igneous, and sedimentary rocks less than 200 million years old. Scattered...measured data is shown in the upper left map, the model parameters are displayed in the lower center window, and the forward model generated using the...8 Figure 2-5. Derived response coefficients for a 40-mm projectile using the measurements of which the

Navy Pre-Deployment Training at Eglin AFB, Florida Final Environmental Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-02-10

Only-Radar ROW Rest of the World RUR Range Utilization Report SACEX Supporting Arms Coordination Exercise LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS...Wildlife Service USGS U.S. Geological Survey UXO Unexploded Ordnance VOC Volatile Organic Compounds WHO World Health Organization Purpose and...Assessment While most deployments are scheduled long in advance, short-notice deployments often occur in response to world crises. The Atlantic Fleet’s

Detecting Plastic PFM-1 Butterfly Mines Using Thermal Infrared Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baur, J.; de Smet, T.; Nikulin, A.

2017-12-01

Remnant plastic-composite landmines, such as the mass-produced PFM-1, represent an ongoing humanitarian threat aggravated by high costs associated with traditional demining efforts. These particular unexploded ordnance (UXO) devices pose a challenge to conventional geophysical detection methods, due their plastic-body design and small size. Additionally, the PFM-1s represent a particularly heinous UXO, due to their low mass ( 25 lb) trigger limit and "butterfly" wing design, earning them the reputation of a "toy mine" - disproportionally impacting children across post-conflict areas. We developed a detection algorithm based on data acquired by a thermal infrared camera mounted to a commercial UAV to detect time-variable temperature difference between the PFM-1 and the surrounding environment. We present results of a field study focused on thermal detection and identification of the PFM-1 anti-personnel landmines from a remotely operated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). We conducted a series of field detection experiments meant to simulate the mountainous terrains where PFM-1 mines were historically deployed and remain in place. In our tests, 18 inert PFM-1 mines along with the aluminum KSF-1 casing were randomly dispersed to mimic an ellipsoidal minefield of 8-10 x 18-20 m dimensions in a de-vegetated rubble yard at Chenango Valley State Park (New York State). We collected multiple thermal infrared imagery datasets focused on these model minefields with the FLIR Vue Pro R attached to the 3DR Solo UAV flying at approximately at 2 m. We identified different environmental variables to constrain the optimal time of day and daily temperature variations to reveal presence of these plastic UXOs. We show that in the early-morning hours when thermal inertia is greatest, the PFM-1 mines can be detected based on their differential thermal inertia. Because the mines have statistically different temperatures than background and a characteristic shape, we were able to train a supervised learning algorithm to automate detection of the mines over large areas. We anticipate that following further development, this remote sensing method can aid in significantly reducing the cost and time associated with landmine remediation in post-conflict nations.

Ground System Survivability Overview

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-27

Avoidance Blast Mitigation Optimization Customer ILIR RDT&E Funding 5.0 % 0.5% GSS has a proven, technically proficient workforce that meets...Evaluation of Defensive-Aid Suites (ARMED) Common Automatic Fire Extinguishing System ( CAFES ) Transparent Armor Development Ground Combat Vehicle...Survey TRADOC (WFO, CNA, etc) Voice of the Customer Sy st em s En gi ne er in g Publish overarching MIL-STD, design guidelines, technical

Textural-Contextual Labeling and Metadata Generation for Remote Sensing Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kiang, Richard K.

1999-01-01

Despite the extensive research and the advent of several new information technologies in the last three decades, machine labeling of ground categories using remotely sensed data has not become a routine process. Considerable amount of human intervention is needed to achieve a level of acceptable labeling accuracy. A number of fundamental reasons may explain why machine labeling has not become automatic. In addition, there may be shortcomings in the methodology for labeling ground categories. The spatial information of a pixel, whether textural or contextual, relates a pixel to its surroundings. This information should be utilized to improve the performance of machine labeling of ground categories. Landsat-4 Thematic Mapper (TM) data taken in July 1982 over an area in the vicinity of Washington, D.C. are used in this study. On-line texture extraction by neural networks may not be the most efficient way to incorporate textural information into the labeling process. Texture features are pre-computed from cooccurrence matrices and then combined with a pixel's spectral and contextual information as the input to a neural network. The improvement in labeling accuracy with spatial information included is significant. The prospect of automatic generation of metadata consisting of ground categories, textural and contextual information is discussed.

Automatic Diabetic Macular Edema Detection in Fundus Images Using Publicly Available Datasets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Giancardo, Luca; Meriaudeau, Fabrice; Karnowski, Thomas Paul

2011-01-01

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a common vision threatening complication of diabetic retinopathy. In a large scale screening environment DME can be assessed by detecting exudates (a type of bright lesions) in fundus images. In this work, we introduce a new methodology for diagnosis of DME using a novel set of features based on colour, wavelet decomposition and automatic lesion segmentation. These features are employed to train a classifier able to automatically diagnose DME. We present a new publicly available dataset with ground-truth data containing 169 patients from various ethnic groups and levels of DME. This and other two publiclymore » available datasets are employed to evaluate our algorithm. We are able to achieve diagnosis performance comparable to retina experts on the MESSIDOR (an independently labelled dataset with 1200 images) with cross-dataset testing. Our algorithm is robust to segmentation uncertainties, does not need ground truth at lesion level, and is very fast, generating a diagnosis on an average of 4.4 seconds per image on an 2.6 GHz platform with an unoptimised Matlab implementation.« less

PSNet: prostate segmentation on MRI based on a convolutional neural network.

PubMed

Tian, Zhiqiang; Liu, Lizhi; Zhang, Zhenfeng; Fei, Baowei

2018-04-01

Automatic segmentation of the prostate on magnetic resonance images (MRI) has many applications in prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy. We proposed a deep fully convolutional neural network (CNN) to segment the prostate automatically. Our deep CNN model is trained end-to-end in a single learning stage, which uses prostate MRI and the corresponding ground truths as inputs. The learned CNN model can be used to make an inference for pixel-wise segmentation. Experiments were performed on three data sets, which contain prostate MRI of 140 patients. The proposed CNN model of prostate segmentation (PSNet) obtained a mean Dice similarity coefficient of [Formula: see text] as compared to the manually labeled ground truth. Experimental results show that the proposed model could yield satisfactory segmentation of the prostate on MRI.

Automatic circuit interrupter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dwinell, W. S.

1979-01-01

In technique, voice circuits connecting crew's cabin to launch station through umbilical connector disconnect automatically unused, or deadened portion of circuits immediately after vehicle is launched, eliminating possibility that unused wiring interferes with voice communications inside vehicle or need for manual cutoff switch and its associated wiring. Technique is applied to other types of electrical actuation circuits, also launch of mapped vehicles, such as balloons, submarines, test sleds, and test chambers-all requiring assistance of ground crew.

AISLE: an automatic volumetric segmentation method for the study of lung allometry.

PubMed

Ren, Hongliang; Kazanzides, Peter

2011-01-01

We developed a fully automatic segmentation method for volumetric CT (computer tomography) datasets to support construction of a statistical atlas for the study of allometric laws of the lung. The proposed segmentation method, AISLE (Automated ITK-Snap based on Level-set), is based on the level-set implementation from an existing semi-automatic segmentation program, ITK-Snap. AISLE can segment the lung field without human interaction and provide intermediate graphical results as desired. The preliminary experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve accurate segmentation, in terms of volumetric overlap metric, by comparing with the ground-truth segmentation performed by a radiologist.

Toward Automatic Georeferencing of Archival Aerial Photogrammetric Surveys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giordano, S.; Le Bris, A.; Mallet, C.

2018-05-01

Images from archival aerial photogrammetric surveys are a unique and relatively unexplored means to chronicle 3D land-cover changes over the past 100 years. They provide a relatively dense temporal sampling of the territories with very high spatial resolution. Such time series image analysis is a mandatory baseline for a large variety of long-term environmental monitoring studies. The current bottleneck for accurate comparison between epochs is their fine georeferencing step. No fully automatic method has been proposed yet and existing studies are rather limited in terms of area and number of dates. State-of-the art shows that the major challenge is the identification of ground references: cartographic coordinates and their position in the archival images. This task is manually performed, and extremely time-consuming. This paper proposes to use a photogrammetric approach, and states that the 3D information that can be computed is the key to full automation. Its original idea lies in a 2-step approach: (i) the computation of a coarse absolute image orientation; (ii) the use of the coarse Digital Surface Model (DSM) information for automatic absolute image orientation. It only relies on a recent orthoimage+DSM, used as master reference for all epochs. The coarse orthoimage, compared with such a reference, allows the identification of dense ground references and the coarse DSM provides their position in the archival images. Results on two areas and 5 dates show that this method is compatible with long and dense archival aerial image series. Satisfactory planimetric and altimetric accuracies are reported, with variations depending on the ground sampling distance of the images and the location of the Ground Control Points.

Large space systems technology electronics: Data and power distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunbar, W. G.

1980-01-01

The development of hardware technology and manufacturing techniques required to meet space platform and antenna system needs in the 1980s is discussed. Preliminary designs for manned and automatically assembled space power system cables, connectors, and grounding and bonding materials and techniques are reviewed. Connector concepts, grounding design requirements, and bonding requirements are discussed. The problem of particulate debris contamination for large structure spacecraft is addressed.

Distributed operating system for NASA ground stations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doyle, John F.

1987-01-01

NASA ground stations are characterized by ever changing support requirements, so application software is developed and modified on a continuing basis. A distributed operating system was designed to optimize the generation and maintenance of those applications. Unusual features include automatic program generation from detailed design graphs, on-line software modification in the testing phase, and the incorporation of a relational database within a real-time, distributed system.

Quality assurance using outlier detection on an automatic segmentation method for the cerebellar peduncles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ke; Ye, Chuyang; Yang, Zhen; Carass, Aaron; Ying, Sarah H.; Prince, Jerry L.

2016-03-01

Cerebellar peduncles (CPs) are white matter tracts connecting the cerebellum to other brain regions. Automatic segmentation methods of the CPs have been proposed for studying their structure and function. Usually the performance of these methods is evaluated by comparing segmentation results with manual delineations (ground truth). However, when a segmentation method is run on new data (for which no ground truth exists) it is highly desirable to efficiently detect and assess algorithm failures so that these cases can be excluded from scientific analysis. In this work, two outlier detection methods aimed to assess the performance of an automatic CP segmentation algorithm are presented. The first one is a univariate non-parametric method using a box-whisker plot. We first categorize automatic segmentation results of a dataset of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans from 48 subjects as either a success or a failure. We then design three groups of features from the image data of nine categorized failures for failure detection. Results show that most of these features can efficiently detect the true failures. The second method—supervised classification—was employed on a larger DTI dataset of 249 manually categorized subjects. Four classifiers—linear discriminant analysis (LDA), logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), and random forest classification (RFC)—were trained using the designed features and evaluated using a leave-one-out cross validation. Results show that the LR performs worst among the four classifiers and the other three perform comparably, which demonstrates the feasibility of automatically detecting segmentation failures using classification methods.

National Defense Center for Energy and Environment 2007 Annual Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Catcher does this and more. Using a unique, self - healing elastomeric top cover that keeps out moisture and minimizes oxygen content, the Bullet...claw to enable remote-controlled excavation of UXO. In this effort the NDCEE teamed with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Robotic Research...Group, whose mission is to “develop and advance robotic technologies that will protect, support, and augment the warfighter in the accomplishment of

UXO Detector for Underwater Surveys Using Low-Frequency Sonar

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-01

Oude Waalsdorperweg 63 The Hague The Netherlands 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES...remaining number of false alarms will be further reduced. The application of these two rules to the data shown in Figure 6-3, leads to removal of...Box 96864, 2509 JG The Hague , The Netherlands, +31 88 866 0902, alan.hunter@tno.nl Abstract: Detection of unexploded ordnance is challenging in the

UXO Live Site Classification Demonstrations: A Retrospective Summary

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

performance ROC Curve Number of True Clutter Incorrectly Classified TO I R em ed ia tio n: Pe rc en t o f T ru e TO I Co rr ec tly C la ss ifi ed...rocket, 382 practice bomb , M103 bomb nose fuze, 100lb bomb , M1 practice bomb MPV, TEMTADS 2x2 2014 Waikoloa Waikoloa, HI 9 small ISO, 37mm, medium

Magnetic Sensors with Picotesla Magnetic Field Sensitivity at Room Temperature

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

such small fields require cryogenic cooling such as SQUID sensors, require sophisticated detection systems such as atomic magnetometers and fluxgate ... magnetometers , or have large size and poor low frequency performance such as coil systems. [3-7] The minimum detectable field (the field noise times...Kingdon, "Development of a Combined EMI/ Magnetometer Sensor for UXO Detection," Proc. Symposium on the Applications of Geophysics to Environmental and

Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Data Analysis System (DAS). Environmental Quality Technology Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

is comprised of an EMI sensor, cesium (Cs) vapor magnetometer , fluxgate magnetometer , hand-held data acquisition computer, integrated power supply...Geometrics model 823A Cs vapor magnetometer . The fluxgate magnetometer is a Bartington model Mag-3MRN60, three- axis fluxgate magnetometer . The system...9. The ERDC hand-held Dual TFM/EMI with ArcSecond positioning system. During standard usage, the fluxgate magnetometer is used to provide the

An EM System with Dynamic Multi-Axis Transmitter and Tensor Gradiometer Receiver

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

main difference between the spatial behavior of target anomalies measured with a magnetometer and those we measured with an EM system is in the nature...environmental and UXO applications, current efforts include the development of tensor magnetic gradiometers based on triaxial fluxgate technology by the USGS...Superconducting gradiometer/ Magnetometer Arrays and a Novel Signal Processing Technique. IEEE Trans. on Magnetics, MAG-11(2), 701-707. EM Tensor

Underwater (UW) Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Multi-Sensor Data Base (MSDB) Collection

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

11 FIGURE 6 RTG SENSOR. FOUR SENSOR TRIADS ARE SHOWN, EACH WITH A 3-AXIS FLUXGATE MAGNETOMETER ...used by RTG to measure the gradients. Each triad includes a 3-axis fluxgate magnetometer and a set of feedback coils. The outputs of three triad...each with a 3-axis fluxgate magnetometer (internal, not clearly visible) and a set of 3 feedback coils. The upper triad 3-axis magnetometer

Subsurface Electromagnetic Induction Imaging for Unexploded Ordnance Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

Baum, 1999; Pasion and Oldenburg, 2001). The EMI- response problem has been solved analytically for spheroids (Ao et al., 2002; Barrowes et al., 2004...components. We also have made explicit the fact that the polarizabilities are always positive ( Pasion et al., 2008); we impose this constraint in the...Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, UK. Pasion , L.R., Oldenburg, D.W., 2001. A discrimination algorithm for UXO using time- domain electromagnetic induction

Isolating and Discriminating Overlapping Signatures in Cluttered Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-11

Lin-Ping Song, Douglas W. Oldenburg, Leonard R. Pasion , and Stephen D. Billings. Transient electromagnetic inversion for multiple targets. SPIE...and Remote Sensing, 39(6):1294 – 1298, 2001. ISSN 0196-2892. 33, 34 [52] L. R. Pasion and D. W. Oldenburg. A discrimination algorithm for UXO using...R. Pasion , Douglas W. Oldenburg, and Stephen D. Billings. Com- puting transient electromagnetic response of a metallic object with a spheroidal

Wide Area Assessment Demonstration of LiDAR and Orthophotography at Borrego Maneuver Area, Phase II Innovative Multi-Sensor Airborne Wide Area Assessment of UXO Sites, Version 2.0

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-12-03

and reference datums, in addition to other field positioning tasks. 3.5.3. Navigation Systems An Applanix 510 A/V POS system was co-mounted with...Cal and POS EO from Applanix Corp. lmageStation Suite from Z/1 Imaging Images: Camera and Data Recorder · I SAT Aerial Triangulation Software

Shallow Water UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record No. 6

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

ferrous, nonferrous , and mixed metals . The ferrous and nonferrous items have been further divided into three weight zones as presented in Table 1...items are present as well. The mixed- metals clutter is composed of scrap ordnance items or fragments that have both a ferrous and nonferrous ...underwater system using Geonics EM61 High Power (underwater coils) electromagnetic metal detectors (one transmitter coil, three receiver coils). The

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Blind Grid Scoring Record No. 764

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-04-01

Attainable accuracy of depth (z) ± 0.3 meter Detection performance for ferrous and nonferrous metals : will detect ammunition components 20-mm...ASSOCIATES, INC. 6832 OLD DOMINION DRIVE MCLEAN, VA 22101 TECHNOLOGY TYPE/PLATFORM: MULTI CHANNEL DETECTOR SYSTEM (AMOS)/TOWED PREPARED BY: U.S...Multi Channel Detector System (AMOS)/Towed, MEC 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT Unclassified b. ABSTRACT

Shallow Water UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record No. 5 (NAEVA/XTECH, EM61 MKII)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

been fired or degaussed. Clutter items fit into one of three categories: ferrous, nonferrous , and mixed metals . The ferrous and nonferrous ...electromagnetic (EM) metal detectors . The system was relatively lightweight, requiring a small aluminum boat for towing. This configuration should...composed of ordnance components; however, industrial scrap metal and cultural items are present as well. The mixed- metals clutter is composed of

Remote Excavation of Heavily Contaminated UXO Sites. The Range Master

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-05

NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND...Master) ESTCP Project UX-200327 ii Final Phase II Report, September 2007 3.5.5 Sampling Plan...Explosive HSP Health and Safety Program HTRW Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste HTW Hazardous and Toxic Waste HW Hazardous Waste IAW In

Detection of Buried Mines and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-20

http://www.apopo.org/newsite/content/index.htm Ref-3 Block, M., R. Medina , and R. Albanese. Analysis of data determining whether European honey...News Service, September 30. http://www.purdue.edu/UNS/html4ever/2005/050930.Cooks.explosives.html Brannon, James. M., Patrick Deliman, Carlos Ruiz...James. M., Patrick Deliman, Carlos Ruiz, Cynthia Price, Mohammed Qasim, Jeffrey A. Gerald, Charolett Hayes, and Sally Yost. 1999. HMX adsorption and TNT

Practical UXO Classification: Enhanced Data Processing Strategies for Technology Transition - Fort Ord: Dynamic and Cued Metalmapper Processing and Classification

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-06

OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for...Geophysical Mapping, Electromagnetic Induction, Instrument Verification Strip, Time Domain Electromagnetic, Unexploded Ordnance 16. SECURITY...Munitions Response QA Quality Assurance QC Quality Control ROC Receiver Operating Characteristic RTK Real- time Kinematic s Second SNR

Robotic Range Clearance Competition (R2C2)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

unexploded ordnance (UXO). A large part of the debris field consists of ferrous metal objects that magnetic 39 Distribution A: Approved for public...was set at 7 degrees above horizontal based on terrain around the Base station. We used the BSUBR file for all fields except the Subsurface...and subsurface clearance test areas had numerous pieces of simulated unexploded ordinance (SUXO) buried at random locations around the field . These

The UXO Classification Demonstration at San Luis Obispo, CA

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

Set ................................45  2.17.2  Active Learning Training and Test Set ..........................................47  2.17.3  Extended...optimized algorithm by applying it to only the unlabeled data in the test set. 2.17.2 Active Learning Training and Test Set SIG also used active ... learning [12]. Active learning , an alternative approach for constructing a training set, is used in conjunction with either supervised or semi

UXO Detection and Characterization in the Marine Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

10 Figure 8. A part of Ostrich Bay adjacent to the Naval Ammunition Depot Puget Sound during the period of its...large-scale demonstration focus on a marine geophysical magnetometry survey of Ostrich Bay adjacent to the Former Naval Ammunition Depot – Puget Sound ...The Puget Sound Demonstration was also supported by NAVFAC Northwest, the current manager of the site. The Navy Project Manager is Mr. Mark Murphy

Magnetic STAR technology for real-time localization and classification of unexploded ordnance and buried mines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiegert, R. F.

2009-05-01

A man-portable Magnetic Scalar Triangulation and Ranging ("MagSTAR") technology for Detection, Localization and Classification (DLC) of unexploded ordnance (UXO) has been developed by Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) with support from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). Proof of principle of the MagSTAR concept and its unique advantages for real-time, high-mobility magnetic sensing applications have been demonstrated by field tests of a prototype man-portable MagSTAR sensor. The prototype comprises: a) An array of fluxgate magnetometers configured as a multi-tensor gradiometer, b) A GPS-synchronized signal processing system. c) Unique STAR algorithms for point-by-point, standoff DLC of magnetic targets. This paper outlines details of: i) MagSTAR theory, ii) Design and construction of the prototype sensor, iii) Signal processing algorithms recently developed to improve the technology's target-discrimination accuracy, iv) Results of field tests of the portable gradiometer system against magnetic dipole targets. The results demonstrate that the MagSTAR technology is capable of very accurate, high-speed localization of magnetic targets at standoff distances of several meters. These advantages could readily be transitioned to a wide range of defense, security and sensing applications to provide faster and more effective DLC of UXO and buried mines.

Explosives detection in the marine environment using UUV-modified immunosensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charles, Paul T.; Adams, André A.; Deschamps, Jeffrey R.; Veitch, Scott P.; Hanson, Alfred; Kusterbeck, Anne W.

2011-05-01

Port and harbor security has rapidly become a point of interest and concern with the emergence of new improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The ability to provide physical surveillance and identification of IEDs and unexploded ordnances (UXO) at these entry points has led to an increased effort in the development of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) equipped with sensing devices. Traditional sensors used to identify and locate potential threats are side scan sonar/acoustic methods and magnetometers. At the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), we have developed an immunosensor capable of detecting trace levels of explosives that has been integrated into a REMUS payload for use in the marine environment. Laboratory tests using a modified PMMA microfluidic device with immobilized monoclonal antibodies specific for TNT and RDX have been conducted yielding detection levels in the low parts-per-billion (ppb) range. New designs and engineered improvements in microfluidic devices, fluorescence signal probes, and UUV internal fluidic and optical components have been investigated and integrated into the unmanned underwater prototype. Results from laboratory and recent field demonstrations using the prototype UUV immunosensor will be discussed. The immunosensor in combination with acoustic and other sensors could serve as a complementary characterization tool for the detection of IEDs, UXOs and other potential chemical or biological threats.

