Search

Sample report The COmbat and traiNing QUeryable Exposure/event Repository (CONQUER) Operational Monitoring Program: Five Years of Continued Activity Fabio Leonessa1,2, Todd Massow1,2, Wallace Graves1,2, Josh Whitty1,2, James Reid1,2, Cyrus Dunbar1,2, Richard Bauman1,2, Suthee Wiri3, Joseph K. Canner4, Eric B. Schneider4, Josh Duckworth1 1 Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA; 2Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD; 3Applied Research Associates, Inc, Albuquerque, NM; 4Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT INTRODUCTION Increasing evidence, knowledge and communication about the potential relation between blast overpressure exposure and brain health impairment has led to increased interest and concern about blast overpressure exposures incurred by service members during training with heavy weapons and in combat. The epidemiology of blast overpressure exposure among service members across the military is still not well known. DoD/DARPA sponsored evaluation of blast exposures in deployed settings during Operation Enduring Freedom demonstrated that 2/3 of all recorded blast exposure among service members occurred during training. The CONQUER operational monitoring program was designed more than five years ago with the main objective to capture, quantify and record blast overpressure exposures experienced by service members during different kinds of weapon training, aggregate related exposure data and contextual metadata in a central data repository, and prepare/deliver reports to command leadership at multiple levels. METHODS To quantify blast overpressure exposure, CONQUER employs the Black Box Biometrics (B3) blast gauge system of three overpressure sensors with one sensor worn on the nape of the neck, one on the chest, and one on the shoulder. In addition to providing person-specific overpressure exposure data, the B3 blast gauge system can be mounted in static positions an, RITM0035096, Increasing evidence, knowledge and communication about the potential relation between blast overpressure exposure and brain health impairment has led to increased interest and concern about blast overpressure exposures incurred by service members during training with heavy weapons and in combat. The epidemiology of blast overpressure exposure among service members across the military is still not well known. DoD/DARPA sponsored evaluation of blast exposures in deployed settings during Operation Enduring Freedom demonstrated that 2/3 of all recorded blast exposure among service members occurred during training. The CONQUER operational monitoring program was designed more than five years ago with the main objective to capture, quantify and record blast overpressure exposures experienced by service members during different kinds of weapon training, aggregate related exposure data and contextual metadata in a central data repository, and prepare/deliver reports to command leadership at multiple levels.

Tesi en modalitat de compendi de publicacions, (English) Light attenuation is a critical factor in aquatic ecosystems for many physical and biological processes. Water transparency plays an essential role in understanding the variations of the ecological environment in water, especially in coastal and continental areas. Monitoring the transparency of the water serves as an indicator of the water quality and reports on the concentrations of phytoplankton, the levels of dissolved organic compounds, or particulate matter. The traditional method for measuring water transparency is the Secchi disk. However, some limitations exist in this method. In shallow and transparent waters, the Secchi disk can reach the bottom without disappearing. In addition, the quality of the Secchi disk distance observations has an error associated with each person’s vision. Furthermore, it is not possible to include this measurement as an operational oceanography measurement due to the measurement’s difficulty in quantifying its uncertainty. These issues contrast with the objectivity of technological equipment, which can provide accurate and complete measurements that help with long-term evaluations. The main goal of this thesis is to assess the feasibility of an operational water quality monitoring system based on low-cost optical technologies that ensure a high density of measurement stations (completeness) and, at the same time, an automated system to control the quality of the observations (accuracy). For this reason, we plan to validate the concept of Operational Marine Optics (OMO): Towards systematic and long-term routine measurements of the optical properties of the water and their rapid interpretation and dissemination. First, a low-cost operational monitoring device, the KduPRO, has been developed for coastal and inland waters. This device estimates the Kd (the diffuse attenuation coefficient, which describes the concept of light extinction with depth) with an automated quality control system. The measurements have been compared, (Español) En los ecosistemas acuáticos, la atenuación de la luz es un factor crítico que influye en muchos procesos físicos y biológicos. La transparencia del agua es esencial para comprender las variaciones del entorno ecológico en el agua, especialmente en las áreas costeras y continentales. Monitorizar la transparencia del agua sirve como indicador de su calidad e informa sobre las concentraciones de fitoplancton, de los niveles de compuestos orgánicos disueltos, o bien de la materia particulada. El método tradicional para medir la transparencia del agua es el disco de Secchi, aunque presenta algunas limitaciones. En aguas poco profundas y transparentes, el disco puede llegar al fondo sin desaparecer. Además, la precisión de las observaciones sobre la distancia del disco de Secchi está sujeta a la visión de cada persona. Debido a la dificultad para cuantificar la incertidumbre de esta medida, no es posible incluirla como medida oceanográfica operacional. Estos problemas contrastan con la objetividad de los equipos tecnológicos, que pueden proporcionar mediciones precisas y completas que ayudan con las evaluaciones a largo plazo. El objetivo principal de esta tesis es evaluar la viabilidad de un sistema operativo de monitorización de la calidad del agua basado en tecnologías ópticas de bajo coste que aseguren una alta densidad de estaciones de medida (completitud) y, al mismo tiempo, un sistema automatizado para controlar la calidad de las observaciones (exactitud). Para ello, se ha propuesto validar el concepto de Óptica Marina Operacional (OMO): Hacia mediciones rutinarias sistemáticas y a largo plazo de las propiedades ópticas del agua y su rápida interpretación y difusión. En primer lugar, se ha desarrollado un dispositivo de monitoreo operacional de bajo coste, el KduPRO, que puede ser utilizado en aguas costeras y continentales. Este dispositivo estima el Kd (el coeficiente de atenuación difusa, que describe la extinción de la luz con la profundidad), con un, Postprint (published version)