Study of automatic and manual terminal guidance and control systems for space shuttle vehicles. Volume 2: Section 4 through appendix B

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osder, S.; Keller, R.

1971-01-01

Guidance and control design studies that were performed for three specific space shuttle candidate vehicles are described. Three types of simulation were considered. The manual control investigations and pilot evaluations of the automatic system performance is presented. Recommendations for systems and equipment, both airborne and ground-based, necessary to flight test the guidance and control concepts for shuttlecraft terminal approach and landing are reported.

SigVox - A 3D feature matching algorithm for automatic street object recognition in mobile laser scanning point clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jinhu; Lindenbergh, Roderik; Menenti, Massimo

2017-06-01

Urban road environments contain a variety of objects including different types of lamp poles and traffic signs. Its monitoring is traditionally conducted by visual inspection, which is time consuming and expensive. Mobile laser scanning (MLS) systems sample the road environment efficiently by acquiring large and accurate point clouds. This work proposes a methodology for urban road object recognition from MLS point clouds. The proposed method uses, for the first time, shape descriptors of complete objects to match repetitive objects in large point clouds. To do so, a novel 3D multi-scale shape descriptor is introduced, that is embedded in a workflow that efficiently and automatically identifies different types of lamp poles and traffic signs. The workflow starts by tiling the raw point clouds along the scanning trajectory and by identifying non-ground points. After voxelization of the non-ground points, connected voxels are clustered to form candidate objects. For automatic recognition of lamp poles and street signs, a 3D significant eigenvector based shape descriptor using voxels (SigVox) is introduced. The 3D SigVox descriptor is constructed by first subdividing the points with an octree into several levels. Next, significant eigenvectors of the points in each voxel are determined by principal component analysis (PCA) and mapped onto the appropriate triangle of a sphere approximating icosahedron. This step is repeated for different scales. By determining the similarity of 3D SigVox descriptors between candidate point clusters and training objects, street furniture is automatically identified. The feasibility and quality of the proposed method is verified on two point clouds obtained in opposite direction of a stretch of road of 4 km. 6 types of lamp pole and 4 types of road sign were selected as objects of interest. Ground truth validation showed that the overall accuracy of the ∼170 automatically recognized objects is approximately 95%. The results demonstrate that the proposed method is able to recognize street furniture in a practical scenario. Remaining difficult cases are touching objects, like a lamp pole close to a tree.

Site survey method and apparatus

DOEpatents

Oldham, James G.; Spencer, Charles R.; Begley, Carl L.; Meyer, H. Robert

1991-06-18

The disclosure of the invention is directed to a site survey ground vehicle based apparatus and method for automatically detecting source materials, such as radioactivity, marking the location of the source materials, such as with paint, and mapping the location of the source materials on a site. The apparatus of the invention is also useful for collecting and analyzing samples. The apparatus includes a ground vehicle, detectors mounted at the front of the ground vehicle, and individual detector supports which follow somewhat irregular terrain to allow consistent and accurate detection, and autolocation equipment.

Site survey method and apparatus

DOEpatents

Oldham, J.G.; Spencer, C.R.; Begley, C.L.; Meyer, H.R.

1991-06-18

The disclosure of the invention is directed to a site survey ground vehicle based apparatus and method for automatically detecting source materials, such as radioactivity, marking the location of the source materials, such as with paint, and mapping the location of the source materials on a site. The apparatus of the invention is also useful for collecting and analyzing samples. The apparatus includes a ground vehicle, detectors mounted at the front of the ground vehicle, and individual detector supports which follow somewhat irregular terrain to allow consistent and accurate detection, and autolocation equipment. 19 figures.

47 CFR 87.145 - Acceptability of transmitters for licensing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... square error which assumes zero error for the received ground earth station signal and includes the AES transmit/receive frequency reference error and the AES automatic frequency control residual errors.) The...

47 CFR 87.145 - Acceptability of transmitters for licensing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... square error which assumes zero error for the received ground earth station signal and includes the AES transmit/receive frequency reference error and the AES automatic frequency control residual errors.) The...

47 CFR 87.145 - Acceptability of transmitters for licensing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... square error which assumes zero error for the received ground earth station signal and includes the AES transmit/receive frequency reference error and the AES automatic frequency control residual errors.) The...

47 CFR 87.145 - Acceptability of transmitters for licensing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... square error which assumes zero error for the received ground earth station signal and includes the AES transmit/receive frequency reference error and the AES automatic frequency control residual errors.) The...

Validation of neural spike sorting algorithms without ground-truth information.

PubMed

Barnett, Alex H; Magland, Jeremy F; Greengard, Leslie F

2016-05-01

The throughput of electrophysiological recording is growing rapidly, allowing thousands of simultaneous channels, and there is a growing variety of spike sorting algorithms designed to extract neural firing events from such data. This creates an urgent need for standardized, automatic evaluation of the quality of neural units output by such algorithms. We introduce a suite of validation metrics that assess the credibility of a given automatic spike sorting algorithm applied to a given dataset. By rerunning the spike sorter two or more times, the metrics measure stability under various perturbations consistent with variations in the data itself, making no assumptions about the internal workings of the algorithm, and minimal assumptions about the noise. We illustrate the new metrics on standard sorting algorithms applied to both in vivo and ex vivo recordings, including a time series with overlapping spikes. We compare the metrics to existing quality measures, and to ground-truth accuracy in simulated time series. We provide a software implementation. Metrics have until now relied on ground-truth, simulated data, internal algorithm variables (e.g. cluster separation), or refractory violations. By contrast, by standardizing the interface, our metrics assess the reliability of any automatic algorithm without reference to internal variables (e.g. feature space) or physiological criteria. Stability is a prerequisite for reproducibility of results. Such metrics could reduce the significant human labor currently spent on validation, and should form an essential part of large-scale automated spike sorting and systematic benchmarking of algorithms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automatic construction of aerial corridor for navigation of unmanned aircraft systems in class G airspace using LiDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Dengchao; Yuan, Xiaohui

2016-05-01

According to the airspace classification by the Federal Aviation Agency, Class G airspace is the airspace at 1,200 feet or less to the ground, which is beneath class E airspace and between classes B-D cylinders around towered airstrips. However, the lack of flight supervision mechanism in this airspace, unmanned aerial system (UAS) missions pose many safety issues. Collision avoidance and route planning for UASs in class G airspace is critical for broad deployment of UASs in commercial and security applications. Yet, unlike road network, there is no stationary marker in airspace to identify corridors that are available and safe for UASs to navigate. In this paper, we present an automatic LiDAR-based airspace corridor construction method for navigation in class G airspace and a method for route planning to minimize collision and intrusion. Our idea is to combine LiDAR to automatically identify ground objects that pose navigation restrictions such as airports and high-rises. Digital terrain model (DTM) is derived from LiDAR point cloud to provide an altitude-based class G airspace description. Following the FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, the ground objects that define the restricted airspaces are used together with digital surface model derived from LiDAR data to construct the aerial corridor for navigation of UASs. Preliminary results demonstrate competitive performance and the construction of aerial corridor can be automated with much great efficiency.

Design and test of an automated version of the modified Jebsen test of hand function using Microsoft Kinect.

PubMed

Simonsen, Daniel; Nielsen, Ida F; Spaich, Erika G; Andersen, Ole K

2017-05-02

The present paper describes the design and evaluation of an automated version of the Modified Jebsen Test of Hand Function (MJT) based on the Microsoft Kinect sensor. The MJT was administered twice to 11 chronic stroke subjects with varying degrees of hand function deficits. The test times of the MJT were evaluated manually by a therapist using a stopwatch, and automatically using the Microsoft Kinect sensor. The ground truth times were assessed based on inspection of the video-recordings. The agreement between the methods was evaluated along with the test-retest performance. The results from Bland-Altman analysis showed better agreement between the ground truth times and the automatic MJT time evaluations compared to the agreement between the ground truth times and the times estimated by the therapist. The results from the test-retest performance showed that the subjects significantly improved their performance in several subtests of the MJT, indicating a practice effect. The results from the test showed that the Kinect can be used for automating the MJT.

A methodology for post-mainshock probabilistic assessment of building collapse risk

USGS Publications Warehouse

Luco, N.; Gerstenberger, M.C.; Uma, S.R.; Ryu, H.; Liel, A.B.; Raghunandan, M.

2011-01-01

This paper presents a methodology for post-earthquake probabilistic risk (of damage) assessment that we propose in order to develop a computational tool for automatic or semi-automatic assessment. The methodology utilizes the same so-called risk integral which can be used for pre-earthquake probabilistic assessment. The risk integral couples (i) ground motion hazard information for the location of a structure of interest with (ii) knowledge of the fragility of the structure with respect to potential ground motion intensities. In the proposed post-mainshock methodology, the ground motion hazard component of the risk integral is adapted to account for aftershocks which are deliberately excluded from typical pre-earthquake hazard assessments and which decrease in frequency with the time elapsed since the mainshock. Correspondingly, the structural fragility component is adapted to account for any damage caused by the mainshock, as well as any uncertainty in the extent of this damage. The result of the adapted risk integral is a fully-probabilistic quantification of post-mainshock seismic risk that can inform emergency response mobilization, inspection prioritization, and re-occupancy decisions.

Fully automated, real-time 3D ultrasound segmentation to estimate first trimester placental volume using deep learning.

PubMed

Looney, Pádraig; Stevenson, Gordon N; Nicolaides, Kypros H; Plasencia, Walter; Molloholli, Malid; Natsis, Stavros; Collins, Sally L

2018-06-07

We present a new technique to fully automate the segmentation of an organ from 3D ultrasound (3D-US) volumes, using the placenta as the target organ. Image analysis tools to estimate organ volume do exist but are too time consuming and operator dependant. Fully automating the segmentation process would potentially allow the use of placental volume to screen for increased risk of pregnancy complications. The placenta was segmented from 2,393 first trimester 3D-US volumes using a semiautomated technique. This was quality controlled by three operators to produce the "ground-truth" data set. A fully convolutional neural network (OxNNet) was trained using this ground-truth data set to automatically segment the placenta. OxNNet delivered state-of-the-art automatic segmentation. The effect of training set size on the performance of OxNNet demonstrated the need for large data sets. The clinical utility of placental volume was tested by looking at predictions of small-for-gestational-age babies at term. The receiver-operating characteristics curves demonstrated almost identical results between OxNNet and the ground-truth). Our results demonstrated good similarity to the ground-truth and almost identical clinical results for the prediction of SGA.

Evaluation of Particle Counter Technology for Detection of Fuel Contamination Detection Utilizing Advanced Aviation Forward Area Refueling System

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-24

8, Automatic Particle Counter, cleanliness, free water, Diesel 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT none 18. NUMBER OF...aircraft, or up to 10 mg/L for product used as a diesel product for ground use (1). Free water contamination (droplets) may appear as fine droplets or...published several methods and test procedures for the calibration and use of automatic particle counters. The transition of this technology to the fuel

Automatic control of human thermal comfort with a liquid-cooled garment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuznetz, L. H.

1977-01-01

Water cooling in a liquid-cooled garment is used to maintain the thermal comfort of crewmembers during extravehicular activity. The feasibility of a simple control that will operate automatically to maintain the thermal comfort is established. Data on three test subjects are included to support the conclusion that heat balance can be maintained well within allowable medical limits. The controller concept was also successfully demonstrated for ground-based applications and shows potential for any tasks involving the use of liquid-cooled garments.

Sea Water Air Conditioning (SWAC) at Naval Base Guam: Cost-Benefit Analysis and Acquisition Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-16

significant impact FWS Fish and Wildlife Service GEPA Guam Environmental Protection Agency GPA Guam Power Authority IPT integrated product team...utility energy service contract USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USCG U.S. Coast Guard UXO unexploded ordinance USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife ...its bases, such as wind and solar energy. However, ample room remains for new renewable technologies 3 and cost savings at shore installations

Next Generation HeliMag UXO Mapping Technology

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-10-01

fluxgate magnetometer is used to allow for aeromagnetic compensation of the data as well as to provide redundant attitude information. 2.1.4 Telemetry...sensor operator from the helicopter. Based on a survey design study , the number of magnetometers was increased from 7 to 13, decreasing the across... magnetometers on a Kevlar reinforced boom mounted on a Bell 206L helicopter. The objectives of this demonstration were too:  Improve data acquisition speeds

The MTA UXO Survey and Target Recovery on Lake Erie at the Former Erie Army Depot

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

MTA Demonstration Front Matter ii FIGURES 1. Firing fans and target locations for Erie Army Depot in 1965...triangles at the base of the image show the locations of the 15 fixed firing positions that were used for proof firing projectiles...the marshland adjacent to the firing ranges, and along beaches fronting the former Depot, (Reference 2, Appendices B and J).3-5 The impact areas

Portable Magnetic Gradiometer for Real-Time Localization and Classification of Unexploded Ordnance

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

classification (DLC) of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). The portable gradiometer processes data from triaxial fluxgate magnetometers to develop sets of...low-noise (ង pTrms/√Hz) fluxgate -type Triaxial Magnetometers (TM). Paired sets of TMs comprise magnetic gradient sensor “axes” of the array that...channels of analog B-field data. The digitizers can be locked to the Global Positioning System to provide; a) Precise sensor channel timing, and b

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Woods Scoring Record Number 636 (Blackhawk Geoservices)

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-07-01

25 SECTION 5. ON-SITE LABOR COSTS SECTION 6. COMPARISON OF RESULTS TO OPEN FIELD DEMONSTRATION 6.1 SUMMARY OF RESULTS FROM OPEN...included for the purposes of calculating labor costs (section 5) except for downtime due to Demonstration Site issues. Demonstration Site issues, while noted...in the Daily Log, are considered non-chargeable downtime for the purposes of calculating labor costs and are not discussed. Breaks and lunches are

Next Generation Data Collection System for One-Pass Detection and Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

ANSI Std Z39-18 OPTEMA demonstration at YPG ESTCP MM-0908 i December 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...OPTEMA demonstration at YPG ESTCP MM-0908 1 December 2011 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND The prohibitive costs of excavating all geophysical...an escort. After getting security passes and watching a safety video we drive to the UXO test-site where Kerry takes over as escort. Spend

UXO Discrimination Study Former Spencer Artillery Range

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

tested . This approach uses one of three models labeled: aggressive, intermediate and conservative. The choice of model depends on an a...anomalies will be selected for labeling using NMAL. The goal at this step is to maximize the information gain from new labels requested from the set of ...number of false alarms (nFA) is lower for the classifier where feature selection was used . 9 Complexity of a site is measured using an information

Cyclic Dinitroureas As Self-Remediating Munition Charges

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-26

Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine NAWCWD Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division NMR Nuclear magnetic resonance PBXN Plastic Bonded...problems as UXO. A typical submunition fill, such as PBXN -107 in the BLU- 97/B, employs RDX as the main explosive charge. RDX is known to exhibit... 106 ; “maximum lambda” 1050; “lambda factor” 10. Results and Accomplishments As kinetic runs under the various conditions of humidity and soil

Detection of Buried Targets via Active Selection of Labeled Data: Application to Sensing Subsurface UXO

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

images,” IEEE Trans. Pattern Analysis Machine Intelligence, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 99–113, 1991. [15] C. Bouman and M. Shapiro, “A multiscale random...including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing...this project was on developing new statistical algorithms for analysis of electromagnetic induction (EMI) and magnetometer data measured at actual

Shallow Water Marine UXO Detection Survey, United States Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-01

resolution time-domain EM metal detector that is capable of detecting both ferrous and nonferrous metallic objects. The EM61 consists of air-cored...modifications to the Geonics EM61 metal detector . Modifications include higher transmitter power and frequency, faster sampling rates, and flexible...towed array (UUTA) electromagnetic system designed by 3Dgeophysics.com (3Dg) utilizes modified and improved Geonics, Ltd. electromagnetic (EM)61 metal

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Open Field Scoring Record No. 893

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

EM) AMOS metal detector is a linear multichannel sensor array consisting of a 2-meter-wide transmitter coil and 16 receiver coils, mounted on a...ferrous and nonferrous metals : Will detect ammunition components 20-mm caliber and over at depths of up to 0.4 meter and ammunition components 100...robust, all-terrain trailer (fig. 1). b. The AMOS detector unit consists of the following main components: (1) Lower sensor level (dimensions

Shallow Water UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record No. 7

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

categories: ferrous, nonferrous , and mixed metals . The ferrous and nonferrous items are further divided into the three weight zones as presented in... nonferrous component and could reasonably be encountered in a range area. The mixed- metals clutter was placed in the open water area only. TABLE 1-3...Table 1-4, and distributed throughout all test areas. Most of this clutter is composed of ordnance components; however, industrial scrap metal and

Shallow Water UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record Number 5 (NAEVA/XTECH, EM61 MKII)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Clutter items fit into one of three categories: ferrous, nonferrous , and mixed metals . The ferrous and nonferrous items have been further...fragments that have both a ferrous and nonferrous component and could reasonably be encountered in a range area. The mixed- metals clutter was placed...components; however, industrial scrap metal and cultural items are present as well. The mixed- metals clutter is composed of scrap ordnance items or

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Blind Grid Scoring Record No. 919

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-07-01

provided by demonstrator) a. The core component of the electromagnetic (EM) AMOS metal detector is a linear multichannel sensor array consisting of a...Attainable accuracy of depth (z) +0.3 m h. Detection performance for ferrous and nonferrous metals : Will detect ammunition components 20-mm caliber...2-meter-wide transmitter coil and 16 receiver coils, mounted on a robust, all-terrain trailer (fig. 1). b. The AMOS detector unit consists of the

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Blind Grid Scoring Record Number 842

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

collection sessions. Daily: A location identified as having no subsurface metal will be designated as a calibration point. Readings will be... metallic item will be placed below the center of the sensors, and the instrument’s response will be observed. The item will then be removed, and static... nonferrous anomalies. Due to limitations of the magnetometer, the nonferrous items cannot be detected. Therefore, the ROC curves presented in Figures

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record NO. 934 Technology Type/Platform: EM61 MKII/Towed

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

nonferrous metallic objects. The applicability of the instrument for ordnance and explosives (OE) detection has been widely demonstrated at sites...was cleared of all metallic items. This clearing of the metallic anomalies from the 2 acre Active Response Demonstration Site was broken into three...with their Multiple Towed Array Detection System (MTADS). This system is known for its effectiveness and ability to detect metallic items. Once the

An Advanced ESTCP PELAN System for Surface and Near-surface UXO Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-01

system was designed and assembled at SAIC. Test slugs representing 30mm to 105mm shells were constructed and filled with inert materials and explosives...results and system design, ESTCP decided to discontinue the effort before the prototype was constructed and demonstrated. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS...RDX and non-explosive plasticizers ) cps counts per second CW Chemical Warfare agent d-T deuterium-tritium DoD Department of Defense DOE

Shallow Water UXO Technology Demonstration Site, Scoring Record Number 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

The Sound Metrics Corporation High frequency Imaging Sonar ( HFIS ) (fig. 4) dual frequency imaging sonar operates at 1.1 and 1.8 MHz. For this...the HFIS unit was determined using a National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) GPRMC string from a Leica GPS system antenna mounted directly...above the HFIS instrument. This permits the image data to be integrated with the Multiple Frequency Sub-Bottom Profiler (MFSBP) and MGS data during

Ultra-Wideband Electromagnetic Induction for UXO Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-11-30

prolate to oblate shapes do not present problematical considerations, we will just proceed below in terms of the prolate case. The coefficients bpmn in...these equations are known in the sense that they are calculated from the primary field, while the unknown Bpmn must be solved for. Obtaining the... Bpmn constitutes solving the problem, given that the associated Legendre functions m mn nandP Q are readily evaluated. A set of bpmn can be obtained

PSA Velocity Does Not Improve Prostate Cancer Detection

Cancer.gov

A rapid increase in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels is not grounds for automatically recommending a prostate biopsy, according to a study published online February 24, 2011, in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Automatic detection of typical dust devils from Mars landscape images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogohara, Kazunori; Watanabe, Takeru; Okumura, Susumu; Hatanaka, Yuji

2018-02-01

This paper presents an improved algorithm for automatic detection of Martian dust devils that successfully extracts tiny bright dust devils and obscured large dust devils from two subtracted landscape images. These dust devils are frequently observed using visible cameras onboard landers or rovers. Nevertheless, previous research on automated detection of dust devils has not focused on these common types of dust devils, but on dust devils that appear on images to be irregularly bright and large. In this study, we detect these common dust devils automatically using two kinds of parameter sets for thresholding when binarizing subtracted images. We automatically extract dust devils from 266 images taken by the Spirit rover to evaluate our algorithm. Taking dust devils detected by visual inspection to be ground truth, the precision, recall and F-measure values are 0.77, 0.86, and 0.81, respectively.

Surface smoothness: cartilage biomarkers for knee OA beyond the radiologist

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tummala, Sudhakar; Dam, Erik B.

2010-03-01

Fully automatic imaging biomarkers may allow quantification of patho-physiological processes that a radiologist would not be able to assess reliably. This can introduce new insight but is problematic to validate due to lack of meaningful ground truth expert measurements. Rather than quantification accuracy, such novel markers must therefore be validated against clinically meaningful end-goals such as the ability to allow correct diagnosis. We present a method for automatic cartilage surface smoothness quantification in the knee joint. The quantification is based on a curvature flow method used on tibial and femoral cartilage compartments resulting from an automatic segmentation scheme. These smoothness estimates are validated for their ability to diagnose osteoarthritis and compared to smoothness estimates based on manual expert segmentations and to conventional cartilage volume quantification. We demonstrate that the fully automatic markers eliminate the time required for radiologist annotations, and in addition provide a diagnostic marker superior to the evaluated semi-manual markers.

Automatic and semi-automatic approaches for arteriolar-to-venular computation in retinal photographs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendonça, Ana Maria; Remeseiro, Beatriz; Dashtbozorg, Behdad; Campilho, Aurélio

2017-03-01

The Arteriolar-to-Venular Ratio (AVR) is a popular dimensionless measure which allows the assessment of patients' condition for the early diagnosis of different diseases, including hypertension and diabetic retinopathy. This paper presents two new approaches for AVR computation in retinal photographs which include a sequence of automated processing steps: vessel segmentation, caliber measurement, optic disc segmentation, artery/vein classification, region of interest delineation, and AVR calculation. Both approaches have been tested on the INSPIRE-AVR dataset, and compared with a ground-truth provided by two medical specialists. The obtained results demonstrate the reliability of the fully automatic approach which provides AVR ratios very similar to at least one of the observers. Furthermore, the semi-automatic approach, which includes the manual modification of the artery/vein classification if needed, allows to significantly reduce the error to a level below the human error.

Archival Automatic Identification System (AIS) Data for Navigation Project Performance Evaluation

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

presently provided through the USCG online request form, also via the Navigation Center website. As these requests are processed manually by USCG personnel...this process typically takes anywhere from several days to weeks depending on the number of pending requests, and care should be taken to ensure...identify the time- stamped latitude and longitude , heading, course over ground, speed over ground, and rate of turn of the vessels broadcasting the

Packaging printed circuit boards: A production application of interactive graphics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perrill, W. A.

1975-01-01

The structure and use of an Interactive Graphics Packaging Program (IGPP), conceived to apply computer graphics to the design of packaging electronic circuits onto printed circuit boards (PCB), were described. The intent was to combine the data storage and manipulative power of the computer with the imaginative, intuitive power of a human designer. The hardware includes a CDC 6400 computer and two CDC 777 terminals with CRT screens, light pens, and keyboards. The program is written in FORTRAN 4 extended with the exception of a few functions coded in COMPASS (assembly language). The IGPP performs four major functions for the designer: (1) data input and display, (2) component placement (automatic or manual), (3) conductor path routing (automatic or manual), and (4) data output. The most complex PCB packaged to date measured 16.5 cm by 19 cm and contained 380 components, two layers of ground planes and four layers of conductors mixed with ground planes.

Sea Water Air Conditioning (SWAC) at Naval Base Guam: Cost-Beneit Analysis and Acquisition Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

Fish and Wildlife Service GEPA Guam Environmental Protection Agency GPA Guam Power Authority IPT integrated product team MILCON military...energy service contract USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USCG U.S. Coast Guard UXO unexploded ordinance USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service WOD13...options for its bases, such as wind and solar energy. However, ample room remains for new renewable technologies 3 and cost savings at shore

MetalMapper: A Multi-Sensor TEM System for UXO Detection and Classification

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-01

accelerometer  to  measure  pitch  and  roll  angles  and  a  3-­axis   fluxgate   magnetometer  that  provides   reference  heading  to  magnetic...investigations  included  a   magnetometer  transect  survey   and   an   EMI   survey   over   a   larger   area   to   assist   in   selecting   a

Enhancement and Utilization of Airborne Magnetometry for the Detection, Characterization, and Identification of Unexploded Ordance (UXO)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-07-01

measurement system is based on four GPS antennas rather than a fluxgate magnetometer measurement used in previous generation systems. For the ORAGS...hardware 1 $36,500 Orientation system 1 $16,600 Fluxgate magnetometer 1 $5,300 Navigation system 1 $5,200 Laser altimeter 1 $7,300 Data...1 iii LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. Schematic for the ORAGS-Arrowhead Airborne Total Field Magnetometer System Developed for this Project

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Blind Grid Scoring Record No. 805

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

and receiver (RX) coils. b. The Tensor Magnetic Gradiometer System ( TMGS ) has been reconfigured to improve its performance compared with the...ALL TEM. The TMGS raw data files consist of an ASCII header with system settings followed by the data in binary format. The GPS positions, EDA...exported in ASCII format. A new data acquisition system for the TMGS will be supplied by the demonstrator. It is controlled by LabVIEW, as is the ALL

Dipole Models for UXO Discrimination at Live Sites - Pole Mountain

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

48 ESTCP MR-201159 Pole Mountain Demonstration Report viii April 2012 Acronyms API Application Programming...working on transitioning our inversion algorithms to an API that will be generally accessible. 8 3. PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES The performance...2098 35 0 0 Frag (light) 6 MD PM-2098 35 0 0 Frag (light) 4 MD PM-2098 35 0 0 Frag (light) 3.5 MD PM-1354 8.5 0 0 Frag (medium) 5 MD PM- 1104 3 15

TNT Degradation by Natural Microbial Assemblages at Frontal Boundaries Between Water Masses in Coastal Ecosystems (ER-2124 Interim Report)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-26

general features that can be used to bound these variables for a given ecosystem type ( biome ). Navy underwater coastal UXO sites can be categorized for...potentially mitigate the ecological risk associated with exposure of marine biota to these compounds. In addition, as part of these surveys, the most rapid RDX...biogeochemical parameters and aromatic contaminant biodegradation amongst various ecosystem ( biome ) types may allow the determination of attenuation

Sensor Orientation Effects on UXO Geophysical Target Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

parts with close tolerances; they break easily. As the ball bearings that support the high-speed wheel and the gimbals begin to wear, they contribute...to precession errors. Compounding the issue with vacuum gyros, is that dirt and dust in the vacuum line that destroys the bearings . A second class...38.83 centimeters [cm]) below the top of the platform. A PIG is a cylindrical steel container measuring 40-inches in length, 6.625-inches in

Distribution and Fate of Energetics on DoD Test and Training Ranges: Final Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

tests for unconfined charges........................................................ 106 Table 5-3. Mass (g) of residue generated by BIP of unfuzed anti...Lands Withdrawal Act (Public Law 106 -65). As a portion of this EIS, the Army has pledged to implement a program to identify possible munitions...containing Tritonal, PBXN -109, Composition H-6, and Composition B (Baker et al. 2000). Included in the list of simulated UXOs was the 155-mm, 105-mm, and 8

Advanced Signal Processing & Classification: UXO Standardized Test Site Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

magnetic polarizability tensor , and represent the response of the target along each of three principal axes. In order to reduce the number of fit...Oldenburg-Billings (POB) model – GPA version The full POB analysis assumes an axially symmetric (axial and transverse) tensor dipolar target response, and... tensor , and represent the response of the target along each of three principal axes. The β’s are in turn expressed in terms of an empirical five

Shallow Water UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record Number 4 (CTC, FEREX, DLG-GPS, MAG)

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

into one of three categories: ferrous, nonferrous , and mixed- metals . The ferrous and nonferrous items have been further divided into three weight...ferrous and nonferrous component and could reasonably be encountered in a range area. The mixed- metals clutter was placed in the open water area...also industrial scrap metal and cultural items as well. The mixed- metals clutter is comprised of scrap ordnance items or fragments that have both a

Interpreting Results from the Standardized UXO Test Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Detector Focusing Lens Cs Cell Split Polarizer Filter Collimating Lens Cs Lamp RF Coil Tiffany Mount H1 Coil Light rays Figure II-1. G-858 Cesium...conductive earth typically decay at a more rapid rate than the currents in metallic objects. Measurements are made in discrete “time gates,” or...time intervals, following the turnoff of the current pulse generated by the transmitter. The early time gates will detect both small and large metallic

Man-Portable Vector EMI Sensor for Full UXO Characterization

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-01

receivers (for survey in forest and/or in steep terrain). Left inset shows data acquisition (DAQ) and power unit mounted on a backpack frame. Right panel...survey list was created such as to minimize the overall travel distance to visit every anomaly. After the daily IVS survey field operators walked to...the red star at coordinates (0, 0), is generally offset from the signal peak. This observation motivated use of a conservative 3x3-point-grid survey

Sensor Phenomenology and Feature Development for Improved Sonar-based Detection & Classification of Underwater UXO

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

the validity of approximating poroelastic media with acoustic or acoustic /elastic models , and to characterize how scattering physics will differ for...elastic buried object (yellow rectangle in the figure) in three types of environments: • (1) Model 1: acoustic layer on top of a poroelastic medium with a...porosity gradient and no viscous damping. • (2) Model 2: acoustic layer on top of a poroelastic medium with a porosity gradient and viscous damping

Structural Acoustic UXO Detection and Identification in Marine Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-05-01

BOSS Buried Object Scanning Sonar DVL Doppler Velocity Log EW East/West IMU Inertial Measurement Unit NRL Naval Research Laboratory NSWC-PCD... Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) to time-delay and coherently sum matched-filtered phase histories from subsurface focal points over a large number of... Measurement Unit (IMU) systems. In our imaging algorithm, the 2D depth image of a target, i.e. one mapped over x and z or y and z, presents the

Examination of Airborne FDEM System Attributes for UXO Mapping and Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-11-01

quadrature output should only occur when there is a distortion in the transmitter waveform signal that correlates with the quadrature part of the...suggested that the S/N performance of the quadrature output of the two FDEM designs would be similar to the observed S/N of TEM systems, though...the semi-airborne configuration. We propose to extend the current SAIC codes to address this need, and to perform additional modeling using codes

Chemical sensing system for classification of minelike objects by explosives detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chambers, William B.; Rodacy, Philip J.; Jones, Edwin E.; Gomez, Bernard J.; Woodfin, Ronald L.

1998-09-01

Sandia National Laboratories has conducted research in chemical sensing and analysis of explosives for many years. Recently, that experience has been directed towards detecting mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) by sensing the low-level explosive signatures associated with these objects. Our focus has been on the classification of UXO in shallow water and anti-personnel/anti tank mines on land. The objective of this work is to develop a field portable chemical sensing system which can be used to examine mine-like objects (MLO) to determine whether there are explosive molecules associated with the MLO. Two sampling subsystems have been designed, one for water collection and one for soil/vapor sampling. The water sampler utilizes a flow-through chemical adsorbent canister to extract and concentrate the explosive molecules. Explosive molecules are thermally desorbed from the concentrator and trapped in a focusing stage for rapid desorption into an ion-mobility spectrometer (IMS). We will describe a prototype system which consists of a sampler, concentrator-focuser, and detector. The soil sampler employs a light-weight probe for extracting and concentrating explosive vapor from the soil in the vicinity of an MLO. The chemical sensing system is capable of sub-part-per-billion detection of TNT and related explosive munition compounds. We will present the results of field and laboratory tests on buried landmines, which demonstrate our ability to detect the explosive signatures associated with these objects.

Detection and Classification of UXO Using Unmanned Undersea Electromagnetic Sensing Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schultz, G.; Keranen, J.; McNinch, J.; Miller, J.

2017-12-01

Important seafloor applications, including mine countermeasures, unexploded ordnance (UXO) surveys, salvage, and underwater hazards, require the detection, geo-registration, and characterization of man-made targets on, or below, the seafloor. Investigations in littoral environments can be time-consuming and expensive due to the challenges of accurately tracking underwater assets, the difficulty of quick or effective site reconnaissance activities, high levels of clutter in nearshore areas, and lack of situational awareness and real-time feedback to operators. Consequently, a high payoff exists for effective methods using sensor and data fusion, feature extraction, and effective payload integration and deployment for improved assessments of littoral infrastructure. We present technology development and demonstration results from multiple technology research, development, and demonstration projects over the last 3 years that have been focused on advancing seafloor target detection, tracking, and classification for specific environmental and defense missions. We focus on challenges overcome in integrating and testing new miniaturized passive magnetic and controlled-source electromagnetic sensors on a variety of remotely and autonomously operated sensing platforms (ROVs, AUVs and bottom crawling systems). In particular, we present aspects of the design, development, and testing of array configurations of miniaturized atomic magnetometers/gradiometers and multi-dimensional electromagnetic (EM) sensor arrays. Results from nearshore (surf zone and marsh in North Carolina) and littoral experiments (bays and reef areas of Florida Gulf and Florida Keys) are presented.

Automatic Weather Station (AWS) Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rall, Jonathan A. R.; Campbell, James; Abshire, James B.; Spinhirne, James D.; Smith, David E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A ground based, autonomous, low power atmospheric lidar instrument is being developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. We report on the design and anticipated performance of the proposed instrument and show data from two prototype lidar instruments previously deployed to Antarctica.

Automatic segmentation of the left ventricle in a cardiac MR short axis image using blind morphological operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Irshad, Mehreen; Muhammad, Nazeer; Sharif, Muhammad; Yasmeen, Mussarat

2018-04-01

Conventionally, cardiac MR image analysis is done manually. Automatic examination for analyzing images can replace the monotonous tasks of massive amounts of data to analyze the global and regional functions of the cardiac left ventricle (LV). This task is performed using MR images to calculate the analytic cardiac parameter like end-systolic volume, end-diastolic volume, ejection fraction, and myocardial mass, respectively. These analytic parameters depend upon genuine delineation of epicardial, endocardial, papillary muscle, and trabeculations contours. In this paper, we propose an automatic segmentation method using the sum of absolute differences technique to localize the left ventricle. Blind morphological operations are proposed to segment and detect the LV contours of the epicardium and endocardium, automatically. We test the benchmark Sunny Brook dataset for evaluation of the proposed work. Contours of epicardium and endocardium are compared quantitatively to determine contour's accuracy and observe high matching values. Similarity or overlapping of an automatic examination to the given ground truth analysis by an expert are observed with high accuracy as with an index value of 91.30% . The proposed method for automatic segmentation gives better performance relative to existing techniques in terms of accuracy.

Hybrid Arrays for Chemical Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kramer, Kirsten E.; Rose-Pehrsson, Susan L.; Johnson, Kevin J.; Minor, Christian P.

In recent years, multisensory approaches to environment monitoring for chemical detection as well as other forms of situational awareness have become increasingly popular. A hybrid sensor is a multimodal system that incorporates several sensing elements and thus produces data that are multivariate in nature and may be significantly increased in complexity compared to data provided by single-sensor systems. Though a hybrid sensor is itself an array, hybrid sensors are often organized into more complex sensing systems through an assortment of network topologies. Part of the reason for the shift to hybrid sensors is due to advancements in sensor technology and computational power available for processing larger amounts of data. There is also ample evidence to support the claim that a multivariate analytical approach is generally superior to univariate measurements because it provides additional redundant and complementary information (Hall, D. L.; Linas, J., Eds., Handbook of Multisensor Data Fusion, CRC, Boca Raton, FL, 2001). However, the benefits of a multisensory approach are not automatically achieved. Interpretation of data from hybrid arrays of sensors requires the analyst to develop an application-specific methodology to optimally fuse the disparate sources of data generated by the hybrid array into useful information characterizing the sample or environment being observed. Consequently, multivariate data analysis techniques such as those employed in the field of chemometrics have become more important in analyzing sensor array data. Depending on the nature of the acquired data, a number of chemometric algorithms may prove useful in the analysis and interpretation of data from hybrid sensor arrays. It is important to note, however, that the challenges posed by the analysis of hybrid sensor array data are not unique to the field of chemical sensing. Applications in electrical and process engineering, remote sensing, medicine, and of course, artificial intelligence and robotics, all share the same essential data fusion challenges. The design of a hybrid sensor array should draw on this extended body of knowledge. In this chapter, various techniques for data preprocessing, feature extraction, feature selection, and modeling of sensor data will be introduced and illustrated with data fusion approaches that have been implemented in applications involving data from hybrid arrays. The example systems discussed in this chapter involve the development of prototype sensor networks for damage control event detection aboard US Navy vessels and the development of analysis algorithms to combine multiple sensing techniques for enhanced remote detection of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in both ground surveys and wide area assessments.

Simple Automatic File Exchange (SAFE) to Support Low-Cost Spacecraft Operation via the Internet

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, Paul; Repaci, Max; Sames, David

1998-01-01

Various issues associated with Simple Automatic File Exchange (SAFE) are presented in viewgraph form. Specific topics include: 1) Packet telemetry, Internet IP networks and cost reduction; 2) Basic functions and technical features of SAFE; 3) Project goals, including low-cost satellite transmission to data centers to be distributed via an Internet; 4) Operations with a replicated file protocol; 5) File exchange operation; 6) Ground stations as gateways; 7) Lessons learned from demonstrations and tests with SAFE; and 8) Feedback and future initiatives.

Ground Software Maintenance Facility (GSMF) user's manual

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aquila, V.; Derrig, D.; Griffith, G.

1986-01-01

Instructions for the Ground Software Maintenance Facility (GSMF) system user is provided to operate the GSMF in all modes. The GSMF provides the resources for the Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) computer program maintenance (GCOS and GOAL). Applicable reference documents are listed. An operational overview and descriptions of the modes in terms of operator interface, options, equipment, material utilization, and operational procedures are contained. Test restart procedures are described. The GSMF documentation tree is presented including the user manual.

Analytical Evaluation of ILM Sensors. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-09-01

up to 2 seconds, except that those functions, actively In use to determine flare altitude ,shall be limited to 0.5 seconds coasting time. Bias The...and specified flight speed and altitude , the model automatically determines and assesses sensor performance at only those aircraft-to-target offset...Is the altitude (Km) k Is the temperature/lapse rate T0 is the ground level temperature ( 0K) T -3 a * (24 -_o) Pw x 10 is the ground

Automatic speech recognition in air-ground data link

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Armstrong, Herbert B.

1989-01-01

In the present air traffic system, information presented to the transport aircraft cockpit crew may originate from a variety of sources and may be presented to the crew in visual or aural form, either through cockpit instrument displays or, most often, through voice communication. Voice radio communications are the most error prone method for air-ground data link. Voice messages can be misstated or misunderstood and radio frequency congestion can delay or obscure important messages. To prevent proliferation, a multiplexed data link display can be designed to present information from multiple data link sources on a shared cockpit display unit (CDU) or multi-function display (MFD) or some future combination of flight management and data link information. An aural data link which incorporates an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system for crew response offers several advantages over visual displays. The possibility of applying ASR to the air-ground data link was investigated. The first step was to review current efforts in ASR applications in the cockpit and in air traffic control and evaluated their possible data line application. Next, a series of preliminary research questions is to be developed for possible future collaboration.

Automatic 3D power line reconstruction of multi-angular imaging power line inspection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wuming; Yan, Guangjian; Wang, Ning; Li, Qiaozhi; Zhao, Wei

2007-06-01

We develop a multi-angular imaging power line inspection system. Its main objective is to monitor the relative distance between high voltage power line and around objects, and alert if the warning threshold is exceeded. Our multi-angular imaging power line inspection system generates DSM of the power line passage, which comprises ground surface and ground objects, for example trees and houses, etc. For the purpose of revealing the dangerous regions, where ground objects are too close to the power line, 3D power line information should be extracted at the same time. In order to improve the automation level of extraction, reduce labour costs and human errors, an automatic 3D power line reconstruction method is proposed and implemented. It can be achieved by using epipolar constraint and prior knowledge of pole tower's height. After that, the proper 3D power line information can be obtained by space intersection using found homologous projections. The flight experiment result shows that the proposed method can successfully reconstruct 3D power line, and the measurement accuracy of the relative distance satisfies the user requirement of 0.5m.

Small UAV Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System Design Considerations and Flight Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sorokowski, Paul; Skoog, Mark; Burrows, Scott; Thomas, SaraKatie

2015-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Armstrong Flight Research Center Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (SUAV) Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto GCAS) project demonstrated several important collision avoidance technologies. First, the SUAV Auto GCAS design included capabilities to take advantage of terrain avoidance maneuvers flying turns to either side as well as straight over terrain. Second, the design also included innovative digital elevation model (DEM) scanning methods. The combination of multi-trajectory options and new scanning methods demonstrated the ability to reduce the nuisance potential of the SUAV while maintaining robust terrain avoidance. Third, the Auto GCAS algorithms were hosted on the processor inside a smartphone, providing a lightweight hardware configuration for use in either the ground control station or on board the test aircraft. Finally, compression of DEM data for the entire Earth and successful hosting of that data on the smartphone was demonstrated. The SUAV Auto GCAS project demonstrated that together these methods and technologies have the potential to dramatically reduce the number of controlled flight into terrain mishaps across a wide range of aviation platforms with similar capabilities including UAVs, general aviation aircraft, helicopters, and model aircraft.

An algorithm developed in Matlab for the automatic selection of cut-off frequencies, in the correction of strong motion data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakkas, Georgios; Sakellariou, Nikolaos

2018-05-01

Strong motion recordings are the key in many earthquake engineering applications and are also fundamental for seismic design. The present study focuses on the automated correction of accelerograms, analog and digital. The main feature of the proposed algorithm is the automatic selection for the cut-off frequencies based on a minimum spectral value in a predefined frequency bandwidth, instead of the typical signal-to-noise approach. The algorithm follows the basic steps of the correction procedure (instrument correction, baseline correction and appropriate filtering). Besides the corrected time histories, Peak Ground Acceleration, Peak Ground Velocity, Peak Ground Displacement values and the corrected Fourier Spectra are also calculated as well as the response spectra. The algorithm is written in Matlab environment, is fast enough and can be used for batch processing or in real-time applications. In addition, the possibility to also perform a signal-to-noise ratio is added as well as to perform causal or acausal filtering. The algorithm has been tested in six significant earthquakes (Kozani-Grevena 1995, Aigio 1995, Athens 1999, Lefkada 2003 and Kefalonia 2014) of the Greek territory with analog and digital accelerograms.

Applying face identification to detecting hijacking of airplane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Xuanwen; Cheng, Qiang

2004-09-01

That terrorists hijacked the airplanes and crashed the World Trade Center is disaster to civilization. To avoid the happening of hijack is critical to homeland security. To report the hijacking in time, limit the terrorist to operate the plane if happened and land the plane to the nearest airport could be an efficient way to avoid the misery. Image processing technique in human face recognition or identification could be used for this task. Before the plane take off, the face images of pilots are input into a face identification system installed in the airplane. The camera in front of pilot seat keeps taking the pilot face image during the flight and comparing it with pre-input pilot face images. If a different face is detected, a warning signal is sent to ground automatically. At the same time, the automatic cruise system is started or the plane is controlled by the ground. The terrorists will have no control over the plane. The plane will be landed to a nearest or appropriate airport under the control of the ground or cruise system. This technique could also be used in automobile industry as an image key to avoid car stealth.

Tier-scalable reconnaissance: the future in autonomous C4ISR systems has arrived: progress towards an outdoor testbed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fink, Wolfgang; Brooks, Alexander J.-W.; Tarbell, Mark A.; Dohm, James M.