Human activities are causing a sustained increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The resulting harmful effects on Earth’s climate require decarbonizing the economy and, given the slow pace and inherent limitations of decarbonization of some industries such as aviation, also the active removal and safe sequestration of CO2 away from the atmosphere (i.e., carbon dioxide removal or CDR; NASEM, 2022). Limiting global warming to 1.5°C—a target that may already have been exceeded—would require CDR on the order of 100–1000 Gt CO2 over the twenty-first century (IPCC, 2018).

Tide gauges can capture sea level variability on multiple timescales, from high frequency events like waves, tides and tsunamis, to seasonal and interannual changes and the longer-term trends associated with Climate Change. However, financial constraints dictate that they are often maintained to lower standards than the stringent accuracy requirements demanded by the IOC-UNESCO’s Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) for monitoring sea level rise. In addition, a sparsity of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers at the coast means that there are large uncertainties in rates of land motion at tide gauges, which also hampers the estimation of long-term sea level trends. Task 5.1.1 has devised prototype low maintenance tide gauge systems, powered by renewable energy and which monitor both land motion and sea level using novel techniques such as ground-based GNSS Interferometric Reflectometry (GNSS-IR). These systems eliminate the need for costly ongoing levelling exercises and also incorporate customisations to local monitoring needs, such as sensors for lightning detection and wave height. Despite a number of unforeseen setbacks, these prototype systems are now operating at 2 locations in the Mediterranean Sea and a third system is in transit to Colombia for installation by local stakeholders who have been trained in the installation methodology by the WP5 team. It is hoped that there is potential to advance these technological solutions as a global standard, via the GLOSS community.

Human activities are causing a sustained increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The resulting harmful effects on Earth’s climate require decarbonizing the economy and, given the slow pace and inherent limitations of decarbonization of some industries such as aviation, also the active removal and safe sequestration of CO2 away from the atmosphere (i.e., carbon dioxide removal or CDR; NASEM, 2022). Limiting global warming to 1.5°C—a target that may already have been exceeded—would require CDR on the order of 100–1000 Gt CO2 over the twenty-first century (IPCC, 2018).

Tide gauges can capture sea level variability on multiple timescales, from high frequency events like waves, tides and tsunamis, to seasonal and interannual changes and the longer-term trends associated with Climate Change. However, financial constraints dictate that they are often maintained to lower standards than the stringent accuracy requirements demanded by the IOC-UNESCO’s Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) for monitoring sea level rise. In addition, a sparsity of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers at the coast means that there are large uncertainties in rates of land motion at tide gauges, which also hampers the estimation of long-term sea level trends. Task 5.1.1 has devised prototype low maintenance tide gauge systems, powered by renewable energy and which monitor both land motion and sea level using novel techniques such as ground-based GNSS Interferometric Reflectometry (GNSS-IR). These systems eliminate the need for costly ongoing levelling exercises and also incorporate customisations to local monitoring needs, such as sensors for lightning detection and wave height. Despite a number of unforeseen setbacks, these prototype systems are now operating at 2 locations in the Mediterranean Sea and a third system is in transit to Colombia for installation by local stakeholders who have been trained in the installation methodology by the WP5 team. It is hoped that there is potential to advance these technological solutions as a global standard, via the GLOSS community.