2017-05-01

Autonomous reconnaissance missions are called for in extreme environments, as well as in potentially hazardous (e.g., the theatre, disaster-stricken areas, etc.) or inaccessible operational areas (e.g., planetary surfaces, space). Such future missions will require increasing degrees of operational autonomy, especially when following up on transient events. Operational autonomy encompasses: (1) Automatic characterization of operational areas from different vantages (i.e., spaceborne, airborne, surface, subsurface); (2) automatic sensor deployment and data gathering; (3) automatic feature extraction including anomaly detection and region-of-interest identification; (4) automatic target prediction and prioritization; (5) and subsequent automatic (re-)deployment and navigation of robotic agents. This paper reports on progress towards several aspects of autonomous C4ISR systems, including: Caltech-patented and NASA award-winning multi-tiered mission paradigm, robotic platform development (air, ground, water-based), robotic behavior motifs as the building blocks for autonomous tele-commanding, and autonomous decision making based on a Caltech-patented framework comprising sensor-data-fusion (feature-vectors), anomaly detection (clustering and principal component analysis), and target prioritization (hypothetical probing).

Numerical results for near surface time domain electromagnetic exploration: a full waveform approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, H.; Li, K.; Li, X., Sr.; Liu, Y., Sr.; Wen, J., Sr.

2015-12-01

Time domain or Transient electromagnetic (TEM) survey including types with airborne, semi-airborne and ground play important roles in applicants such as geological surveys, ground water/aquifer assess [Meju et al., 2000; Cox et al., 2010], metal ore exploration [Yang and Oldenburg, 2012], prediction of water bearing structures in tunnels [Xue et al., 2007; Sun et al., 2012], UXO exploration [Pasion et al., 2007; Gasperikova et al., 2009] etc. The common practice is introducing a current into a transmitting (Tx) loop and acquire the induced electromagnetic field after the current is cut off [Zhdanov and Keller, 1994]. The current waveforms are different depending on instruments. Rectangle is the most widely used excitation current source especially in ground TEM. Triangle and half sine are commonly used in airborne and semi-airborne TEM investigation. In most instruments, only the off time responses are acquired and used in later analysis and data inversion. Very few airborne instruments acquire the on time and off time responses together. Although these systems acquire the on time data, they usually do not use them in the interpretation.This abstract shows a novel full waveform time domain electromagnetic method and our recent modeling results. The benefits comes from our new algorithm in modeling full waveform time domain electromagnetic problems. We introduced the current density into the Maxwell's equation as the transmitting source. This approach allows arbitrary waveforms, such as triangle, half-sine, trapezoidal waves or scatter record from equipment, being used in modeling. Here, we simulate the establishing and induced diffusion process of the electromagnetic field in the earth. The traditional time domain electromagnetic with pure secondary fields can also be extracted from our modeling results. The real time responses excited by a loop source can be calculated using the algorithm. We analyze the full time gates responses of homogeneous half space and two layered models with half sine current waveform as examples. We find the on time responses are quite sensitive to resistivity or depth changes. The results show the potential use of full waveform responses in time domain electromagnetic surveys.

A combined deep-learning and deformable-model approach to fully automatic segmentation of the left ventricle in cardiac MRI.

PubMed

Avendi, M R; Kheradvar, Arash; Jafarkhani, Hamid

2016-05-01

Segmentation of the left ventricle (LV) from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets is an essential step for calculation of clinical indices such as ventricular volume and ejection fraction. In this work, we employ deep learning algorithms combined with deformable models to develop and evaluate a fully automatic LV segmentation tool from short-axis cardiac MRI datasets. The method employs deep learning algorithms to learn the segmentation task from the ground true data. Convolutional networks are employed to automatically detect the LV chamber in MRI dataset. Stacked autoencoders are used to infer the LV shape. The inferred shape is incorporated into deformable models to improve the accuracy and robustness of the segmentation. We validated our method using 45 cardiac MR datasets from the MICCAI 2009 LV segmentation challenge and showed that it outperforms the state-of-the art methods. Excellent agreement with the ground truth was achieved. Validation metrics, percentage of good contours, Dice metric, average perpendicular distance and conformity, were computed as 96.69%, 0.94, 1.81 mm and 0.86, versus those of 79.2-95.62%, 0.87-0.9, 1.76-2.97 mm and 0.67-0.78, obtained by other methods, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

GP Workbench Manual: Technical Manual, User's Guide, and Software Guide

USGS Publications Warehouse

Oden, Charles P.; Moulton, Craig W.

2006-01-01

GP Workbench is an open-source general-purpose geophysical data processing software package written primarily for ground penetrating radar (GPR) data. It also includes support for several USGS prototype electromagnetic instruments such as the VETEM and ALLTEM. The two main programs in the package are GP Workbench and GP Wave Utilities. GP Workbench has routines for filtering, gridding, and migrating GPR data; as well as an inversion routine for characterizing UXO (unexploded ordinance) using ALLTEM data. GP Workbench provides two-dimensional (section view) and three-dimensional (plan view or time slice view) processing for GPR data. GP Workbench can produce high-quality graphics for reports when Surfer 8 or higher (Golden Software) is installed. GP Wave Utilities provides a wide range of processing algorithms for single waveforms, such as filtering, correlation, deconvolution, and calculating GPR waveforms. GP Wave Utilities is used primarily for calibrating radar systems and processing individual traces. Both programs also contain research features related to the calibration of GPR systems and calculating subsurface waveforms. The software is written to run on the Windows operating systems. GP Workbench can import GPR data file formats used by major commercial instrument manufacturers including Sensors and Software, GSSI, and Mala. The GP Workbench native file format is SU (Seismic Unix), and subsequently, files generated by GP Workbench can be read by Seismic Unix as well as many other data processing packages.

Millimeter wave radar system on a rotating platform for combined search and track functionality with SAR imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulenbacher, Uwe; Rech, Klaus; Sedlmeier, Johannes; Pratisto, Hans; Wellig, Peter

2014-10-01

Ground based millimeter wave radar sensors offer the potential for a weather-independent automatic ground surveillance at day and night, e.g. for camp protection applications. The basic principle and the experimental verification of a radar system concept is described, which by means of an extreme off-axis positioning of the antenna(s) combines azimuthal mechanical beam steering with the formation of a circular-arc shaped synthetic aperture (SA). In automatic ground surveillance the function of search and detection of moving ground targets is performed by means of the conventional mechanical scan mode. The rotated antenna structure designed as a small array with two or more RX antenna elements with simultaneous receiver chains allows to instantaneous track multiple moving targets (monopulse principle). The simultaneously operated SAR mode yields areal images of the distribution of stationary scatterers. For ground surveillance application this SAR mode is best suited for identifying possible threats by means of change detection. The feasibility of this concept was tested by means of an experimental radar system comprising of a 94 GHz (W band) FM-CW module with 1 GHz bandwidth and two RX antennas with parallel receiver channels, placed off-axis at a rotating platform. SAR mode and search/track mode were tested during an outdoor measurement campaign. The scenery of two persons walking along a road and partially through forest served as test for the capability to track multiple moving targets. For SAR mode verification an image of the area composed of roads, grassland, woodland and several man-made objects was reconstructed from the measured data.

Small threat and contraband detection with TNA-based systems.

PubMed

Shaw, T J; Brown, D; D'Arcy, J; Liu, F; Shea, P; Sivakumar, M; Gozani, T

2005-01-01

The detection of small threats, such as explosives, drugs, and chemical weapons, concealed or encased in surrounding material, is a major concern in areas from security checkpoints to UneXploded Ordnance (UXO) clearance. Techniques such as X-ray and trace detection are often ineffectual in these applications. Thermal neutron analysis (TNA) provides an effective method for detecting concealed threats. This paper shows the effectiveness of Ancore's SPEDS, based on TNA, in detecting concealed liquid threats and differentiating live from inert mortar shells.

Quantification of Noise Sources in EMI Surveys Technology Demonstration Report Army Research Laboratory Blossom Point Facility, Maryland July - September, 2006

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-14

removed and a connector added for the use of external battery packs to extend measurement times. A rigid carbon- fiber pole was provided by the vendor...responses found in areas containing strongly ferromagnetic soils or bedrock have been well documented [5]. Fresh basaltic bedrock, like that found in...8650 (November 27, 2002). 5. “Demonstration of Basalt -UXO Discrimination by Advanced Analysis of Multi-Channel EM63 Data at Kaho’olawe, Hawaii,” G

Demonstration and Validation of an Improved Airborne Electromagnetic System for UXO Detection and Mapping

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

carbonate bedrock. The glacial till layer contains rocks with a wide variety of compositions and sizes, some of which can generate significant...altimeter with an accuracy of +/- 2 centimeter (cm), and adjusted for the system roll as measured between two dual-phase GPS antennae . In general, all...calculated based on the locations of two GPS antennae , one on the starboard side and the other on the port side of the helicopter. Data streams from both

Report for the MPV Demonstration at New Boston Air Force Base, New Hampshire: UXO Characterization in Challenging Survey Environments Using the MPV

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-04-28

EM Electromagnetic EMI Electromagnetic Induction ERDC Engineering Research and Development Center ESTCP Environmental Security Technology... bombs , HE bombs and incendiary bombs . The site hosted demonstrations with the MPV and the 2x2 TEMTADS, both with crews from CH2MHill. Each study...array of five receiver units that measure all three components of the EM field (Figure 2). This second-generation MPV is specifically designed to

On-Time 3D Time-Domain EMI and Tensor Magnetic Gradiometry for UXO Detection and Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-04

three-axis fluxgate magnetometers mounted on a tetrahedral structure as shown in figure 5.1.3.1. TMGS was intended to measure gradients of vector...manufacturer of the fluxgate magnetometers supplied specifications for each of the triaxial sensors (figure 5.3.2.25). Figure 5.3.2.25...Manufacturer’s specifications for the four triaxial fluxgate magnetometers used in the TMGS planar array. As shown previously in figure 5.3.2.4

Joint Diagonalization Applied to the Detection and Discrimination of Unexploded Ordnance

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-01

center (Das et al., 1990; Barrow and Nelson, 2001; Bell et al., 2001; Pasion and Oldenburg , 2001; Zhang et al., 2003; Smith and Mor- rison, 2004; Tarokh et...matrix for the complete transmitter/receiver ar- ray by tiling all the Nr × Nt available samples of expression 5: S ¼ GscUlΛ̇lUTl ðGprÞT...L. R., and D. W. Oldenburg , 2001, A discrimination algorithm for UXO using time-domain electromagnetics: Journal of Environmental and Engineering

Non-traditional Physics-based Inverse Approaches for Determining a Buried Object’s Location

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

parameterization of its time-decay curve) in dipole models ( Pasion and Oldenburg, 2001) or the amplitudes of responding magnetic sources in the NSMS...commonly in use. According to the simple dipole model ( Pasion and Oldenburg, 2001), the secondary magnetic field due to the dipole m is 3 0 1 ˆ ˆ(3...Forum, St. Louis, MO. L. R. Pasion and D. W. Oldenburg (2001), “A discrimination algorithm for UXO using time domain electromagnetics.” J. Environ

Intelligent Data Fusion for Wide-Area Assessment of UXO Contamination

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-02-29

Development Program (SERDP). The authors thank the SERDP staff and team members for their assistance, particularly Dr. Herb Nelson and Dr. Dan Steinhurst...Fusion and Integration for Intelligent Systems, Taipei, Taiwan , R.O.C., Aug., 1999. 4. B.J. Johnson, T.G. Moore, B.J. Blejer, C.F. Lee, T.P. Opar, S...gene-expression data using Dempster-Shafer Theory of evidence to predict breast cancer tumors,” Bioinformation 1(5), 170-5, (2006) 21. Dr. Herb H. Nelson, personal communication (2007)

Shallow Water UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record No. 1. Technology Type/Platform: GEN-3 Array

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-01

Clutter items fit into one of three categories: ferrous, nonferrous , and mixed metals . The ferrous and nonferrous items have been further divided into...that have both a ferrous and nonferrous component and could reasonably be encountered in a range area. The mixed- metals clutter was placed in the...however, there are also industrial scrap metal and cultural items as well. The mixed- metals clutter is comprised of scrap ordnance items or fragments

Standardized UXO Technology Demonstration Site Scoring Record No. 931 Technology Type/Platform: Magnetometer MTADS/Towed

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

of the 2 acre site was cleared of all metallic items. This clearing of the metallic anomalies from the 2 acre Active Response Demonstration Site... metallic items. Once the NRL MTADS surveyed the site, ATC collected their data and conducted another intrusive operation in order to remove any additional...anomalies. During each clearance operation, the exact placement of all the metallic items was carefully measured in order to create a GT for each

Demonstration of the MPV at Former Waikoloa Maneuver Area in Hawaii: UXO Characterization in Challenging Survey Environments Using the MPV

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

Hawaii HASP Health and Safety Plan IDA Institute for Defense Analyses IVS Instrument Verification Strip m Meter mm Millimeter MPV Man Portable...the ArcSecond laser ranger was impractical due to the requirement to maintain line-of-sight for three rovers and tedious calibration. The SERDP...within 0.1m spacing and 99% within 0.15 m Repeatability of Instrument Verification Strip (IVS) survey   Amplitude of EM anomaly Amplitude of

Environmentally Adaptive UXO Detection and Classification Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

probability of false alarm ( Pfa ), as well as Receiver Op- erating Characteristic (ROC) curve and confusion matrix characteristics. The results of these...techniques at a false alarm probability of Pfa = 1× 10−3. X̃ = g(X). In this case, the problem remains invariant to the group of transformations G = { g : g(X...and observed target responses as well as the probability of detection versus SNR for both detection techniques at Pfa = 1× 10−3. with N = 128 and M = 50

Structural Acoustic UXO Detection and Identification in Marine Environments - Interim Report for SERDP MR-2103 Follow-On

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-30

into the image processing algorithm the AUV position data available from the Doppler Velocity Log (DVL) and Inertial Measurement Unit ( IMU ) systems...uncertainty due to unknown sensor z coordinates. We considered both AUV altitude and roll but not pitch which we assumed to have a small effect on the...buried target. Taken together, the images suggest that the block is buried horizontally but rolled along its long axis ~80° such that the exposed large

UXO Detection and Characterization in the Marine Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-01

Leatherback Sea Turtle, the Humpback Whale , the Southern Killer Whale , the Bull Trout, and the Bald Eagle.23 5.3 Ostrich Bay and the Sound...contamination impacting the Toussaint River area along the southern shore of Lake Erie in Ohio. This was the site of the Former Erie Army Depot where for 50...supported an MTA survey of the Bahia Salinas del Sur on the southern coast. The details of these activities are described in after action reports by NOAA

Robust Statistics and Regularization for Feature Extraction and UXO Discrimination

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

July 11, 2011 real data we find that this technique has an improved probability of finding all ordnance in a test data set, relative to previously...many sites. Tests on larger data sets should still be carried out. In previous work we considered a bootstrapping approach to selecting the operating...Marginalizing over x we obtain the probability that the ith order statistic in the test data belongs to the T class (55) P (T |x(i)) = ∞∫ −∞ P (T |x)p(x

Automatic joint alignment measurements in pre- and post-operative long leg standing radiographs.

PubMed

Goossen, A; Weber, G M; Dries, S P M

2012-01-01

For diagnosis or treatment assessment of knee joint osteoarthritis it is required to measure bone morphometry from radiographic images. We propose a method for automatic measurement of joint alignment from pre-operative as well as post-operative radiographs. In a two step approach we first detect and segment any implants or other artificial objects within the image. We exploit physical characteristics and avoid prior shape information to cope with the vast amount of implant types. Subsequently, we exploit the implant delineations to adapt the initialization and adaptation phase of a dedicated bone segmentation scheme using deformable template models. Implant and bone contours are fused to derive the final joint segmentation and thus the alignment measurements. We evaluated our method on clinical long leg radiographs and compared both the initialization rate, corresponding to the number of images successfully processed by the proposed algorithm, and the accuracy of the alignment measurement. Ground truth has been generated by an experienced orthopedic surgeon. For comparison a second reader reevaluated the measurements. Experiments on two sets of 70 and 120 digital radiographs show that 92% of the joints could be processed automatically and the derived measurements of the automatic method are comparable to a human reader for pre-operative as well as post-operative images with a typical error of 0.7° and correlations of r = 0.82 to r = 0.99 with the ground truth. The proposed method allows deriving objective measures of joint alignment from clinical radiographs. Its accuracy and precision are on par with a human reader for all evaluated measurements.

Fully automatic lesion segmentation in breast MRI using mean-shift and graph-cuts on a region adjacency graph.

PubMed

McClymont, Darryl; Mehnert, Andrew; Trakic, Adnan; Kennedy, Dominic; Crozier, Stuart

2014-04-01

To present and evaluate a fully automatic method for segmentation (i.e., detection and delineation) of suspicious tissue in breast MRI. The method, based on mean-shift clustering and graph-cuts on a region adjacency graph, was developed and its parameters tuned using multimodal (T1, T2, DCE-MRI) clinical breast MRI data from 35 subjects (training data). It was then tested using two data sets. Test set 1 comprises data for 85 subjects (93 lesions) acquired using the same protocol and scanner system used to acquire the training data. Test set 2 comprises data for eight subjects (nine lesions) acquired using a similar protocol but a different vendor's scanner system. Each lesion was manually delineated in three-dimensions by an experienced breast radiographer to establish segmentation ground truth. The regions of interest identified by the method were compared with the ground truth and the detection and delineation accuracies quantitatively evaluated. One hundred percent of the lesions were detected with a mean of 4.5 ± 1.2 false positives per subject. This false-positive rate is nearly 50% better than previously reported for a fully automatic breast lesion detection system. The median Dice coefficient for Test set 1 was 0.76 (interquartile range, 0.17), and 0.75 (interquartile range, 0.16) for Test set 2. The results demonstrate the efficacy and accuracy of the proposed method as well as its potential for direct application across different MRI systems. It is (to the authors' knowledge) the first fully automatic method for breast lesion detection and delineation in breast MRI.

Optimal Recovery Trajectories for Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance Systems (Auto GCAS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

the Multi-Trajectory path uses a sphere buffer (with a 350 ft radius) around each time point in the propagated path. Hence, the yellow Xs indicate the...the HUD as well as a matrix/line of Xs on the radar electro optical (REO) display. Enhanced ground clobber (EGC) mechanization was integrated on the F...reachable in the timespan t ∈ [t0, tf ], and dthreshold is a scalar user-defined terrain buffer. For the work de- veloped herein, dthreshold was set to 350

Launch Processing System. [for Space Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Byrne, F.; Doolittle, G. V.; Hockenberger, R. W.

1976-01-01

This paper presents a functional description of the Launch Processing System, which provides automatic ground checkout and control of the Space Shuttle launch site and airborne systems, with emphasis placed on the Checkout, Control, and Monitor Subsystem. Hardware and software modular design concepts for the distributed computer system are reviewed relative to performing system tests, launch operations control, and status monitoring during ground operations. The communication network design, which uses a Common Data Buffer interface to all computers to allow computer-to-computer communication, is discussed in detail.

Effects of Sensing Capability on Ground Platform Survivability During Ground Forces Maneuver Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

Hellfire missiles, Hydra -70mm rockets, and M230 30mm automatic cannon (Boeing 2014). Hellfire missiles have shaped-charge HEAT warheads and are...capable of destroying an MBT. These missiles have an operational range between 500 m to 8,000 m (AeroWeb 2014). The Hydra -70mm rocket is also capable of...platforms, but it lacks precision (Army Technology 2014). Similar to the Hydra -70mm rocket, the M230 30mm cannon is effective against soft skin

The integration of manual and automatic image analysis techniques with supporting ground data in a multistage sampling framework for timber resource inventories: Three examples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gialdini, M.; Titus, S. J.; Nichols, J. D.; Thomas, R.

1975-01-01

An approach to information acquisition is discussed in the context of meeting user-specified needs in a cost-effective, timely manner through the use of remote sensing data, ground data, and multistage sampling techniques. The roles of both LANDSAT imagery and Skylab photography are discussed as first stages of three separate multistage timber inventory systems and results are given for each system. Emphasis is placed on accuracy and meeting user needs.

Fuel consumption of ADS-B and non-ADS-B helicopter operation in the Gulf of Mexico

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-07-01

Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADSB) is a key enabling technology for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) in the United States. The NextGen system replaces the current ground based commandandcontrol syste...

The Use of LANDSAT DCS and Imagery in Reservoir Management and Operation. [Maine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, S. (Principal Investigator)

1975-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The demonstration, local user terminal, has proven the hypothesis that a relatively inexpensive, automatic, and easily maintained ground receiving station for satellite relayed data is practical for an operational use.

Integrating the automatic and the controlled: Strategies in Semantic Priming in an Attractor Network with Latching Dynamics

PubMed Central

Lerner, Itamar; Bentin, Shlomo; Shriki, Oren

2014-01-01

Semantic priming has long been recognized to reflect, along with automatic semantic mechanisms, the contribution of controlled strategies. However, previous theories of controlled priming were mostly qualitative, lacking common grounds with modern mathematical models of automatic priming based on neural networks. Recently, we have introduced a novel attractor network model of automatic semantic priming with latching dynamics. Here, we extend this work to show how the same model can also account for important findings regarding controlled processes. Assuming the rate of semantic transitions in the network can be adapted using simple reinforcement learning, we show how basic findings attributed to controlled processes in priming can be achieved, including their dependency on stimulus onset asynchrony and relatedness proportion and their unique effect on associative, category-exemplar, mediated and backward prime-target relations. We discuss how our mechanism relates to the classic expectancy theory and how it can be further extended in future developments of the model. PMID:24890261

Automatic markerless registration of point clouds with semantic-keypoint-based 4-points congruent sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Xuming

2017-08-01

The coarse registration of point clouds from urban building scenes has become a key topic in applications of terrestrial laser scanning technology. Sampling-based algorithms in the random sample consensus (RANSAC) model have emerged as mainstream solutions to address coarse registration problems. In this paper, we propose a novel combined solution to automatically align two markerless point clouds from building scenes. Firstly, the method segments non-ground points from ground points. Secondly, the proposed method detects feature points from each cross section and then obtains semantic keypoints by connecting feature points with specific rules. Finally, the detected semantic keypoints from two point clouds act as inputs to a modified 4PCS algorithm. Examples are presented and the results compared with those of K-4PCS to demonstrate the main contributions of the proposed method, which are the extension of the original 4PCS to handle heavy datasets and the use of semantic keypoints to improve K-4PCS in relation to registration accuracy and computational efficiency.