We analyze the efficacy of using a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) modular instrument to estimate the diffuse attenuation coefficient (Kd) of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), which can be used for operational oceanography in turbid shallow waters. This parameter evaluates the water transparency, as it summarizes several water components providing an indicator for water quality. Historically, water transparency has been measured with a simple and inexpensive tool: the Secchi disk. Although it contributes a valuable index of visual water clarity, the quality of its measurements is user-dependent, and it does not enable the automatic monitoring of the water quality. For this reason, we need electronic devices to get accurate measures and facilitate long-term evaluations for water quality monitoring. This paper has two main objectives: First, to present the KduPRO, a low-cost and DIY moored instrument. The KduPRO is an evolution of the KdUINO buoy, that provides an estimation of the water transparency in coastal areas and continental waters, with an automatic quality control parameter that makes this sensor suitable for operational observing systems; and second, to provide a replicability analysis associated to the uncertainty of its Kd estimations. This instrument is based on a modular system of light sensors, independent of each other, measuring the irradiance at different depths. This study analyses the performance of the KduPRO with other reference commercial instruments, the performance between different modules of the same system and finally, a case study of measuring the water quality in Loch Leven (a lake in Scotland). The affordable cost, ease of use and measurement repeatability make this instrument a potentially valuable tool for anyone interested in monitoring water quality., Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::6 - Aigua Neta i Sanejament, Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::14 - Vida Submarina, Postprint (published version)

We analyze the efficacy of using a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) modular instrument to estimate the diffuse attenuation coefficient (Kd) of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), which can be used for operational oceanography in turbid shallow waters. This parameter evaluates the water transparency, as it summarizes several water components providing an indicator for water quality. Historically, water transparency has been measured with a simple and inexpensive tool: the Secchi disk. Although it contributes a valuable index of visual water clarity, the quality of its measurements is user-dependent, and it does not enable the automatic monitoring of the water quality. For this reason, we need electronic devices to get accurate measures and facilitate long-term evaluations for water quality monitoring. This paper has two main objectives: First, to present the KduPRO, a low-cost and DIY moored instrument. The KduPRO is an evolution of the KdUINO buoy, that provides an estimation of the water transparency in coastal areas and continental waters, with an automatic quality control parameter that makes this sensor suitable for operational observing systems; and second, to provide a replicability analysis associated to the uncertainty of its Kd estimations. This instrument is based on a modular system of light sensors, independent of each other, measuring the irradiance at different depths. This study analyses the performance of the KduPRO with other reference commercial instruments, the performance between different modules of the same system and finally, a case study of measuring the water quality in Loch Leven (a lake in Scotland). The affordable cost, ease of use and measurement repeatability make this instrument a potentially valuable tool for anyone interested in monitoring water quality

A dataset of street light images is presented. Our dataset consists of $\sim350\textrm{k}$ images, taken from 140 UMBRELLA nodes installed in the South Gloucestershire region in the UK. Each UMBRELLA node is installed on the pole of a lamppost and is equipped with a Raspberry Pi Camera Module v1 facing upwards towards the sky and lamppost light bulb. Each node collects an image at hourly intervals for 24h every day. The data collection spans for a period of six months. Each image taken is logged as a single entry in the dataset along with the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates of the lamppost. All entries in the dataset have been post-processed and labelled based on the operation of the lamppost, i.e., whether the lamppost is switched ON or OFF. The dataset can be used to train deep neural networks and generate pre-trained models providing feature representations for smart city CCTV applications, smart weather detection algorithms, or street infrastructure monitoring. The dataset can be found at \url{https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6046758}., Comment: Data in Brief Journal

Fractional snow cover (FSC) and snow depth (SD) are two important parameters used to calculate snow water equivalent and surface albedo, which are important physical quantities for applications in climatology, hydrology and meteorology. FSC is traditionally monitored using satellite data, but it is challenging for optical sensors to retrieve signals from the ground when forest canopy is present. Similar challenge exists for retrieving microwave signals from terrain with high slope rates. In addition to retrieval challenges, validation of FSC products are done using proxy parameters since in-situ FSC observations are very limited. This is because there are no devices or systems usable for continuous measurement of FSC and manual observation takes a lot effort and depends on subjective judgement. SD is traditionally observed by manual readings of snow sticks. Manual observations requires effort and presence of manpower, especially in remote areas. Also, temporal resolution of such observations are generally one day. In the last decades, manual observations are replaced with automated observations by ultrasonic and optical sensors in some countries, but the manual observation is still the primary method in many countries. Using webcam photography for environmental monitoring is an emerging method. During the latest years, numerous environmental camera networks are established in different parts of the globe. These networks offer high resolution digital imagery in high temporal resolution. More digital imagery is also available from cameras and camera networks established for other purposes, such as monitoring ski tracks, traffic, harbours, urban areas etc. It is previously studied that environmental parameters are observed from digital images using image processing methods. A novel system is previously introduced by Tanis et al. for automated monitoring of different parameters from multiple camera networks. This system allows acquisition of images from different source

Побудовані математичні моделі для визначення площі контактів робочих електродів технічної системи оперативного моніторингу варіабельності агробіологічного стану грунтового середовища сільськогосподарських угідь. Дані моделі дають отримати достовірні дані про площу контакту робочих електродів, а відповідно і отримати достовірні дані та можливість враховуючи агробіологічний стан грунтового середовище прийняти оперативне рішення для керування агробіологічним станом за допомогою керування технологічним процесом машинно-тракторного агрегату, сільськогосподарської машини, технічної системи оперативного моніторингу стану сільськогосподарських угідь., Построенные математические модели для определения площади контактов рабочих электродов технической системы оперативного мониторинга вариабельность агробиологического состояния грунтовой среды сельскохозяйственных угодий. Данные модели дают получить достоверные данные о площади контакта рабочих электродов, а соответственно и получить достоверные данные и возможность учитывая агробиологическое состояние грунтового среда принять оперативное решение для управления агробиологическим состоянием с помощью управления технологическим процессом машинно-тракторного агрегата, сельскохозяйственной машины, технической системы оперативного мониторинга состояния сельскохозяйственных угодий., The mathematical model to determine the area of contact of the electrodes of the technical system operational monitoring state variability agrobiological soil environment farmland. These models provide reliable data about the area of contact of the electrodes, and hence reliable data and the opportunity given agrobiological condition of the soil environment to take prompt management solution agrobiological as using process control tractor unit, agricultural machinery, technical system operational state monitoring farmland. In opinion of authors of this research, it is necessary to consider the specific class of the guided systems, which depend on the start and finish and which adequately design the computer-integrated automatic control systems by implementation of technological processes in agricultural production including plant-grower. Management tasks such the systems some different from traditional management (including optimum) task and tied-up foremost, with planning of work of each of such systems.The integrated systems of management to executions of technological processes in agricultural production are grounded, which rely on the initial and eventual moments of time of their functioning. For optimization of processes of management indicated the systems are conducted generalization of results of research of influencing of different factors on efficiency of plant-grower. The most ponderable technological, technical and organizational criteria of high-quality work of agricultural machines are set, their level of influence on an eventual result, size of the collected harvest, and also possible level of efficiency of application of the proper hardwares of mechanization with the management by influence on qual/ity of execution actually of same technologically operations.The use of the developed method is the computer-integrated control systems by implementation of technological processes in agricultural production, the dependency upon the initial and eventual mo

This study presents an approach to forest canopy disturbance monitoring in evergreen forests in continental Southeast Asia, based on temporal differences of a modified normalized burn ratio (NBR) vegetation index. We generate NBR values from each available Landsat 8 scene of a given period. A step of 'self-referencing' normalizes the NBR values, largely eliminating illumination/topography effects, thus maximizing inter-comparability. We then create yearly composites of these self-referenced NBR (rNBR) values, selecting per pixel the maximum rNBR value over each observation period, which reflects the most open canopy cover condition of that pixel. The ΔrNBR is generated as the difference between the composites of two reference periods. The methodology produces seamless and consistent maps, highlighting patterns of canopy disturbances (e.g., encroachment, selective logging), and keeping artifacts at minimum level. The monitoring approach was validated within four test sites with an overall accuracy of almost 78% using very high resolution satellite reference imagery. The methodology was implemented in a Google Earth Engine (GEE) script requiring no user interaction. A threshold is applied to the final output dataset in order to separate signal from noise. The approach, capable of detecting sub-pixel disturbance events as small as 0.005 ha, is transparent and reproducible, and can help to increase the credibility of monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), as required in the context of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+).