Detection of buried magnetic objects by a SQUID gradiometer system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meyer, Hans-Georg; Hartung, Konrad; Linzen, Sven; Schneider, Michael; Stolz, Ronny; Fried, Wolfgang; Hauspurg, Sebastian

2009-05-01

We present a magnetic detection system based on superconducting gradiometric sensors (SQUID gradiometers). The system provides a unique fast mapping of large areas with a high resolution of the magnetic field gradient as well as the local position. A main part of this work is the localization and classification of magnetic objects in the ground by automatic interpretation of geomagnetic field gradients, measured by the SQUID system. In accordance with specific features the field is decomposed into segments, which allow inferences to possible objects in the ground. The global consideration of object describing properties and their optimization using error minimization methods allows the reconstruction of superimposed features and detection of buried objects. The analysis system of measured geomagnetic fields works fully automatically. By a given surface of area-measured gradients the algorithm determines within numerical limits the absolute position of objects including depth with sub-pixel accuracy and allows an arbitrary position and attitude of sources. Several SQUID gradiometer data sets were used to show the applicability of the analysis algorithm.

Sorting Olive Batches for the Milling Process Using Image Processing

PubMed Central

Puerto, Daniel Aguilera; Martínez Gila, Diego Manuel; Gámez García, Javier; Gómez Ortega, Juan

2015-01-01

The quality of virgin olive oil obtained in the milling process is directly bound to the characteristics of the olives. Hence, the correct classification of the different incoming olive batches is crucial to reach the maximum quality of the oil. The aim of this work is to provide an automatic inspection system, based on computer vision, and to classify automatically different batches of olives entering the milling process. The classification is based on the differentiation between ground and tree olives. For this purpose, three different species have been studied (Picudo, Picual and Hojiblanco). The samples have been obtained by picking the olives directly from the tree or from the ground. The feature vector of the samples has been obtained on the basis of the olive image histograms. Moreover, different image preprocessing has been employed, and two classification techniques have been used: these are discriminant analysis and neural networks. The proposed methodology has been validated successfully, obtaining good classification results. PMID:26147729

Recent technical advances in general purpose mobile Satcom aviation terminals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sydor, John T.

1990-01-01

A second general aviation amplitude companded single sideband (ACSSB) aeronautical terminal was developed for use with the Ontario Air Ambulance Service (OAAS). This terminal is designed to have automatic call set up and take down and to interface with the Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN) through a ground earth station hub controller. The terminal has integrated RF and microprocessor hardware which allows such functions as beam steering and automatic frequency control to be software controlled. The terminal uses a conformal patch array system to provide almost full azimuthal coverage. Antenna beam steering is executed without relying on aircraft supplied orientation information.

On the feasibility of automatically selecting similar patients in highly individualized radiotherapy dose reconstruction for historic data of pediatric cancer survivors.

PubMed

Virgolin, Marco; van Dijk, Irma W E M; Wiersma, Jan; Ronckers, Cécile M; Witteveen, Cees; Bel, Arjan; Alderliesten, Tanja; Bosman, Peter A N

2018-04-01

The aim of this study is to establish the first step toward a novel and highly individualized three-dimensional (3D) dose distribution reconstruction method, based on CT scans and organ delineations of recently treated patients. Specifically, the feasibility of automatically selecting the CT scan of a recently treated childhood cancer patient who is similar to a given historically treated child who suffered from Wilms' tumor is assessed. A cohort of 37 recently treated children between 2- and 6-yr old are considered. Five potential notions of ground-truth similarity are proposed, each focusing on different anatomical aspects. These notions are automatically computed from CT scans of the abdomen and 3D organ delineations (liver, spleen, spinal cord, external body contour). The first is based on deformable image registration, the second on the Dice similarity coefficient, the third on the Hausdorff distance, the fourth on pairwise organ distances, and the last is computed by means of the overlap volume histogram. The relationship between typically available features of historically treated patients and the proposed ground-truth notions of similarity is studied by adopting state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, including random forest. Also, the feasibility of automatically selecting the most similar patient is assessed by comparing ground-truth rankings of similarity with predicted rankings. Similarities (mainly) based on the external abdomen shape and on the pairwise organ distances are highly correlated (Pearson r p ≥ 0.70) and are successfully modeled with random forests based on historically recorded features (pseudo-R 2 ≥ 0.69). In contrast, similarities based on the shape of internal organs cannot be modeled. For the similarities that random forest can reliably model, an estimation of feature relevance indicates that abdominal diameters and weight are the most important. Experiments on automatically selecting similar patients lead to coarse, yet quite robust results: the most similar patient is retrieved only 22% of the times, however, the error in worst-case scenarios is limited, with the fourth most similar patient being retrieved. Results demonstrate that automatically selecting similar patients is feasible when focusing on the shape of the external abdomen and on the position of internal organs. Moreover, whereas the common practice in phantom-based dose reconstruction is to select a representative phantom using age, height, and weight as discriminant factors for any treatment scenario, our analysis on abdominal tumor treatment for children shows that the most relevant features are weight and the anterior-posterior and left-right abdominal diameters. © 2018 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

TriNet "ShakeMaps": Rapid generation of peak ground motion and intensity maps for earthquakes in southern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wald, D.J.; Quitoriano, V.; Heaton, T.H.; Kanamori, H.; Scrivner, C.W.; Worden, C.B.

1999-01-01

Rapid (3-5 minutes) generation of maps of instrumental ground-motion and shaking intensity is accomplished through advances in real-time seismographic data acquisition combined with newly developed relationships between recorded ground-motion parameters and expected shaking intensity values. Estimation of shaking over the entire regional extent of southern California is obtained by the spatial interpolation of the measured ground motions with geologically based frequency and amplitude-dependent site corrections. Production of the maps is automatic, triggered by any significant earthquake in southern California. Maps are now made available within several minutes of the earthquake for public and scientific consumption via the World Wide Web; they will be made available with dedicated communications for emergency response agencies and critical users.

Generating Ground Reference Data for a Global Impervious Surface Survey

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tilton, James C.; De Colstoun, Eric Brown; Wolfe, Robert E.; Tan, Bin; Huang, Chengquan

2012-01-01

We are developing an approach for generating ground reference data in support of a project to produce a 30m impervious cover data set of the entire Earth for the years 2000 and 2010 based on the Landsat Global Land Survey (GLS) data set. Since sufficient ground reference data for training and validation is not available from ground surveys, we are developing an interactive tool, called HSegLearn, to facilitate the photo-interpretation of 1 to 2 m spatial resolution imagery data, which we will use to generate the needed ground reference data at 30m. Through the submission of selected region objects and positive or negative examples of impervious surfaces, HSegLearn enables an analyst to automatically select groups of spectrally similar objects from a hierarchical set of image segmentations produced by the HSeg image segmentation program at an appropriate level of segmentation detail, and label these region objects as either impervious or nonimpervious.

Feasibility Study for an Autonomous UAV -Magnetometer System -- Final Report on SERDP SEED 1509:2206

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roelof Versteeg; Mark McKay; Matt Anderson

2007-09-01

Large areas across the United States are potentially contaminated with UXO, with some ranges encompassing tens to hundreds of thousands of acres. Technologies are needed which will allow for cost effective wide area scanning with 1) near 100 % coverage and 2) near 100 % detection of subsurface ordnance or features indicative of subsurface ordnance. The current approach to wide area scanning is a multi-level one, in which medium altitude fixed wing optical imaging is used for an initial site assessment. This assessment is followed with low altitude manned helicopter based magnetometry followed by surface investigations using either towed geophysicalmore » sensor arrays or man portable sensors. In order to be effective for small UXO detection, the sensing altitude for magnetic site investigations needs to be on the order of 1 – 3 meters. These altitude requirements means that manned helicopter surveys will generally only be feasible in large, open and relatively flat terrains. While such surveys are effective in mapping large areas relatively fast there are substantial mobilization/demobilization, staffing and equipment costs associated with these surveys (resulting in costs of approximately $100-$150/acre). Surface towed arrays provide high resolution maps but have other limitations, e.g. in their ability to navigate rough terrain effectively. Thus, other systems are needed allowing for effective data collection. An UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) magnetometer platform is an obvious alternative. The motivation behind such a system is that it would be safer for the operators, cheaper in initial and O&M costs, and more effective in terms of site characterization. However, while UAV data acquisition from fixed wing platforms for large (> 200 feet) stand off distances is relatively straight forward, a host of challenges exist for low stand-off distance (~ 6 feet) UAV geophysical data acquisition. The objective of SERDP SEED 1509:2006 was to identify the primary challenges associated with a low stand off distance autonomous UAV magnetometer platform and to investigate whether these challenges can be resolved successfully such that a successful UAV magnetometer platform can be constructed. The primary challenges which were identified and investigated include: 1. The feasibility of assembling a payload package which integrates magnetometers, accurate positioning systems (DGPS, height above ground measurement), obstacle avoidance systems, power infrastructure, communications and data storage as well as auxiliary flight controls 2. The availability of commercial UAV platforms with autonomous flight capability which can accommodate this payload package 3. The feasibility of integrating obstacle avoidance controls in UAV platform control 4. The feasibility of collecting high quality magnetic data in the vicinity of an UAV.« less

Accuracy of Orthomosaic Generated by Different Methods in Example of UAV Platform MUST Q

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liba, N.; Berg-Jürgens, J.

2015-11-01

Development of photogrammetry has reached a new level due to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). In Estonia, the main areas of use of UAVs are monitoring overhead power lines for energy companies and fields in agriculture, and estimating the use of stockpile in mining. The project was carried out by the order of the City of Tartu for future road construction. In this research, automation of UAV platform MUST Q aerial image processing and reduction of time spent on the use of ground control points (GCP) is studied. For that two projects were created with software Pix4D. First one was processed automatically without GCP. Second one did use GCP, but all the processing was done automatically. As the result of the project, two orthomosaics with the pixel size of 5 cm were composed. Projects allowed ensuring accuracy limit of three times of the pixel size. The project that turned out to be the most accurate was the one using ground control points to do the levelling, which remained within the error limit allowed and the accuracy of the orthomosaic was 0.132 m. The project that didn't use ground control points had the accuracy of 1.417 m.

System transfer modelling for automatic target recognizer evaluations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Lloyd G.

1991-11-01

Image processing to accomplish automatic recognition of military vehicles has promised increased weapons systems effectiveness and reduced timelines for a number of Department of Defense missions. Automatic Target Recognizers (ATR) are often claimed to be able to recognize many different ground vehicles as possible targets in military air-to- surface targeting applications. The targeting scenario conditions include different vehicle poses and histories as well as a variety of imaging geometries, intervening atmospheres, and background environments. Testing these ATR subsystems in most cases has been limited to a handful of the scenario conditions of interest, as is represented by imagery collected with the desired imaging sensor. The question naturally arises as to how robust the performance of the ATR is for all scenario conditions of interest, not just for the set of imagery upon which an algorithm was trained.

Robust extraction of the aorta and pulmonary artery from 3D MDCT image data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taeprasartsit, Pinyo; Higgins, William E.

2010-03-01

Accurate definition of the aorta and pulmonary artery from three-dimensional (3D) multi-detector CT (MDCT) images is important for pulmonary applications. This work presents robust methods for defining the aorta and pulmonary artery in the central chest. The methods work on both contrast enhanced and no-contrast 3D MDCT image data. The automatic methods use a common approach employing model fitting and selection and adaptive refinement. During the occasional event that more precise vascular extraction is desired or the method fails, we also have an alternate semi-automatic fail-safe method. The semi-automatic method extracts the vasculature by extending the medial axes into a user-guided direction. A ground-truth study over a series of 40 human 3D MDCT images demonstrates the efficacy, accuracy, robustness, and efficiency of the methods.

The Accuracy of GBM GRB Localizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briggs, Michael Stephen; Connaughton, V.; Meegan, C.; Hurley, K.

2010-03-01

We report an study of the accuracy of GBM GRB localizations, analyzing three types of localizations: those produced automatically by the GBM Flight Software on board GBM, those produced automatically with ground software in near real time, and localizations produced with human guidance. The two types of automatic locations are distributed in near real-time via GCN Notices; the human-guided locations are distributed on timescale of many minutes or hours using GCN Circulars. This work uses a Bayesian analysis that models the distribution of the GBM total location error by comparing GBM locations to more accurate locations obtained with other instruments. Reference locations are obtained from Swift, Super-AGILE, the LAT, and with the IPN. We model the GBM total location errors as having systematic errors in addition to the statistical errors and use the Bayesian analysis to constrain the systematic errors.

Verification of ADS-B performance to provide 5 nautical mile separation services in the Gulf of Mexico

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-01-01

Prior to Automatic Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast (ADS-B), non-radar separation was necessary in the Gulf of Mexico due to limited surveillance and air-ground communication. Five nautical mile separation using ADS-B improves capacity and streamli...

A new tool for rapid and automatic estimation of earthquake source parameters and generation of seismic bulletins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zollo, Aldo

2016-04-01

RISS S.r.l. is a Spin-off company recently born from the initiative of the research group constituting the Seismology Laboratory of the Department of Physics of the University of Naples Federico II. RISS is an innovative start-up, based on the decade-long experience in earthquake monitoring systems and seismic data analysis of its members and has the major goal to transform the most recent innovations of the scientific research into technological products and prototypes. With this aim, RISS has recently started the development of a new software, which is an elegant solution to manage and analyse seismic data and to create automatic earthquake bulletins. The software has been initially developed to manage data recorded at the ISNet network (Irpinia Seismic Network), which is a network of seismic stations deployed in Southern Apennines along the active fault system responsible for the 1980, November 23, MS 6.9 Irpinia earthquake. The software, however, is fully exportable and can be used to manage data from different networks, with any kind of station geometry or network configuration and is able to provide reliable estimates of earthquake source parameters, whichever is the background seismicity level of the area of interest. Here we present the real-time automated procedures and the analyses performed by the software package, which is essentially a chain of different modules, each of them aimed at the automatic computation of a specific source parameter. The P-wave arrival times are first detected on the real-time streaming of data and then the software performs the phase association and earthquake binding. As soon as an event is automatically detected by the binder, the earthquake location coordinates and the origin time are rapidly estimated, using a probabilistic, non-linear, exploration algorithm. Then, the software is able to automatically provide three different magnitude estimates. First, the local magnitude (Ml) is computed, using the peak-to-peak amplitude of the equivalent Wood-Anderson displacement recordings. The moment magnitude (Mw) is then estimated from the inversion of displacement spectra. The duration magnitude (Md) is rapidly computed, based on a simple and automatic measurement of the seismic wave coda duration. Starting from the magnitude estimates, other relevant pieces of information are also computed, such as the corner frequency, the seismic moment, the source radius and the seismic energy. The ground-shaking maps on a Google map are produced, for peak ground acceleration (PGA), peak ground velocity (PGV) and instrumental intensity (in SHAKEMAP® format), or a plot of the measured peak ground values. Furthermore, based on a specific decisional scheme, the automatic discrimination between local earthquakes occurred within the network and regional/teleseismic events occurred outside the network is performed. Finally, for largest events, if a consistent number of P-wave polarity reading are available, the focal mechanism is also computed. For each event, all of the available pieces of information are stored in a local database and the results of the automatic analyses are published on an interactive web page. "The Bulletin" shows a map with event location and stations, as well as a table listing all the events, with the associated parameters. The catalogue fields are the event ID, the origin date and time, latitude, longitude, depth, Ml, Mw, Md, the number of triggered stations, the S-displacement spectra, and shaking maps. Some of these entries also provide additional information, such as the focal mechanism (when available). The picked traces are uploaded in the database and from the web interface of the Bulletin the traces can be download for more specific analysis. This innovative software represents a smart solution, with a friendly and interactive interface, for high-level analysis of seismic data analysis and it may represent a relevant tool not only for seismologists, but also for non-expert external users who are interested in the seismological data. The software is a valid tool for the automatic analysis of the background seismicity at different time scales and can be a relevant tool for the monitoring of both natural and induced seismicity.

Automatic dependent surveillance broadcast via GPS-Squitter: a major upgrade to the national airspace system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Ronnie D.; Knittel, George H.; Orlando, Vincent A.

1995-06-01

GPS-Squitter is a technology for surveillance of aircraft via broadcast of their GPS-determined positions to all listeners, using the Mode S data link. It can be used to provide traffic displays, on the ground for controllers and in the cockpit for pilots, and will enhance TCAS performance. It is compatible with the existing ground-based beacon interrogator radar system and is an evolutionary way to more from ground-based-radar surveillance to satellite-based surveillance. GPS-Squitter takes advantage of the substantial investment made by the U.S. in the powerful GPS position-determining system and has the potential to free the Federal Aviation Administration from having to continue maintaining a precise position-determining capability in ground-based radar. This would permit phasing out the ground-based secondary surveillance radar system over a period of 10 to 20 years and replacing it with much simpler ground stations, resulting in cost savings of hundreds of millions of dollars.

An automatic parachute release for high altitude scientific balloons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Field, Chris

NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility launches high altitude scientific research balloons at many locations around the world. Locations like Antarctica are flat for hundreds of miles and have nothing to snag a parachute consequently causing it to be more important to separate the parachute from the payload than in an area with vegetation and fences. Scientists are now building one of a kind payloads costing millions of dollars, taking five years or more to build, and are requesting multiple flights. In addition to that, the data gathering rate of many science payloads far exceeds the data downlink rate on over-the-horizon flights therefore making a recovery of at least the data hard drives a "minimum success requirement". The older mentality in ballooning; separating the parachute and payload from the balloon and getting it on the ground is more important than separating the parachute after the payload is on the ground has changed. It is now equally as important to separate the parachute from the gondola to prevent damage from dragging. Until now, commands had to be sent to separate the parachute from the gondola at approximately 60K ft, 30K ft, and 10K ft to use the Semi Automatic Parachute Release (SAPR), which is after the sometimes violent parachute opening shock. By using the Gondola controlled Automatic Parachute Release (GAPR) all commanding is done prior to termination, making the parachute release fully autonomous.

Automatic cloud coverage assessment of Formosat-2 image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Kuo-Hsien

2011-11-01

Formosat-2 satellite equips with the high-spatial-resolution (2m ground sampling distance) remote sensing instrument. It has been being operated on the daily-revisiting mission orbit by National Space organization (NSPO) of Taiwan since May 21 2004. NSPO has also serving as one of the ground receiving stations for daily processing the received Formosat- 2 images. The current cloud coverage assessment of Formosat-2 image for NSPO Image Processing System generally consists of two major steps. Firstly, an un-supervised K-means method is used for automatically estimating the cloud statistic of Formosat-2 image. Secondly, manual estimation of cloud coverage from Formosat-2 image is processed by manual examination. Apparently, a more accurate Automatic Cloud Coverage Assessment (ACCA) method certainly increases the efficiency of processing step 2 with a good prediction of cloud statistic. In this paper, mainly based on the research results from Chang et al, Irish, and Gotoh, we propose a modified Formosat-2 ACCA method which considered pre-processing and post-processing analysis. For pre-processing analysis, cloud statistic is determined by using un-supervised K-means classification, Sobel's method, Otsu's method, non-cloudy pixels reexamination, and cross-band filter method. Box-Counting fractal method is considered as a post-processing tool to double check the results of pre-processing analysis for increasing the efficiency of manual examination.

Automatic, Rapid Replanning of Satellite Operations for Space Situational Awareness (SSA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stottler, D.; Mahan, K.

An important component of Space Situational Awareness (SSA) is knowledge of the status and tasking of blue forces (e.g. satellites and ground stations) and the rapid determination of the impacts of real or hypothetical changes and the ability to quickly replan based on those changes. For example, if an antenna goes down (either for benign reasons or from purposeful interference) determining which missions will be impacted is important. It is not simply the set of missions that were scheduled to utilize that antenna, because highly expert human schedulers will respond to the outage by intelligently replanning the real-time schedule. We have developed an automatic scheduling and deconfliction engine, called MIDAS (for Managed Intelligent Deconfliction And Scheduling) that interfaces to the current legacy system (ESD 2.7) which can perform this replanning function automatically. In addition to determining the impact of failed resources, MIDAS can also replan in response to a satellite under attack. In this situation, additional supports must be quickly scheduled and executed (while minimizing impacts to other missions). Because MIDAS is a fully automatic system, replacing a current human labor-intensive process, and provides very rapid turnaround (seconds) it can also be used by commanders to consider what-if questions and focus limited protection resources on the most critical resources. For example, the commander can determine the impact of a successful attack on one of two ground stations and place heavier emphasis on protecting the station whose loss would create the most severe impacts. The system is currently transitioning to operational use. The MIDAS system and its interface to the legacy ESD 2.7 system will be described along with the ConOps for different types of detailed operational scenarios.