It was held the analysis of methods of establishing energy «standard» for building of controlling and planning system of electricity consumption on an automated bottling line, working in production of beverages. We consider several mathematical models of energy consumption that can be used to establish «standards»:< building of «individual» mathematical models for different combinations of variants of the process, the construction of a mathematical model of multi-process power consumption. The comparison of the above methods for residual dispersion, Fisher criterion and the mean error of approximation., Проведено аналіз методів встановлення «стандарту» енергоспоживання для побудови системи контролю та планування електроспоживання на автоматизованій лінії розливу, що працює на підприємстві з виробництва напоїв. Розглянуто декілька математичних моделей енергоспоживання, що можуть бути використані для встановлення «стандартів»: побудова «індивідуальних» математичних моделей для комбінацій різних варіантів технологічного процесу, побудова багатофакторної математичної моделі процесу енергоспоживання. Виконано порівняння наведених методів за залишковою дисперсією, критерієм Фішера та середньою похибкою апроксимації.

For the Department of Energy (DOE) Knowledge Base to support activities for monitoring nuclear explosions consistent with eventual verification activities under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a process is defined to ensure the integrity and utility of research results during the migration into information products for use in operational monitoring systems. The process of validating, verifying, and managing the information products ensures deliveries of high-quality Knowledge Base releases to the United States National Data Center (USNDC). These activities are critical to the successful integration of scientific research to support operational monitoring systems at the USNDC. A by-product of this process is that data sets, or components of information products, that have undergone the validation and verification process may be distributed as operational calibration products to the International Data Centre. All contributors to information products, whether DOE-funded or not, will benefit from transparency of the integration process to effect successful participation in the process. As an information product passes through the steps necessary to become part of a delivery to the USNDC, domain experts, including the end-users, will provide validation -- a determination of relevance and scientific quality. The integration process continues with verification -- an assessment of completeness and correctness, provided by the Knowledge Base integrator, the information product coordinator, and the contributing organization. The information products and their constituent data sets are systematically tracked through the integration portion of their life cycle (Moore, et al, 2000; Carr et al, 2000). Finally, the proposed delivery of the Knowledge Base and its constituent information products is reviewed by an Integration Board. The integration process is presented in this paper, with details described in Moore et al., (2000)., Prepared in cooperation with Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The original document contains color images.

The detection and prediction of changes in coastal ecosystems require a better understanding of the complex physical, chemical and biological interactions, which involves that observations should be performed continuously. For this reason, there is an increasing demand for small, simple and cost-effective in situ sensors to analyze complex coastal waters at a broad range of scales. In this context, this study seeks to explore the potential of beam attenuation spectra, c(λ), measured in situ with an advanced-technology optical transmissometer, for assessing temporal and spatial patterns in the complex estuarine waters of Alfacs Bay (NW Mediterranean) as a test site. In particular, the information contained in the spectral beam attenuation coefficient was assessed and linked with different biogeochemical variables. The attenuation at λ = 710 nm was used as a proxy for particle concentration, TSM, whereas a novel parameter was adopted as an optical indicator for chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentration, based on the local maximum of c(λ) observed at the long-wavelength side of the red band Chl-a absorption peak. In addition, since coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) has an important influence on the beam attenuation spectral shape and complementary measurements of particle size distribution were available, the beam attenuation spectral slope was used to analyze the CDOM content. Results were successfully compared with optical and biogeochemical variables from laboratory analysis of collocated water samples, and statistically significant correlations were found between the attenuation proxies and the biogeochemical variables TSM, Chl-a and CDOM. This outcome depicted the potential of high-frequency beam attenuation measurements as a simple, continuous and cost-effective approach for rapid detection of changes and patterns in biogeochemical properties in complex coastal environments.

Operational monitoring guide for Utah's Americorps programs.

Operational monitoring guide for Utah's Americorps programs.

For the Department of Energy (DOE) Knowledge Base to support activities for monitoring nuclear explosions consistent with eventual verification activities under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), a process is defined to ensure the integrity and utility of research results during the migration into information products for use in operational monitoring systems. The process of validating, verifying, and managing the information products ensures deliveries of high-quality Knowledge Base releases to the United States National Data Center (USNDC). These activities are critical to the successful integration of scientific research to support operational monitoring systems at the USNDC. A by-product of this process is that data sets, or components of information products, that have undergone the validation and verification process may be distributed as operational calibration products to the International Data Centre. All contributors to information products, whether DOE-funded or not, will benefit from transparency of the integration process to effect successful participation in the process. As an information product passes through the steps necessary to become part of a delivery to the USNDC, domain experts, including the end-users, will provide validation -- a determination of relevance and scientific quality. The integration process continues with verification -- an assessment of completeness and correctness, provided by the Knowledge Base integrator, the information product coordinator, and the contributing organization. The information products and their constituent data sets are systematically tracked through the integration portion of their life cycle (Moore, et al, 2000; Carr et al, 2000). Finally, the proposed delivery of the Knowledge Base and its constituent information products is reviewed by an Integration Board. The integration process is presented in this paper, with details described in Moore et al., (2000)., Proceedings of the 22nd Annual DoD/DOE Seismic Research Symposium: Planning for Verification of and Compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) held in New Orleans, Louisiana on 13-15 September 2000. U.S. Government or Federal Rights. The original document contains color images.

While the role of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in operational tropical forest monitoring has yet to be defined, it is nevertheless a critical technology for improving our understanding of deforestation and secondary vegetation in the tropics. In order to understand the role of this technology in operational monitoring a systematic evaluation, relative to other existing technologies of its performance is required. In this paper we evaluate the spatial, temporal, and noise constraints of JERS SAR data for mapping and monitoring biomass of secondary vegetation in Rondonia, Brazil. Our results indicate that the variability in stand estimates of biomass is high and that the source of the majority of the variability is not from speckle and the intrinsic texture of the secondary vegetation but likely due to differences in environmental conditions resulting in differential background scattering properties. Multitemporal analysis significantly improves biomass estimates to the point where it is possible to map changes in biomass. Slight reductions in the variability in estimates of normalized radar cross-section greatly improve biomass estimation.

While the role of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) in operational tropical forest monitoring has yet to be defined, it is nevertheless a critical technology for improving our understanding of deforestation and secondary vegetation in the tropics. In order to understand the role of this technology in operational monitoring a systematic evaluation, relative to other existing technologies of its performance is required. In this paper we evaluate the spatial, temporal, and noise constraints of JERS SAR data for mapping and monitoring biomass of secondary vegetation in Rondonia, Brazil. Our results indicate that the variability in stand estimates of biomass is high and that the source of the majority of the variability is not from speckle and the intrinsic texture of the secondary vegetation but likely due to differences in environmental conditions resulting in differential background scattering properties. Multitemporal analysis significantly improves biomass estimates to the point where it is possible to map changes in biomass. Slight reductions in the variability in estimates of normalized radar cross-section greatly improve biomass estimation.

A technical system to improve the operational monitoring of the Zaporozh'ye NPP as a tool for the supervisory authority is presented. The system is mainly directed to monitoring the operational data for early detection of, and information about, anomalous events and gives input data for source term estimation. Additionally, radiological data from the site and the environment as well as meteorological data are integrated in the system for pollution transport calculations. Thus the system's information is well suited to becoming a data source for RODOS system.

Demand by governments and scientists is increasing for indicators of CO2-related variables for the ocean. We describe a recent project, CARBON-OPS, during which a "supply chain" was developed for automated measurement of pCO(2) in the surface of the ocean, data processing, and its use in providing information for research and policy development. Data are gathered by new pCO(2) measurement systems on five UK research ships in the Southern Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and northwestern European shelf seas. These send data in near-real-time, via satellite communication systems, to the British Oceanographic Data Centre, where they are automatically processed, quality controlled, and archived. The data are then delivered to the UK Met Office and others for use in testing predictions from operational ocean models. These models will generate indicator products and assist government through the Marine Climate Change Impact Partnership, a partnership of scientists, government, its agencies, and NGOs, by providing information on ocean CO2 uptake, changes in ocean pH, and potential impacts on global climate and marine ecosystems