Common Ground? How the Encoding of Specialist Vocabulary Affects Peer-to-Peer Online Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paus, Elisabeth; Jucks, Regina

2012-01-01

Using the same specialist terms in online discourse can indicate knowledge overlaps between partners. However, linguistic overlaps do not automatically ensure overlaps in conceptual representations. In particular, learning situations, which typically focus on knowledge acquisition, require a sufficient understanding of domain-specific concepts.…

Acoustic Response of Underwater Munitions near a Sediment Interface: Measurement Model Comparisons and Classification Schemes

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-23

12 Figure 4. Pulse- compressed baseband signals for sequence 40 from TREX13 …… 13 Figure 5. SAS image for sequence 40 from TREX13...12 meshes with data …………… 28 Figure 14. FE simulations for aluminum and steel replicas of an 100-mm UXO …… 28 Figure 15. FE meshes for two targets...PCB Pulse- compressed and baseband PC SWAT Personal Computer Shallow Water Acoustic Toolset PondEx09 Pond Experiment 2009 PondEx10 Pond Experiment

Post-Closure Inspection Report for the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, for Calendar Year 2012

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NSTec Environmental Restoration

2013-01-28

This report provides the results of the annual post-closure inspections conducted at the closed Corrective Action Units (CAUs) located on the Tonopah Test Range (TTR), Nevada. This report covers calendar year 2012 and includes inspection and repair activities completed at the following CAUs: · CAU 400: Bomblet Pit and Five Points Landfill (TTR) · CAU 407: Roller Coaster RadSafe Area (TTR) · CAU 424: Area 3 Landfill Complexes (TTR) · CAU 453: Area 9 UXO Landfill (TTR) · CAU 487: Thunderwell Site (TTR)

ESTCP UXO Innovation Technology Transfer Project. ESTCP Project MM-0744: GEMTADS Demonstration at F.E. Warren AFB Demonstration Data Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-06

8  Figure 2-10 – Peak anomaly amplitude results from the GEMTADS and pit measurements of the 4.2-in mortar (open diamonds). The modeled system...projectiles in the FEW GPO. The modeled system response for the most (red) and least (blue) favorable orientations of the mortar are shown as lines...and measurements of the emplaced 75-mm projectiles in the FEW GPO. The modeled system response for the most (red) and least (blue) favorable

Development of mine explosion ground truth smart sensors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Taylor, Steven R.; Harben, Phillip E.; Jarpe, Steve

Accurate seismo-acoustic source location is one of the fundamental aspects of nuclear explosion monitoring. Critical to improved location is the compilation of ground truth data sets for which origin time and location are accurately known. Substantial effort by the National Laboratories and other seismic monitoring groups have been undertaken to acquire and develop ground truth catalogs that form the basis of location efforts (e.g. Sweeney, 1998; Bergmann et al., 2009; Waldhauser and Richards, 2004). In particular, more GT1 (Ground Truth 1 km) events are required to improve three-dimensional velocity models that are currently under development. Mine seismicity can form themore » basis of accurate ground truth datasets. Although the location of mining explosions can often be accurately determined using array methods (e.g. Harris, 1991) and from overhead observations (e.g. MacCarthy et al., 2008), accurate origin time estimation can be difficult. Occasionally, mine operators will share shot time, location, explosion size and even shot configuration, but this is rarely done, especially in foreign countries. Additionally, shot times provided by mine operators are often inaccurate. An inexpensive, ground truth event detector that could be mailed to a contact, placed in close proximity (< 5 km) to mining regions or earthquake aftershock regions that automatically transmits back ground-truth parameters, would greatly aid in development of ground truth datasets that could be used to improve nuclear explosion monitoring capabilities. We are developing an inexpensive, compact, lightweight smart sensor unit (or units) that could be used in the development of ground truth datasets for the purpose of improving nuclear explosion monitoring capabilities. The units must be easy to deploy, be able to operate autonomously for a significant period of time (> 6 months) and inexpensive enough to be discarded after useful operations have expired (although this may not be part of our business plan). Key parameters to be automatically determined are event origin time (within 0.1 sec), location (within 1 km) and size (within 0.3 magnitude units) without any human intervention. The key parameter ground truth information from explosions greater than magnitude 2.5 will be transmitted to a recording and transmitting site. Because we have identified a limited bandwidth, inexpensive two-way satellite communication (ORBCOMM), we have devised the concept of an accompanying Ground-Truth Processing Center that would enable calibration and ground-truth accuracy to improve over the duration of a deployment.« less

Management of natural resources through automatic cartographic inventory. [France

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rey, P.; Gourinard, Y.; Cambou, F. (Principal Investigator)

1974-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. (1) Accurate recognition of previously known ground features from ERTS-1 imagery has been confirmed and a probable detection range for the major signatures can be given. (2) Unidentified elements, however, must be decoded by means of the equal densitometric value zone method. (3) Determination of these zonings involves an analogical treatment of images using the color equidensity methods (pseudo-color), color composites and especially temporal color composite (repetitive superposition). (4) After this analogical preparation, the digital equidensities can be processed by computer in the four MSS bands, according to a series of transfer operations from imagery and automatic cartography.

An automated atmospheric sampling system operating on 747 airliners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, P. J.; Gustafsson, U. R. C.

1976-01-01

An air sampling system that automatically measures the temporal and spatial distribution of particulate and gaseous constituents of the atmosphere is collecting data on commercial air routes covering the world. Measurements are made in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (6 to 12 km) of constituents related to aircraft engine emissions and other pollutants. Aircraft operated by different airlines sample air at latitudes from the Arctic to Australia. This unique system includes specialized instrumentation, a special air inlet probe for sampling outside air, a computerized automatic control, and a data acquisition system. Air constituent and related flight data are tape recorded in flight for later computer processing on the ground.

Moderators of the Relationship between Implicit and Explicit Evaluation

PubMed Central

Nosek, Brian A.

2005-01-01

Automatic and controlled modes of evaluation sometimes provide conflicting reports of the quality of social objects. This paper presents evidence for four moderators of the relationship between automatic (implicit) and controlled (explicit) evaluations. Implicit and explicit preferences were measured for a variety of object pairs using a large sample. The average correlation was r = .36, and 52 of the 57 object pairs showed a significant positive correlation. Results of multilevel modeling analyses suggested that: (a) implicit and explicit preferences are related, (b) the relationship varies as a function of the objects assessed, and (c) at least four variables moderate the relationship – self-presentation, evaluative strength, dimensionality, and distinctiveness. The variables moderated implicit-explicit correspondence across individuals and accounted for much of the observed variation across content domains. The resulting model of the relationship between automatic and controlled evaluative processes is grounded in personal experience with the targets of evaluation. PMID:16316292

Fine grained recognition of masonry walls for built heritage assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oses, N.; Dornaika, F.; Moujahid, A.

2015-01-01

This paper presents the ground work carried out to achieve automatic fine grained recognition of stone masonry. This is a necessary first step in the development of the analysis tool. The built heritage that will be assessed consists of stone masonry constructions and many of the features analysed can be characterized according to the geometry and arrangement of the stones. Much of the assessment is carried out through visual inspection. Thus, we apply image processing on digital images of the elements under inspection. The main contribution of the paper is the performance evaluation of the automatic categorization of masonry walls from a set of extracted straight line segments. The element chosen to perform this evaluation is the stone arrangement of masonry walls. The validity of the proposed framework is assessed on real images of masonry walls using machine learning paradigms. These include classifiers as well as automatic feature selection.

Hybrid Automatic Building Interpretation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pakzad, K.; Klink, A.; Müterthies, A.; Gröger, G.; Stroh, V.; Plümer, L.

2011-09-01

HABIS (Hybrid Automatic Building Interpretation System) is a system for an automatic reconstruction of building roofs used in virtual 3D building models. Unlike most of the commercially available systems, HABIS is able to work to a high degree automatically. The hybrid method uses different sources intending to exploit the advantages of the particular sources. 3D point clouds usually provide good height and surface data, whereas spatial high resolution aerial images provide important information for edges and detail information for roof objects like dormers or chimneys. The cadastral data provide important basis information about the building ground plans. The approach used in HABIS works with a multi-stage-process, which starts with a coarse roof classification based on 3D point clouds. After that it continues with an image based verification of these predicted roofs. In a further step a final classification and adjustment of the roofs is done. In addition some roof objects like dormers and chimneys are also extracted based on aerial images and added to the models. In this paper the used methods are described and some results are presented.

Comparison of Landsat-8, ASTER and Sentinel 1 satellite remote sensing data in automatic lineaments extraction: A case study of Sidi Flah-Bouskour inlier, Moroccan Anti Atlas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adiri, Zakaria; El Harti, Abderrazak; Jellouli, Amine; Lhissou, Rachid; Maacha, Lhou; Azmi, Mohamed; Zouhair, Mohamed; Bachaoui, El Mostafa

2017-12-01

Certainly, lineament mapping occupies an important place in several studies, including geology, hydrogeology and topography etc. With the help of remote sensing techniques, lineaments can be better identified due to strong advances in used data and methods. This allowed exceeding the usual classical procedures and achieving more precise results. The aim of this work is the comparison of ASTER, Landsat-8 and Sentinel 1 data sensors in automatic lineament extraction. In addition to image data, the followed approach includes the use of the pre-existing geological map, the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) as well as the ground truth. Through a fully automatic approach consisting of a combination of edge detection algorithm and line-linking algorithm, we have found the optimal parameters for automatic lineament extraction in the study area. Thereafter, the comparison and the validation of the obtained results showed that the Sentinel 1 data are more efficient in restitution of lineaments. This indicates the performance of the radar data compared to those optical in this kind of study.

Automatic bone detection and soft tissue aware ultrasound-CT registration for computer-aided orthopedic surgery.

PubMed

Wein, Wolfgang; Karamalis, Athanasios; Baumgartner, Adrian; Navab, Nassir

2015-06-01

The transfer of preoperative CT data into the tracking system coordinates within an operating room is of high interest for computer-aided orthopedic surgery. In this work, we introduce a solution for intra-operative ultrasound-CT registration of bones. We have developed methods for fully automatic real-time bone detection in ultrasound images and global automatic registration to CT. The bone detection algorithm uses a novel bone-specific feature descriptor and was thoroughly evaluated on both in-vivo and ex-vivo data. A global optimization strategy aligns the bone surface, followed by a soft tissue aware intensity-based registration to provide higher local registration accuracy. We evaluated the system on femur, tibia and fibula anatomy in a cadaver study with human legs, where magnetically tracked bone markers were implanted to yield ground truth information. An overall median system error of 3.7 mm was achieved on 11 datasets. Global and fully automatic registration of bones aquired with ultrasound to CT is feasible, with bone detection and tracking operating in real time for immediate feedback to the surgeon.

Development of Open source-based automatic shooting and processing UAV imagery for Orthoimage Using Smart Camera UAV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, J. W.; Jeong, H. H.; Kim, J. S.; Choi, C. U.

2016-06-01

Recently, aerial photography with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system uses UAV and remote controls through connections of ground control system using bandwidth of about 430 MHz radio Frequency (RF) modem. However, as mentioned earlier, existing method of using RF modem has limitations in long distance communication. The Smart Camera equipments's LTE (long-term evolution), Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to implement UAV that uses developed UAV communication module system carried out the close aerial photogrammetry with the automatic shooting. Automatic shooting system is an image capturing device for the drones in the area's that needs image capturing and software for loading a smart camera and managing it. This system is composed of automatic shooting using the sensor of smart camera and shooting catalog management which manages filmed images and information. Processing UAV imagery module used Open Drone Map. This study examined the feasibility of using the Smart Camera as the payload for a photogrammetric UAV system. The open soure tools used for generating Android, OpenCV (Open Computer Vision), RTKLIB, Open Drone Map.

Deployment/retraction ground testing of a large flexible solar array

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, D. T.

1982-01-01

The simulated zero-gravity ground testing of the flexible fold-up solar array consisting of eighty-four full-size panels (.368 m x .4 m each) is addressed. Automatic, hands-off extension, retraction, and lockup operations are included. Three methods of ground testing were investigated: (1) vertical testing; (2) horizontal testing, using an overhead water trough to support the panels; and (3) horizontal testing, using an overhead track in conjunction with a counterweight system to support the panels. Method 3 was selected as baseline. The wing/assembly vertical support structure, the five-tier overhead track, and the mast-element support track comprise the test structure. The flexible solar array wing assembly was successfully extended and retracted numerous times under simulated zero-gravity conditions.

The personal aircraft: Status and issues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anders, Scott G.; Asbury, Scott C.; Brentner, Kenneth S.; Bushnell, Dennis M.; Glass, Christopher E.; Hodges, William T.; Morris, Shelby J., Jr.; Scott, Michael A.

1994-01-01

Paper summarizes the status of personal air transportation with emphasis upon VTOL and converticar capability. The former obviates the need for airport operations for personal aircraft whereas the latter provides both ground and air capability in the same vehicle. Fully automatic operation, ATC and navigation is stressed along with consideration of acoustic, environmental and cost issues.

Development of analysis techniques for remote sensing of vegetation resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Draeger, W. C.

1972-01-01

Various data handling and analysis techniques are summarized for evaluation of ERTS-A and supporting high flight imagery. These evaluations are concerned with remote sensors applied to wildland and agricultural vegetation resource inventory problems. Monitoring California's annual grassland, automatic texture analysis, agricultural ground data collection techniques, and spectral measurements are included.

Statistics and Style. Mathematical Linguistics and Automatic Language Processing No. 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dolezel, Lubomir, Ed.; Bailey, Richard W., Ed.

This collection of 17 articles concerning the application of mathematical models and techniques to the study of literary style is an attempt to overcome the communication barriers that exist between scholars in the various fields that find their meeting ground in statistical stylistics. The articles selected were chosen to represent the best…

Building and Operating Weather Satellite Ground Stations for High School Science. Teachers Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Summers, R. Joe; Gotwald, Timothy

Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) images are real-time weather pictures transmitted from satellites on a radio frequency in a video format. Amateur radio enthusiasts and electronic experimenters have for a number of years designed, built, and operated direct readout stations capable of receiving APT photographs. The equipment to receive weather…

Piezoelectric drive circuit

DOEpatents

Treu, C.A. Jr.

1999-08-31

A piezoelectric motor drive circuit is provided which utilizes the piezoelectric elements as oscillators and a Meacham half-bridge approach to develop feedback from the motor ground circuit to produce a signal to drive amplifiers to power the motor. The circuit automatically compensates for shifts in harmonic frequency of the piezoelectric elements due to pressure and temperature changes. 7 figs.

Preliminary Flight Software Specification for the Petite Amateur Navy Satellite (PANSAT)

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-03-01

the BUSY state occurs only as the result of a 32 a i kn the ather the GROUND-CONTROL module or the AUTOCONTROL module. If the performance of the...AUTOMATIC CONTROL MODULE The AUTOCONTROL module carries out periodic functions, such as battery conditioning, on a time scheduled basis. It also

Piezoelectric drive circuit

DOEpatents

Treu, Jr., Charles A.

1999-08-31

A piezoelectric motor drive circuit is provided which utilizes the piezoelectric elements as oscillators and a Meacham half-bridge approach to develop feedback from the motor ground circuit to produce a signal to drive amplifiers to power the motor. The circuit automatically compensates for shifts in harmonic frequency of the piezoelectric elements due to pressure and temperature changes.

VHF Ranging and Position Fixing Experiment Using ATS Satellites: Final Report on Phases 1 and 2, 25 November 1968 - 1 May 1971

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

The testing program with the ATS-1 and ATS-3 spacecraft showed that geostationary satellites can provide superior communications and position surveillance for mobile craft. Inexpensive modifications to conventional mobile communications equipment aboard the craft can provide reliable, high quality voice and digital communications with distant ground stations and other vehicles, and automatic surveillance of the positions of all the craft by a ground facility. The tests also demonstrated the location and automatic readout of remote data collection platforms. Frequency modulation signals with the narrow audio and radio frequency bandwidths of terrestrial mobile radio communications were relayed through the VHF transponders of the geostationary satellites. The voice and digital communications were far superior in reliability and quality to long-distance mobile communications by other means. It was shown that one satellite can provide nearly uniform high quality performance over approximately one-third of the earth's surface. Position fixes by range measurement from the two satellites were accurate to approximately one nautical mile, except near the equator and the poles.

Automatic Extraction of Road Markings from Mobile Laser Scanning Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, H.; Pei, Z.; Wei, Z.; Zhong, R.

2017-09-01

Road markings as critical feature in high-defination maps, which are Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) and self-driving technology required, have important functions in providing guidance and information to moving cars. Mobile laser scanning (MLS) system is an effective way to obtain the 3D information of the road surface, including road markings, at highway speeds and at less than traditional survey costs. This paper presents a novel method to automatically extract road markings from MLS point clouds. Ground points are first filtered from raw input point clouds using neighborhood elevation consistency method. The basic assumption of the method is that the road surface is smooth. Points with small elevation-difference between neighborhood are considered to be ground points. Then ground points are partitioned into a set of profiles according to trajectory data. The intensity histogram of points in each profile is generated to find intensity jumps in certain threshold which inversely to laser distance. The separated points are used as seed points to region grow based on intensity so as to obtain road mark of integrity. We use the point cloud template-matching method to refine the road marking candidates via removing the noise clusters with low correlation coefficient. During experiment with a MLS point set of about 2 kilometres in a city center, our method provides a promising solution to the road markings extraction from MLS data.

Study on the Feasibility of RGB Substitute CIR for Automatic Removal Vegetation Occlusion Based on Ground Close-Range Building Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, C.; Li, F.; Liu, Y.; Li, X.; Liu, P.; Xiao, B.

2012-07-01

Building 3D reconstruction based on ground remote sensing data (image, video and lidar) inevitably faces the problem that buildings are always occluded by vegetation, so how to automatically remove and repair vegetation occlusion is a very important preprocessing work for image understanding, compute vision and digital photogrammetry. In the traditional multispectral remote sensing which is achieved by aeronautics and space platforms, the Red and Near-infrared (NIR) bands, such as NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), are useful to distinguish vegetation and clouds, amongst other targets. However, especially in the ground platform, CIR (Color Infra Red) is little utilized by compute vision and digital photogrammetry which usually only take true color RBG into account. Therefore whether CIR is necessary for vegetation segmentation or not has significance in that most of close-range cameras don't contain such NIR band. Moreover, the CIE L*a*b color space, which transform from RGB, seems not of much interest by photogrammetrists despite its powerfulness in image classification and analysis. So, CIE (L, a, b) feature and support vector machine (SVM) is suggested for vegetation segmentation to substitute for CIR. Finally, experimental results of visual effect and automation are given. The conclusion is that it's feasible to remove and segment vegetation occlusion without NIR band. This work should pave the way for texture reconstruction and repair for future 3D reconstruction.

Evolution of a radio communication relay system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Hoa G.; Pezeshkian, Narek; Hart, Abraham; Burmeister, Aaron; Holz, Kevin; Neff, Joseph; Roth, Leif

2013-05-01

Providing long-distance non-line-of-sight control for unmanned ground robots has long been recognized as a problem, considering the nature of the required high-bandwidth radio links. In the early 2000s, the DARPA Mobile Autonomous Robot Software (MARS) program funded the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) Pacific to demonstrate a capability for autonomous mobile communication relaying on a number of Pioneer laboratory robots. This effort also resulted in the development of ad hoc networking radios and software that were later leveraged in the development of a more practical and logistically simpler system, the Automatically Deployed Communication Relays (ADCR). Funded by the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise and internally by SSC Pacific, several generations of ADCR systems introduced increasingly more capable hardware and software for automatic maintenance of communication links through deployment of static relay nodes from mobile robots. This capability was finally tapped in 2010 to fulfill an urgent need from theater. 243 kits of ruggedized, robot-deployable communication relays were produced and sent to Afghanistan to extend the range of EOD and tactical ground robots in 2012. This paper provides a summary of the evolution of the radio relay technology at SSC Pacific, and then focuses on the latest two stages, the Manually-Deployed Communication Relays and the latest effort to automate the deployment of these ruggedized and fielded relay nodes.

Figure-ground segregation: A fully nonlocal approach.

PubMed

Dimiccoli, Mariella

2016-09-01

We present a computational model that computes and integrates in a nonlocal fashion several configural cues for automatic figure-ground segregation. Our working hypothesis is that the figural status of each pixel is a nonlocal function of several geometric shape properties and it can be estimated without explicitly relying on object boundaries. The methodology is grounded on two elements: multi-directional linear voting and nonlinear diffusion. A first estimation of the figural status of each pixel is obtained as a result of a voting process, in which several differently oriented line-shaped neighborhoods vote to express their belief about the figural status of the pixel. A nonlinear diffusion process is then applied to enforce the coherence of figural status estimates among perceptually homogeneous regions. Computer simulations fit human perception and match the experimental evidence that several cues cooperate in defining figure-ground segregation. The results of this work suggest that figure-ground segregation involves feedback from cells with larger receptive fields in higher visual cortical areas. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validation of automatic landmark identification for atlas-based segmentation for radiation treatment planning of the head-and-neck region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leavens, Claudia; Vik, Torbjørn; Schulz, Heinrich; Allaire, Stéphane; Kim, John; Dawson, Laura; O'Sullivan, Brian; Breen, Stephen; Jaffray, David; Pekar, Vladimir

2008-03-01

Manual contouring of target volumes and organs at risk in radiation therapy is extremely time-consuming, in particular for treating the head-and-neck area, where a single patient treatment plan can take several hours to contour. As radiation treatment delivery moves towards adaptive treatment, the need for more efficient segmentation techniques will increase. We are developing a method for automatic model-based segmentation of the head and neck. This process can be broken down into three main steps: i) automatic landmark identification in the image dataset of interest, ii) automatic landmark-based initialization of deformable surface models to the patient image dataset, and iii) adaptation of the deformable models to the patient-specific anatomical boundaries of interest. In this paper, we focus on the validation of the first step of this method, quantifying the results of our automatic landmark identification method. We use an image atlas formed by applying thin-plate spline (TPS) interpolation to ten atlas datasets, using 27 manually identified landmarks in each atlas/training dataset. The principal variation modes returned by principal component analysis (PCA) of the landmark positions were used by an automatic registration algorithm, which sought the corresponding landmarks in the clinical dataset of interest using a controlled random search algorithm. Applying a run time of 60 seconds to the random search, a root mean square (rms) distance to the ground-truth landmark position of 9.5 +/- 0.6 mm was calculated for the identified landmarks. Automatic segmentation of the brain, mandible and brain stem, using the detected landmarks, is demonstrated.

Experiment on aggregation of red cells under microgravity on STS 51-C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dintenfass, L.; Osman, P.; Maguire, B.; Jedrzejczyk, H.

Kinetics and morphology of aggregation of red cells were studied using automatic slit-capillary photo-viscometers, one situated on the middeck of the space shuttle `Discovery', and the other in the ground laboratory at KSC. Experiments were run simultaneously, blood samples being adjusted to haematocrit of 0.30 using native plasma, at temp. of 25°C, and anticoagulated by EDTA. Donors included patients with myocardial infarction, insulin-dependent diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and hypertension. Macro and microphotographs were obtained during flow and statis. There was a striking difference in the morphology of aggregates formed in space and on the ground. Aggregates formed under zero gravity showed rouleaux formation, while the same blood samples showed severe clumping on the ground, in all patients blood. Normal blood showed rouleaux on the ground, but a random swarm-like pattern in space. The shape of the red cells remained normal under zero gravity.