Demand by governments and scientists is increasing for indicators of CO2-related variables for the ocean. We describe a recent project, CARBON-OPS, during which a "supply chain" was developed for automated measurement of pCO(2) in the surface of the ocean, data processing, and its use in providing information for research and policy development. Data are gathered by new pCO(2) measurement systems on five UK research ships in the Southern Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and northwestern European shelf seas. These send data in near-real-time, via satellite communication systems, to the British Oceanographic Data Centre, where they are automatically processed, quality controlled, and archived. The data are then delivered to the UK Met Office and others for use in testing predictions from operational ocean models. These models will generate indicator products and assist government through the Marine Climate Change Impact Partnership, a partnership of scientists, government, its agencies, and NGOs, by providing information on ocean CO2 uptake, changes in ocean pH, and potential impacts on global climate and marine ecosystems

Sundarban Reserved Forest in Bangladesh is playing a significant role in local and national economy and is providing protection to the coastline as well as to the indigenous people. During the past decades and also in recent time this forest was heavily disturbed by human intervention in many aspects. As a consequence the resources of the forest are fragmenting, shrinking and declining, which in turn leads to an increasing failure of satisfying increasing demands both at local and national levels. Therefore accurate and continuously updated spatial information is needed for optimising forest management and environmental planning on both levels to support the fulfilment of urgent needs of sustainability of the forest. Considering the specific topography and the poor accessibility of the forest versus the task of collecting information, remote sensing is an attractive, if not the only means of obtaining sound full-coverage spatial information on forest cover of Sundarban. This research used medium resolution Landsat ETM data of November 2000 and Landsat TM data of January 1989 to assess and monitor the forest for 1. Identification of the operational tools for mapping and monitoring the forest as well as on the examination of the reliability of the application of multitemporal satellite remote sensing data for building spatial databases on forest cover in Sundarban. 2. Based on the existing management plan of the forest as well as the spectral properties of Landsat ETM imagery a level III classification system was developed. 3. This classification strategy was tested by applying several methods to achieve the classification result with the highest accuracy and thus to build the most reliable methodology for mapping forest cover in Sundarban. 4. Forest cover change was assessed for the period of eleven years. Significant changes have been observed due to illegal removal of trees from the forest although a governmental moratorium on banning timber extraction exists since, Das Schutzgebiet des Sundarban Mangrovenwaldes in Bangladesh spielt eine entscheidende Rolle in Hinsicht auf nationale und lokale sozio-ökonomische und sozio-ökologische Aspekte. Das Waldgebiet stabilisiert nicht nur die Küstenlinie, sondern schützt auch die Bevölkerung vor den Einflüssen von Flutkatastrophen. Durch menschlichen Einfluss wurde die Region während der letzten Jahrzehnte mehr und mehr unmittelbar gestört. Der Rückgang des Ertrags an Ressourcen aus dem Wald führte zu wachsender Unzufriedenheit in der von diesen Nutzungs-möglichkeiten abhängigen Bevölkerung. Um eine Optimierung des Waldmanagements durchführen zu können, werden kontinuierliche und genaue raumbezogene Daten benötigt. Betrachtet man die spezifische Topographie und die schlechte Zugänglichkeit der Waldgebiete, so bietet die Fernerkundung eine attraktive Möglichkeit, raumbezogene Informationen für die großen Flächen des Sundurban Mangrovenwaldes zu erfassen. Zur Analyse und Überwachung der Waldgebiete wurden zwei Satellitenbild-Datensätze mit mittlerer Auflösung verwendet, und zwar Landsat ETM Daten aus dem Jahre 2000 (November) sowie Landsat TM Daten aus dem Jahre 1989 (Januar). Die zentralen Aktivitäten im Rahmen der Bearbeitung der Dissertation beziehen sich auf 1. die Identifikation der notwendigen Werkzeuge für eine erfolgreiche Kartierung und Überwachung der Waldgebiete sowie Untersuchung der Zuverlässigkeit multi-temporaler Fernerkundungsdaten für den Aufbau einer Datenbasis für die Kartierung von Waldbedeckungsarten im Untersuchungsgebiet des Sunderban Mangroven-waldes, 2. die Entwicklung eines Klassifikationssystems nach dem USGS-Schlüssel (Auflösungsebene III) auf Grundlage des existierenden Managementplanes und der spektralen Qualität der Landsat ETM Satellitenbilddaten, 3. den Test der Klassifikationsstrategie durch Adaption unterschiedlicher Methoden und Optimierung in bezug auf Erzielung eines Ergebnisses in maximal erreichbarer Genauigkeit als Ausgangspunkt für den Aufbau einer