Developing an Adaptable NextGen Interface for the UAS Ground Control Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, James R.; Otto, Neil; Jovic, Srba; Carniol, Ted; Kotegawa, Tatsuya

2016-01-01

Presently a significant number of unmanned aircraft are not included in the existing National Airspace System surveillance system. This is due to many reasons including an inability to carry Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast equipment for weight or power consumption deficiencies, legacy equipment usage, and the experimental nature of unmanned aircraft. In addition, pilots on the ground do not have the situation awareness to proximal aircraft pilots in the cockpit have. However, many unmanned aircraft utilize a link between the aircraft and ground control station that includes periodic updates to the aircraft position. Technologies have been developed to provide the existing national surveillance system with the location of the aircraft while at the same time providing the ground pilot a display with aircraft that are in the aircrafts proximity, thus expanding the national surveillance data as well as provide increased pilot situation awareness.

A Low-Cost Approach to Automatically Obtain Accurate 3D Models of Woody Crops.

PubMed

Bengochea-Guevara, José M; Andújar, Dionisio; Sanchez-Sardana, Francisco L; Cantuña, Karla; Ribeiro, Angela

2017-12-24

Crop monitoring is an essential practice within the field of precision agriculture since it is based on observing, measuring and properly responding to inter- and intra-field variability. In particular, "on ground crop inspection" potentially allows early detection of certain crop problems or precision treatment to be carried out simultaneously with pest detection. "On ground monitoring" is also of great interest for woody crops. This paper explores the development of a low-cost crop monitoring system that can automatically create accurate 3D models (clouds of coloured points) of woody crop rows. The system consists of a mobile platform that allows the easy acquisition of information in the field at an average speed of 3 km/h. The platform, among others, integrates an RGB-D sensor that provides RGB information as well as an array with the distances to the objects closest to the sensor. The RGB-D information plus the geographical positions of relevant points, such as the starting and the ending points of the row, allow the generation of a 3D reconstruction of a woody crop row in which all the points of the cloud have a geographical location as well as the RGB colour values. The proposed approach for the automatic 3D reconstruction is not limited by the size of the sampled space and includes a method for the removal of the drift that appears in the reconstruction of large crop rows.

A Low-Cost Approach to Automatically Obtain Accurate 3D Models of Woody Crops

PubMed Central

Andújar, Dionisio; Sanchez-Sardana, Francisco L.; Cantuña, Karla

2017-01-01

Crop monitoring is an essential practice within the field of precision agriculture since it is based on observing, measuring and properly responding to inter- and intra-field variability. In particular, “on ground crop inspection” potentially allows early detection of certain crop problems or precision treatment to be carried out simultaneously with pest detection. “On ground monitoring” is also of great interest for woody crops. This paper explores the development of a low-cost crop monitoring system that can automatically create accurate 3D models (clouds of coloured points) of woody crop rows. The system consists of a mobile platform that allows the easy acquisition of information in the field at an average speed of 3 km/h. The platform, among others, integrates an RGB-D sensor that provides RGB information as well as an array with the distances to the objects closest to the sensor. The RGB-D information plus the geographical positions of relevant points, such as the starting and the ending points of the row, allow the generation of a 3D reconstruction of a woody crop row in which all the points of the cloud have a geographical location as well as the RGB colour values. The proposed approach for the automatic 3D reconstruction is not limited by the size of the sampled space and includes a method for the removal of the drift that appears in the reconstruction of large crop rows. PMID:29295536

Distributed pheromone-based swarming control of unmanned air and ground vehicles for RSTA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauter, John A.; Mathews, Robert S.; Yinger, Andrew; Robinson, Joshua S.; Moody, John; Riddle, Stephanie

2008-04-01

The use of unmanned vehicles in Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) applications has received considerable attention recently. Cooperating land and air vehicles can support multiple sensor modalities providing pervasive and ubiquitous broad area sensor coverage. However coordination of multiple air and land vehicles serving different mission objectives in a dynamic and complex environment is a challenging problem. Swarm intelligence algorithms, inspired by the mechanisms used in natural systems to coordinate the activities of many entities provide a promising alternative to traditional command and control approaches. This paper describes recent advances in a fully distributed digital pheromone algorithm that has demonstrated its effectiveness in managing the complexity of swarming unmanned systems. The results of a recent demonstration at NASA's Wallops Island of multiple Aerosonde Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) and Pioneer Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) cooperating in a coordinated RSTA application are discussed. The vehicles were autonomously controlled by the onboard digital pheromone responding to the needs of the automatic target recognition algorithms. UAVs and UGVs controlled by the same pheromone algorithm self-organized to perform total area surveillance, automatic target detection, sensor cueing, and automatic target recognition with no central processing or control and minimal operator input. Complete autonomy adds several safety and fault tolerance requirements which were integrated into the basic pheromone framework. The adaptive algorithms demonstrated the ability to handle some unplanned hardware failures during the demonstration without any human intervention. The paper describes lessons learned and the next steps for this promising technology.

Automatic AVHRR image navigation software

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldwin, Dan; Emery, William

1992-01-01

This is the final report describing the work done on the project entitled Automatic AVHRR Image Navigation Software funded through NASA-Washington, award NAGW-3224, Account 153-7529. At the onset of this project, we had developed image navigation software capable of producing geo-registered images from AVHRR data. The registrations were highly accurate but required a priori knowledge of the spacecraft's axes alignment deviations, commonly known as attitude. The three angles needed to describe the attitude are called roll, pitch, and yaw, and are the components of the deviations in the along scan, along track and about center directions. The inclusion of the attitude corrections in the navigation software results in highly accurate georegistrations, however, the computation of the angles is very tedious and involves human interpretation for several steps. The technique also requires easily identifiable ground features which may not be available due to cloud cover or for ocean data. The current project was motivated by the need for a navigation system which was automatic and did not require human intervention or ground control points. The first step in creating such a system must be the ability to parameterize the spacecraft's attitude. The immediate goal of this project was to study the attitude fluctuations and determine if they displayed any systematic behavior which could be modeled or parameterized. We chose a period in 1991-1992 to study the attitude of the NOAA 11 spacecraft using data from the Tiros receiving station at the Colorado Center for Astrodynamic Research (CCAR) at the University of Colorado.

Automatic 3D Extraction of Buildings, Vegetation and Roads from LIDAR Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellakaout, A.; Cherkaoui, M.; Ettarid, M.; Touzani, A.

2016-06-01

Aerial topographic surveys using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology collect dense and accurate information from the surface or terrain; it is becoming one of the important tools in the geosciences for studying objects and earth surface. Classification of Lidar data for extracting ground, vegetation, and buildings is a very important step needed in numerous applications such as 3D city modelling, extraction of different derived data for geographical information systems (GIS), mapping, navigation, etc... Regardless of what the scan data will be used for, an automatic process is greatly required to handle the large amount of data collected because the manual process is time consuming and very expensive. This paper is presenting an approach for automatic classification of aerial Lidar data into five groups of items: buildings, trees, roads, linear object and soil using single return Lidar and processing the point cloud without generating DEM. Topological relationship and height variation analysis is adopted to segment, preliminary, the entire point cloud preliminarily into upper and lower contours, uniform and non-uniform surface, non-uniform surfaces, linear objects, and others. This primary classification is used on the one hand to know the upper and lower part of each building in an urban scene, needed to model buildings façades; and on the other hand to extract point cloud of uniform surfaces which contain roofs, roads and ground used in the second phase of classification. A second algorithm is developed to segment the uniform surface into buildings roofs, roads and ground, the second phase of classification based on the topological relationship and height variation analysis, The proposed approach has been tested using two areas : the first is a housing complex and the second is a primary school. The proposed approach led to successful classification results of buildings, vegetation and road classes.

Real-time Shakemap implementation in Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weginger, Stefan; Jia, Yan; Papi Isaba, Maria; Horn, Nikolaus

2017-04-01

ShakeMaps provide near-real-time maps of ground motion and shaking intensity following significant earthquakes. They are automatically generated within a few minutes after occurrence of an earthquake. We tested and included the USGS ShakeMap 4.0 (experimental code) based on python in the Antelope real-time system with local modified GMPE and Site Effects based on the conditions in Austria. The ShakeMaps are provided in terms of Intensity, PGA, PGV and PSA. Future presentation of ShakeMap contour lines and Ground Motion Parameter with interactive maps and data exchange over Web-Services are shown.

Design and flight test of a differential GPS/inertial navigation system for approach/landing guidance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vallot, Lawrence; Snyder, Scott; Schipper, Brian; Parker, Nigel; Spitzer, Cary

1991-01-01

NASA-Langley has conducted a flight test program evaluating a differential GPS/inertial navigation system's (DGPS/INS) utility as an approach/landing aid. The DGPS/INS airborne and ground components are based on off-the-shelf transport aircraft avionics, namely a global positioning/inertial reference unit (GPIRU) and two GPS sensor units (GPSSUs). Systematic GPS errors are measured by the ground GPSSU and transmitted to the aircraft GPIRU, allowing the errors to be eliminated or greatly reduced in the airborne equipment. Over 120 landings were flown; 36 of these were fully automatic DGPS/INS landings.

Testing flight software on the ground: Introducing the hardware-in-the-loop simulation method to the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Wenhao; Cai, Xudong; Meng, Qiao

2016-04-01

Complex automatic protection functions are being added to the onboard software of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. A hardware-in-the-loop simulation method has been introduced to overcome the difficulties of ground testing that are brought by hardware and environmental limitations. We invented a time-saving approach by reusing the flight data as the data source of the simulation system instead of mathematical models. This is easy to implement and it works efficiently. This paper presents the system framework, implementation details and some application examples.

Alternate avionics system study and phase B extension

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

Results of alternate avionics system studies for the space shuttle are presented that reduce the cost of vehicle avionics without incurring major off-setting costs on the ground. A comprehensive summary is provided of all configurations defined since the completion of the basic Phase B contract and a complete description of the optimized avionics baseline is given. In the new baseline, inflight redundancy management is performed onboard without ground support; utilization of off-the-shelf hardware reduces the cost figure substantially less than for the Phase B baseline. The only functional capability sacrificed in the new approach is automatic landing.

Explosion Source Location Study Using Collocated Acoustic and Seismic Networks in Israel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinsky, V.; Gitterman, Y.; Arrowsmith, S.; Ben-Horin, Y.

2013-12-01

We explore a joined analysis of seismic and infrasonic signals for improvement in automatic monitoring of small local/regional events, such as construction and quarry blasts, military chemical explosions, sonic booms, etc. using collocated seismic and infrasonic networks recently build in Israel (ISIN) in the frame of the project sponsored by the Bi-national USA-Israel Science Foundation (BSF). The general target is to create an automatic system, which will provide detection, location and identification of explosions in real-time or close-to-real time manner. At the moment the network comprises 15 stations hosting a microphone and seismometer (or accelerometer), operated by the Geophysical Institute of Israel (GII), plus two infrasonic arrays, operated by the National Data Center, Soreq: IOB in the South (Negev desert) and IMA in the North of Israel (Upper Galilee),collocated with the IMS seismic array MMAI. The study utilizes a ground-truth data-base of numerous Rotem phosphate quarry blasts, a number of controlled explosions for demolition of outdated ammunitions and experimental surface explosions for a structure protection research, at the Sayarim Military Range. A special event, comprising four military explosions in a neighboring country, that provided both strong seismic (up to 400 km) and infrasound waves (up to 300 km), is also analyzed. For all of these events the ground-truth coordinates and/or the results of seismic location by the Israel Seismic Network (ISN) have been provided. For automatic event detection and phase picking we tested the new recursive picker, based on Statistically optimal detector. The results were compared to the manual picks. Several location techniques have been tested using the ground-truth event recordings and the preliminary results obtained have been compared to the ground-truth locations: 1) a number of events have been located as intersection of azimuths estimated using the wide-band F-K analysis technique applied to the infrasonic phases of the two distant arrays; 2) a standard robust grid-search location procedure based on phase picks and a constant celerity for a phase (tropospheric or stratospheric) was applied; 3) a joint coordinate grid-search procedure using array waveforms and phase picks was tested, 4) the Bayesian Infrasonic Source Localization (BISL) method, incorporating semi-empirical model-based prior information, was modified for array+network configuration and applied to the ground-truth events. For this purpose we accumulated data of the former observations of the air-to-ground infrasonic phases to compute station specific ground-truth Celerity-Range Histograms (ssgtCRH) and/or model-based CRH (mbCRH), which allow to essentially improve the location results. For building the mbCRH the local meteo-data and the ray-tracing modeling in 3 available azimuth ranges, accounting seasonal variations of winds directivity (quadrants North:315-45, South: 135-225, East 45-135) have been used.

Deep convolutional neural network for prostate MR segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Zhiqiang; Liu, Lizhi; Fei, Baowei

2017-03-01

Automatic segmentation of the prostate in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has many applications in prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy. We propose a deep fully convolutional neural network (CNN) to segment the prostate automatically. Our deep CNN model is trained end-to-end in a single learning stage based on prostate MR images and the corresponding ground truths, and learns to make inference for pixel-wise segmentation. Experiments were performed on our in-house data set, which contains prostate MR images of 20 patients. The proposed CNN model obtained a mean Dice similarity coefficient of 85.3%+/-3.2% as compared to the manual segmentation. Experimental results show that our deep CNN model could yield satisfactory segmentation of the prostate.

Control concepts for the alleviation of windshears and gusts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rynaski, E. G.; Govindaraj, K. S.

1982-01-01

Automatic control system design methods for gust and shear alleviation were studied. It is shown that automatic gust/shear alleviation systems can be quite effective if both throttle and elevator are used in harmony to produce the forces and moments required to counter the effects of the windshear. Regulation with respect to ground speed or airspeed results in very similar system designs. The application of the NASA total energy probe in the detection of windshear and criteria for alleviation is considered. The theory and application of robust output observers is extended. Design examples show how implementation of the control laws can be accomplished using observers, and thereby resulting in less complex control system configurations.

Recognition of surface lithologic and topographic patterns in southwest Colorado with ADP techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melhorn, W. N.; Sinnock, S.

1973-01-01

Analysis of ERTS-1 multispectral data by automatic pattern recognition procedures is applicable toward grappling with current and future resource stresses by providing a means for refining existing geologic maps. The procedures used in the current analysis already yield encouraging results toward the eventual machine recognition of extensive surface lithologic and topographic patterns. Automatic mapping of a series of hogbacks, strike valleys, and alluvial surfaces along the northwest flank of the San Juan Basin in Colorado can be obtained by minimal man-machine interaction. The determination of causes for separable spectral signatures is dependent upon extensive correlation of micro- and macro field based ground truth observations and aircraft underflight data with the satellite data.

Application and API for Real-time Visualization of Ground-motions and Tsunami

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aoi, S.; Kunugi, T.; Suzuki, W.; Kubo, T.; Nakamura, H.; Azuma, H.; Fujiwara, H.

2015-12-01

Due to the recent progress of seismograph and communication environment, real-time and continuous ground-motion observation becomes technically and economically feasible. K-NET and KiK-net, which are nationwide strong motion networks operated by NIED, cover all Japan by about 1750 stations in total. More than half of the stations transmit the ground-motion indexes and/or waveform data in every second. Traditionally, strong-motion data were recorded by event-triggering based instruments with non-continues telephone line which is connected only after an earthquake. Though the data from such networks mainly contribute to preparations for future earthquakes, huge amount of real-time data from dense network are expected to directly contribute to the mitigation of ongoing earthquake disasters through, e.g., automatic shutdown plants and helping decision-making for initial response. By generating the distribution map of these indexes and uploading them to the website, we implemented the real-time ground motion monitoring system, Kyoshin (strong-motion in Japanese) monitor. This web service (www.kyoshin.bosai.go.jp) started in 2008 and anyone can grasp the current ground motions of Japan. Though this service provides only ground-motion map in GIF format, to take full advantage of real-time strong-motion data to mitigate the ongoing disasters, digital data are important. We have developed a WebAPI to provide real-time data and related information such as ground motions (5 km-mesh) and arrival times estimated from EEW (earthquake early warning). All response data from this WebAPI are in JSON format and are easy to parse. We also developed Kyoshin monitor application for smartphone, 'Kmoni view' using the API. In this application, ground motions estimated from EEW are overlapped on the map with the observed one-second-interval indexes. The application can playback previous earthquakes for demonstration or disaster drill. In mobile environment, data traffic and battery are limited and it is not practical to regularly visualize all the data. The application has automatic starting (pop-up) function triggered by EEW. Similar WebAPI and application for tsunami are being prepared using the pressure data recorded by dense offshore observation network (S-net), which is under construction along the Japan Trench.

Ship Production Symposium on Commercial Competitiveness for Small and Large North American Shipyards Held in Seattle, Washington on January 25-27, 1995

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

large procurement and manu- facturing family in which each mem - ber has an equa l s t ake in the suc - c e s s o f t h e p r o j e c t...Action Navy EBS Environmental Baseline Survey DoD EIR EIS EPA LAN NEPA OEA OHP PCB PETE UCD UST UXO VOC WESTDIV Department of Defense Environmental Impact...compliance with state requirements. BRAC Environmental has worked in close cooperation with the State Office of Historical Preservation ( OHP ), which has

The Influence of Partner-Specific Memory Associations on Language Production: Evidence from Picture Naming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horton, William S.

2007-01-01

In typical interactions, speakers frequently produce utterances that appear to reflect beliefs about the common ground shared with particular addressees. Horton and Gerrig (2005a) proposed that one important basis for audience design is the manner in which conversational partners serve as cues for the automatic retrieval of associated information…

Automated methods of tree boundary extraction and foliage transparency estimation from digital imagery

Treesearch

Sang-Mook Lee; Neil A. Clark; Philip A. Araman

2003-01-01

Foliage transparency in trees is an important indicator for forest health assessment. This paper helps advance transparency measurement research by presenting methods of automatic tree boundary extraction and foliage transparency estimation from digital images taken from the ground of open grown trees.Extraction of proper boundaries of tree crowns is the...

Measuring Prevalence of Other-Oriented Transactive Contributions Using an Automated Measure of Speech Style Accommodation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gweon, Gahgene; Jain, Mahaveer; McDonough, John; Raj, Bhiksha; Rose, Carolyn P.

2013-01-01

This paper contributes to a theory-grounded methodological foundation for automatic collaborative learning process analysis. It does this by illustrating how insights from the social psychology and sociolinguistics of speech style provide a theoretical framework to inform the design of a computational model. The purpose of that model is to detect…

But for the Bad, There Would Not Be Good: Grounding Valence in Brightness through Shared Relational Structures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakens, Daniel; Semin, Gun R.; Foroni, Francesco

2012-01-01

Light and dark are used pervasively to represent positive and negative concepts. Recent studies suggest that black and white stimuli are automatically associated with negativity and positivity. However, structural factors in experimental designs, such as the shared opposition in the valence (good vs. bad) and brightness (light vs. dark) dimensions…

Generating Safety-Critical PLC Code From a High-Level Application Software Specification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

The benefits of automatic-application code generation are widely accepted within the software engineering community. These benefits include raised abstraction level of application programming, shorter product development time, lower maintenance costs, and increased code quality and consistency. Surprisingly, code generation concepts have not yet found wide acceptance and use in the field of programmable logic controller (PLC) software development. Software engineers at Kennedy Space Center recognized the need for PLC code generation while developing the new ground checkout and launch processing system, called the Launch Control System (LCS). Engineers developed a process and a prototype software tool that automatically translates a high-level representation or specification of application software into ladder logic that executes on a PLC. All the computer hardware in the LCS is planned to be commercial off the shelf (COTS), including industrial controllers or PLCs that are connected to the sensors and end items out in the field. Most of the software in LCS is also planned to be COTS, with only small adapter software modules that must be developed in order to interface between the various COTS software products. A domain-specific language (DSL) is a programming language designed to perform tasks and to solve problems in a particular domain, such as ground processing of launch vehicles. The LCS engineers created a DSL for developing test sequences of ground checkout and launch operations of future launch vehicle and spacecraft elements, and they are developing a tabular specification format that uses the DSL keywords and functions familiar to the ground and flight system users. The tabular specification format, or tabular spec, allows most ground and flight system users to document how the application software is intended to function and requires little or no software programming knowledge or experience. A small sample from a prototype tabular spec application is shown.

Automatic Mexico Gulf Oil Spill Detection from Radarsat-2 SAR Satellite Data Using Genetic Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marghany, Maged

2016-10-01

In this work, a genetic algorithm is exploited for automatic detection of oil spills of small and large size. The route is achieved using arrays of RADARSAT-2 SAR ScanSAR Narrow single beam data obtained in the Gulf of Mexico. The study shows that genetic algorithm has automatically segmented the dark spot patches related to small and large oil spill pixels. This conclusion is confirmed by the receiveroperating characteristic (ROC) curve and ground data which have been documented. The ROC curve indicates that the existence of oil slick footprints can be identified with the area under the curve between the ROC curve and the no-discrimination line of 90%, which is greater than that of other surrounding environmental features. The small oil spill sizes represented 30% of the discriminated oil spill pixels in ROC curve. In conclusion, the genetic algorithm can be used as a tool for the automatic detection of oil spills of either small or large size and the ScanSAR Narrow single beam mode serves as an excellent sensor for oil spill patterns detection and surveying in the Gulf of Mexico.

Comparison of histomorphometrical data obtained with two different image analysis methods.

PubMed

Ballerini, Lucia; Franke-Stenport, Victoria; Borgefors, Gunilla; Johansson, Carina B

2007-08-01

A common way to determine tissue acceptance of biomaterials is to perform histomorphometrical analysis on histologically stained sections from retrieved samples with surrounding tissue, using various methods. The "time and money consuming" methods and techniques used are often "in house standards". We address light microscopic investigations of bone tissue reactions on un-decalcified cut and ground sections of threaded implants. In order to screen sections and generate results faster, the aim of this pilot project was to compare results generated with the in-house standard visual image analysis tool (i.e., quantifications and judgements done by the naked eye) with a custom made automatic image analysis program. The histomorphometrical bone area measurements revealed no significant differences between the methods but the results of the bony contacts varied significantly. The raw results were in relative agreement, i.e., the values from the two methods were proportional to each other: low bony contact values in the visual method corresponded to low values with the automatic method. With similar resolution images and further improvements of the automatic method this difference should become insignificant. A great advantage using the new automatic image analysis method is that it is time saving--analysis time can be significantly reduced.

Control Law for Automatic Landing Using Fuzzy-Logic Control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kato, Akio; Inagaki, Yoshiki

The effectiveness of a fuzzy-logic control law for automatically landing an aircraft that handles both the control to lead an aircraft from horizontal flight at an altitude of 500 meters to flight along the glide-path course near the runway, as well as the control to direct the aircraft to land smoothly on a runway, was investigated. The control law for the automatic landing was designed to match the design goals of directing an aircraft from horizontal flight to flight along a glide-path course quickly and smoothly, and for landing smoothly on a runway. The design of the control law and evaluation of the control performance were performed considering the ground effect at landing. As a result, it was confirmed that the design goals were achieved. Even if the characteristics of the aircraft change greatly, the proposed control law is able to maintain the control performance. Moreover, it was confirmed to be able to land an aircraft safely during air turbulence. The present paper indicates that fuzzy-logic control is an effective and flexible method when applied to the control law for automatic landing, and the design method of the control law using fuzzy-logic control was obtained.

SU-F-J-34: Automatic Target-Based Patient Positioning Framework for Image-Guided Radiotherapy in Prostate Cancer Treatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sasahara, M; Arimura, H; Hirose, T

Purpose: Current image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) procedure is bonebased patient positioning, followed by subjective manual correction using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). This procedure might cause the misalignment of the patient positioning. Automatic target-based patient positioning systems achieve the better reproducibility of patient setup. Our aim of this study was to develop an automatic target-based patient positioning framework for IGRT with CBCT images in prostate cancer treatment. Methods: Seventy-three CBCT images of 10 patients and 24 planning CT images with digital imaging and communications in medicine for radiotherapy (DICOM-RT) structures were used for this study. Our proposed framework started from themore » generation of probabilistic atlases of bone and prostate from 24 planning CT images and prostate contours, which were made in the treatment planning. Next, the gray-scale histograms of CBCT values within CTV regions in the planning CT images were obtained as the occurrence probability of the CBCT values. Then, CBCT images were registered to the atlases using a rigid registration with mutual information. Finally, prostate regions were estimated by applying the Bayesian inference to CBCT images with the probabilistic atlases and CBCT value occurrence probability. The proposed framework was evaluated by calculating the Euclidean distance of errors between two centroids of prostate regions determined by our method and ground truths of manual delineations by a radiation oncologist and a medical physicist on CBCT images for 10 patients. Results: The average Euclidean distance between the centroids of extracted prostate regions determined by our proposed method and ground truths was 4.4 mm. The average errors for each direction were 1.8 mm in anteroposterior direction, 0.6 mm in lateral direction and 2.1 mm in craniocaudal direction. Conclusion: Our proposed framework based on probabilistic atlases and Bayesian inference might be feasible to automatically determine prostate regions on CBCT images.« less

On the possibility of producing definitive magnetic observatory data within less than one year

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandić, Igor; Korte, Monika

2017-04-01

Geomagnetic observatory data are fundamental in geomagnetic field studies and are widely used in other applications. Often they are combined with satellite and ground survey data. Unfortunately, the observatory definitive data are only available with a time lag ranging from several months up to more than a year. The reason for this lag is the annual production of the final calibration values, i.e. baselines that are used to correct preliminary data from continuously recording magnetometers. In this paper, we will show that the preparation of definitive geomagnetic data is possible within a calendar year and presents an original method for prompt and automatic estimation of the observatory baselines. The new baselines, obtained in a mostly automatic manner, are compared with the baselines reported on INTERMAGNET DVDs for the 2009-2011 period. The high quality of the baselines obtained by the proposed method indicates its suitability for data processing in fully automatic observatories when automated absolute instruments will be deployed at remote sites.

Social priming of hemispatial neglect affects spatial coding: Evidence from the Simon task.

PubMed

Arend, Isabel; Aisenberg, Daniela; Henik, Avishai

2016-10-01

In the Simon effect (SE), choice reactions are fast if the location of the stimulus and the response correspond when stimulus location is task-irrelevant; therefore, the SE reflects the automatic processing of space. Priming of social concepts was found to affect automatic processing in the Stroop effect. We investigated whether spatial coding measured by the SE can be affected by the observer's mental state. We used two social priming manipulations of impairments: one involving spatial processing - hemispatial neglect (HN) and another involving color perception - achromatopsia (ACHM). In two experiments the SE was reduced in the "neglected" visual field (VF) under the HN, but not under the ACHM manipulation. Our results show that spatial coding is sensitive to spatial representations that are not derived from task-relevant parameters, but from the observer's cognitive state. These findings dispute stimulus-response interference models grounded on the idea of the automaticity of spatial processing. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Design and Fabrication of Automatic Glass Cutting Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veena, T. R.; Kadadevaramath, R. S.; Nagaraj, P. M.; Madhusudhan, S. V.

2016-09-01

This paper deals with the design and fabrication of the automatic glass or mirror cutting machine. In order to increase the accuracy of cut and production rate; and decrease the production time and accidents caused due to manual cutting of mirror or glass, this project aims at development of an automatic machine which uses a programmable logic controller (PLC) for controlling the movement of the conveyer and also to control the pneumatic circuit. In this machine, the work of the operator is to load and unload the mirror. The cutter used in this machine is carbide wheel with its cutting edge ground to a V-shaped profile. The PLC controls the pneumatic cylinder and intern actuates the cutter along the glass, a fracture layer is formed causing a mark to be formed below the fracture layer and a crack to be formed below the rib mark. The machine elements are designed using CATIA V5R20 and pneumatic circuit are designed using FESTO FLUID SIM software.

Multi-view information fusion for automatic BI-RADS description of mammographic masses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Narvaez, Fabián; Díaz, Gloria; Romero, Eduardo

2011-03-01

Most CBIR-based CAD systems (Content Based Image Retrieval systems for Computer Aided Diagnosis) identify lesions that are eventually relevant. These systems base their analysis upon a single independent view. This article presents a CBIR framework which automatically describes mammographic masses with the BI-RADS lexicon, fusing information from the two mammographic views. After an expert selects a Region of Interest (RoI) at the two views, a CBIR strategy searches similar masses in the database by automatically computing the Mahalanobis distance between shape and texture feature vectors of the mammography. The strategy was assessed in a set of 400 cases, for which the suggested descriptions were compared with the ground truth provided by the data base. Two information fusion strategies were evaluated, allowing a retrieval precision rate of 89.6% in the best scheme. Likewise, the best performance obtained for shape, margin and pathology description, using a ROC methodology, was reported as AUC = 0.86, AUC = 0.72 and AUC = 0.85, respectively.

A computer-aided diagnosis system of nuclear cataract.

PubMed

Li, Huiqi; Lim, Joo Hwee; Liu, Jiang; Mitchell, Paul; Tan, Ava Grace; Wang, Jie Jin; Wong, Tien Yin

2010-07-01

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and nuclear cataract is the most common form of cataract. An algorithm for automatic diagnosis of nuclear cataract is investigated in this paper. Nuclear cataract is graded according to the severity of opacity using slit lamp lens images. Anatomical structure in the lens image is detected using a modified active shape model. On the basis of the anatomical landmark, local features are extracted according to clinical grading protocol. Support vector machine regression is employed for grade prediction. This is the first time that the nucleus region can be detected automatically in slit lamp images. The system is validated using clinical images and clinical ground truth on >5000 images. The success rate of structure detection is 95% and the average grading difference is 0.36 on a 5.0 scale. The automatic diagnosis system can improve the grading objectivity and potentially be used in clinics and population studies to save the workload of ophthalmologists.

Complex effusive events at Kilauea as documented by the GOES satellite and remote video cameras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harris, A.J.L.; Thornber, C.R.

1999-01-01

GOES provides thermal data for all of the Hawaiian volcanoes once every 15 min. We show how volcanic radiance time series produced from this data stream can be used as a simple measure of effusive activity. Two types of radiance trends in these time series can be used to monitor effusive activity: (a) Gradual variations in radiance reveal steady flow-field extension and tube development. (b) Discrete spikes correlate with short bursts of activity, such as lava fountaining or lava-lake overflows. We are confident that any effusive event covering more than 10,000 m2 of ground in less than 60 min will be unambiguously detectable using this approach. We demonstrate this capability using GOES, video camera and ground-based observational data for the current eruption of Kilauea volcano (Hawai'i). A GOES radiance time series was constructed from 3987 images between 19 June and 12 August 1997. This time series displayed 24 radiance spikes elevated more than two standard deviations above the mean; 19 of these are correlated with video-recorded short-burst effusive events. Less ambiguous events are interpreted, assessed and related to specific volcanic events by simultaneous use of permanently recording video camera data and ground-observer reports. The GOES radiance time series are automatically processed on data reception and made available in near-real-time, so such time series can contribute to three main monitoring functions: (a) automatically alerting major effusive events; (b) event confirmation and assessment; and (c) establishing effusive event chronology.

Automatic Thickness and Volume Estimation of Sprayed Concrete on Anchored Retaining Walls from Terrestrial LIDAR Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Sánchez, J.; Puente, I.; GonzálezJorge, H.; Riveiro, B.; Arias, P.

2016-06-01

When ground conditions are weak, particularly in free formed tunnel linings or retaining walls, sprayed concrete can be applied on the exposed surfaces immediately after excavation for shotcreting rock outcrops. In these situations, shotcrete is normally applied conjointly with rock bolts and mesh, thereby supporting the loose material that causes many of the small ground falls. On the other hand, contractors want to determine the thickness and volume of sprayed concrete for both technical and economic reasons: to guarantee their structural strength but also, to not deliver excess material that they will not be paid for. In this paper, we first introduce a terrestrial LiDAR-based method for the automatic detection of rock bolts, as typically used in anchored retaining walls. These ground support elements are segmented based on their geometry and they will serve as control points for the co-registration of two successive scans, before and after shotcreting. Then we compare both point clouds to estimate the sprayed concrete thickness and the expending volume on the wall. This novel methodology is demonstrated on repeated scan data from a retaining wall in the city of Vigo (Spain), resulting in a rock bolts detection rate of 91%, that permits to obtain a detailed information of the thickness and calculate a total volume of 3597 litres of concrete. These results have verified the effectiveness of the developed approach by increasing productivity and improving previous empirical proposals for real time thickness estimation.

SLO blind data set inversion and classification using physically complete models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shamatava, I.; Shubitidze, F.; Fernández, J. P.; Barrowes, B. E.; O'Neill, K.; Grzegorczyk, T. M.; Bijamov, A.

2010-04-01

Discrimination studies carried out on TEMTADS and Metal Mapper blind data sets collected at the San Luis Obispo UXO site are presented. The data sets included four types of targets of interest: 2.36" rockets, 60-mm mortar shells, 81-mm projectiles, and 4.2" mortar items. The total parameterized normalized magnetic source (NSMS) amplitudes were used to discriminate TOI from metallic clutter and among the different hazardous UXO. First, in object's frame coordinate, the total NSMS were determined for each TOI along three orthogonal axes from the training data provided by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) along with the referred blind data sets. Then the inverted total NSMS were used to extract the time-decay classification features. Once our inversion and classification algorithms were tested on the calibration data sets then we applied the same procedure to all blind data sets. The combined NSMS and differential evolution algorithm is utilized for determine the NSMS strengths for each cell. The obtained total NSMS time-decay curves were used to extract the discrimination features and perform classification using the training data as reference. In addition, for cross validation, the inverted locations and orientations from NSMS-DE algorithm were compared against the inverted data that obtained via the magnetic field, vector and scalar potentials (HAP) method and the combined dipole and Gauss-Newton approach technique. We examined the entire time decay history of the total NSMS case-by-case for classification purposes. Also, we use different multi-class statistical classification algorithms for separating the dangerous objects from non hazardous items. The inverted targets were ranked by target ID and submitted to SERDP for independent scoring. The independent scoring results are presented.

Munitions related feature extraction from LIDAR data.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roberts, Barry L.

2010-06-01

The characterization of former military munitions ranges is critical in the identification of areas likely to contain residual unexploded ordnance (UXO). Although these ranges are large, often covering tens-of-thousands of acres, the actual target areas represent only a small fraction of the sites. The challenge is that many of these sites do not have records indicating locations of former target areas. The identification of target areas is critical in the characterization and remediation of these sites. The Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) of the DoD have been developing and implementing techniquesmore » for the efficient characterization of large munitions ranges. As part of this process, high-resolution LIDAR terrain data sets have been collected over several former ranges. These data sets have been shown to contain information relating to former munitions usage at these ranges, specifically terrain cratering due to high-explosives detonations. The location and relative intensity of crater features can provide information critical in reconstructing the usage history of a range, and indicate areas most likely to contain UXO. We have developed an automated procedure using an adaptation of the Circular Hough Transform for the identification of crater features in LIDAR terrain data. The Circular Hough Transform is highly adept at finding circular features (craters) in noisy terrain data sets. This technique has the ability to find features of a specific radius providing a means of filtering features based on expected scale and providing additional spatial characterization of the identified feature. This method of automated crater identification has been applied to several former munitions ranges with positive results.« less

Contribution of hydrolysis in the abiotic attenuation of RDX and HMX in coastal waters.

PubMed

Monteil-Rivera, Fanny; Paquet, Louise; Giroux, Romain; Hawari, Jalal

2008-01-01

Sinking of military ships, dumping of munitions during the two World Wars, and military training have resulted in the undersea deposition of numerous unexploded ordnances (UXOs). Leaching of energetic compounds such as hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) from these UXOs may cause adverse ecological effects so that the long-term fate of these chemicals in the sea should be known. The present study assesses the contribution of alkaline hydrolysis into the natural attenuation of RDX and HMX in coastal waters. Alkaline hydrolysis rates were shown to be unaffected by the presence of sodium chloride, the most common component in marine waters. Kinetic parameters (E(a), ln A, k(2)) quantified for the alkaline hydrolysis of RDX and HMX in deionized water (30-50 degrees C, pH 10-12) agreed relatively well with abiotic degradation rates determined in sterilized natural coastal waters (50 and 60 degrees C, variable salinity) even if the latter were generally slightly faster than the former. Furthermore, similar products (HCHO, NO(2)(-), O(2)NNHCH(2)NHCHO) were obtained on alkaline hydrolysis in deionized water and abiotic degradation in coastal waters. These two findings suggested that degradation of nitramines in sterilized natural coastal waters, away from light, was mainly governed by alkaline hydrolysis. Kinetic calculations using the present parameters showed that alkaline hydrolysis of RDX and HMX in marine waters at 10 degrees C would respectively take 112 +/- 10 and 2408 +/- 217 yr to be completed (99.0%). We concluded that under natural conditions hydrolysis should not contribute significantly to the natural attenuation of HMX in coastal waters whereas it could play an active role in the natural attenuation of RDX.

Target-classification approach applied to active UXO sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shubitidze, F.; Fernández, J. P.; Shamatava, Irma; Barrowes, B. E.; O'Neill, K.

2013-06-01

This study is designed to illustrate the discrimination performance at two UXO active sites (Oklahoma's Fort Sill and the Massachusetts Military Reservation) of a set of advanced electromagnetic induction (EMI) inversion/discrimination models which include the orthonormalized volume magnetic source (ONVMS), joint diagonalization (JD), and differential evolution (DE) approaches and whose power and flexibility greatly exceed those of the simple dipole model. The Fort Sill site is highly contaminated by a mix of the following types of munitions: 37-mm target practice tracers, 60-mm illumination mortars, 75-mm and 4.5'' projectiles, 3.5'', 2.36'', and LAAW rockets, antitank mine fuzes with and without hex nuts, practice MK2 and M67 grenades, 2.5'' ballistic windshields, M2A1-mines with/without bases, M19-14 time fuzes, and 40-mm practice grenades with/without cartridges. The site at the MMR site contains targets of yet different sizes. In this work we apply our models to EMI data collected using the MetalMapper (MM) and 2 × 2 TEMTADS sensors. The data for each anomaly are inverted to extract estimates of the extrinsic and intrinsic parameters associated with each buried target. (The latter include the total volume magnetic source or NVMS, which relates to size, shape, and material properties; the former includes location, depth, and orientation). The estimated intrinsic parameters are then used for classification performed via library matching and the use of statistical classification algorithms; this process yielded prioritized dig-lists that were submitted to the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) for independent scoring. The models' classification performance is illustrated and assessed based on these independent evaluations.

Three-Loop Automatic of Control System the Landfill of Household Solid Waste

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sereda, T. G.; Kostarev, S. N.

2017-05-01

The analysis of models of governance ground municipal solid waste (MSW). Considered a distributed circuit (spatio-temporal) ground control model. Developed a dynamic model of multicontour control landfill. Adjustable parameters are defined (the ratio of CH4 CO2 emission/fluxes, concentrations of heavy metals ions) and control (purging array, irrigation, adding reagents). Based on laboratory studies carried out with the analysis of equity flows and procedures developed by the transferring matrix that takes into account the relationship control loops. A system of differential equations in the frequency and time domains. Given the numerical approaches solving systems of differential equations in finite differential form.

Benefits of Using Pairwise Trajectory Management in the Central East Pacific

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chartrand, Ryan; Ballard, Kathryn

2017-01-01

Pairwise Trajectory Management (PTM) is a concept that utilizes airborne and ground-based capabilities to enable airborne spacing operations in procedural airspace. This concept makes use of updated ground automation, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and on board avionics generating real time guidance. An experiment was conducted to examine the potential benefits of implementing PTM in the Central East Pacific oceanic region. An explanation of the experiment and some of the results are included in this paper. The PTM concept allowed for an increase in the average time an aircraft is able to spend at its desired flight level and a reduction in fuel burn.

Highly automated on-orbit operations of the NuSTAR telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Bryce; Bester, Manfred; Dumlao, Renee; Eckert, Marty; Johnson, Sam; Lewis, Mark; McDonald, John; Pease, Deron; Picard, Greg; Thorsness, Jeremy

2014-08-01

UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) currently operates a fleet of seven NASA satellites, which conduct research in the fields of space physics and astronomy. The newest addition to this fleet is a high-energy X-ray telescope called the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). Since 2012, SSL has conducted on-orbit operations for NuSTAR on behalf of the lead institution, principle investigator, and Science Operations Center at the California Institute of Technology. NuSTAR operations benefit from a truly multi-mission ground system architecture design focused on automation and autonomy that has been honed by over a decade of continual improvement and ground network expansion. This architecture has made flight operations possible with nominal 40 hours per week staffing, while not compromising mission safety. The remote NuSTAR Science Operation Center (SOC) and Mission Operations Center (MOC) are joined by a two-way electronic interface that allows the SOC to submit automatically validated telescope pointing requests, and also to receive raw data products that are automatically produced after downlink. Command loads are built and uploaded weekly, and a web-based timeline allows both the SOC and MOC to monitor the state of currently scheduled spacecraft activities. Network routing and the command and control system are fully automated by MOC's central scheduling system. A closed-loop data accounting system automatically detects and retransmits data gaps. All passes are monitored by two independent paging systems, which alert staff of pass support problems or anomalous telemetry. NuSTAR mission operations now require less than one attended pass support per workday.

Response of CO2 exchange in a tussock tundra ecosystem to permafrost thaw and thermokarst development

Treesearch

Jason Vogel; Edward A.G. Schuur; Christian Trucco; Hanna Lee

2009-01-01

Climate change in high latitudes can lead to permafrost thaw, which in ice-rich soils can result in ground subsidence, or thermokarst. In interior Alaska, we examined seasonal and annual ecosystem CO2 exchange using static and automatic chamber measurements in three areas of a moist acidic tundra ecosystem undergoing varying degrees of permafrost...

Electronic control circuits: A compilation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

A compilation of technical R and D information on circuits and modular subassemblies is presented as a part of a technology utilization program. Fundamental design principles and applications are given. Electronic control circuits discussed include: anti-noise circuit; ground protection device for bioinstrumentation; temperature compensation for operational amplifiers; hybrid gatling capacitor; automatic signal range control; integrated clock-switching control; and precision voltage tolerance detector.

Litter-Spinning Retarders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John C.

1995-01-01

Aerodynamic plates stop litter from spinning during hoisting by helicopter. Features of proposed litter-spinning retarders include convenience of deployment and independence from ground restraint. Retarder plate(s) folded flat against bottom of litter during storage or while litter is loaded. Plate(s) held in storage position by latch that releases manually or automatically as litter is hoisted. Upon release, springs move plates into deployed position.

Unconscious automatic brain activation of acoustic and action-related conceptual features during masked repetition priming.

PubMed

Trumpp, Natalie M; Traub, Felix; Pulvermüller, Friedemann; Kiefer, Markus

2014-02-01

Classical theories of semantic memory assume that concepts are represented in a unitary amodal memory system. In challenging this classical view, pure or hybrid modality-specific theories propose that conceptual representations are grounded in the sensory-motor brain areas, which typically process sensory and action-related information. Although neuroimaging studies provided evidence for a functional-anatomical link between conceptual processing of sensory or action-related features and the sensory-motor brain systems, it has been argued that aspects of such sensory-motor activation may not directly reflect conceptual processing but rather strategic imagery or postconceptual elaboration. In the present ERP study, we investigated masked effects of acoustic and action-related conceptual features to probe unconscious automatic conceptual processing in isolation. Subliminal feature-specific ERP effects at frontocentral electrodes were observed, which differed with regard to polarity, topography, and underlying brain electrical sources in congruency with earlier findings under conscious viewing conditions. These findings suggest that conceptual acoustic and action representations can also be unconsciously accessed, thereby excluding any postconceptual strategic processes. This study therefore further substantiates a grounding of conceptual and semantic processing in action and perception.