Sundarban Reserved Forest in Bangladesh is playing a significant role in local and national economy and is providing protection to the coastline as well as to the indigenous people. During the past decades and also in recent time this forest was heavily disturbed by human intervention in many aspects. As a consequence the resources of the forest are fragmenting, shrinking and declining, which in turn leads to an increasing failure of satisfying increasing demands both at local and national levels. Therefore accurate and continuously updated spatial information is needed for optimising forest management and environmental planning on both levels to support the fulfilment of urgent needs of sustainability of the forest. Considering the specific topography and the poor accessibility of the forest versus the task of collecting information, remote sensing is an attractive, if not the only means of obtaining sound full-coverage spatial information on forest cover of Sundarban. This research used medium resolution Landsat ETM data of November 2000 and Landsat TM data of January 1989 to assess and monitor the forest for 1. Identification of the operational tools for mapping and monitoring the forest as well as on the examination of the reliability of the application of multitemporal satellite remote sensing data for building spatial databases on forest cover in Sundarban. 2. Based on the existing management plan of the forest as well as the spectral properties of Landsat ETM imagery a level III classification system was developed. 3. This classification strategy was tested by applying several methods to achieve the classification result with the highest accuracy and thus to build the most reliable methodology for mapping forest cover in Sundarban. 4. Forest cover change was assessed for the period of eleven years. Significant changes have been observed due to illegal removal of trees from the forest although a governmental moratorium on banning timber extraction exists since, Das Schutzgebiet des Sundarban Mangrovenwaldes in Bangladesh spielt eine entscheidende Rolle in Hinsicht auf nationale und lokale sozio-ökonomische und sozio-ökologische Aspekte. Das Waldgebiet stabilisiert nicht nur die Küstenlinie, sondern schützt auch die Bevölkerung vor den Einflüssen von Flutkatastrophen. Durch menschlichen Einfluss wurde die Region während der letzten Jahrzehnte mehr und mehr unmittelbar gestört. Der Rückgang des Ertrags an Ressourcen aus dem Wald führte zu wachsender Unzufriedenheit in der von diesen Nutzungs-möglichkeiten abhängigen Bevölkerung. Um eine Optimierung des Waldmanagements durchführen zu können, werden kontinuierliche und genaue raumbezogene Daten benötigt. Betrachtet man die spezifische Topographie und die schlechte Zugänglichkeit der Waldgebiete, so bietet die Fernerkundung eine attraktive Möglichkeit, raumbezogene Informationen für die großen Flächen des Sundurban Mangrovenwaldes zu erfassen. Zur Analyse und Überwachung der Waldgebiete wurden zwei Satellitenbild-Datensätze mit mittlerer Auflösung verwendet, und zwar Landsat ETM Daten aus dem Jahre 2000 (November) sowie Landsat TM Daten aus dem Jahre 1989 (Januar). Die zentralen Aktivitäten im Rahmen der Bearbeitung der Dissertation beziehen sich auf 1. die Identifikation der notwendigen Werkzeuge für eine erfolgreiche Kartierung und Überwachung der Waldgebiete sowie Untersuchung der Zuverlässigkeit multi-temporaler Fernerkundungsdaten für den Aufbau einer Datenbasis für die Kartierung von Waldbedeckungsarten im Untersuchungsgebiet des Sunderban Mangroven-waldes, 2. die Entwicklung eines Klassifikationssystems nach dem USGS-Schlüssel (Auflösungsebene III) auf Grundlage des existierenden Managementplanes und der spektralen Qualität der Landsat ETM Satellitenbilddaten, 3. den Test der Klassifikationsstrategie durch Adaption unterschiedlicher Methoden und Optimierung in bezug auf Erzielung eines Ergebnisses in maximal erreichbarer Genauigkeit als Ausgangspunkt für den Aufbau einer

Sundarban Reserved Forest in Bangladesh is playing a significant role in local and national economy and is providing protection to the coastline as well as to the indigenous people. During the past decades and also in recent time this forest was heavily disturbed by human intervention in many aspects. As a consequence the resources of the forest are fragmenting, shrinking and declining, which in turn leads to an increasing failure of satisfying increasing demands both at local and national levels. Therefore accurate and continuously updated spatial information is needed for optimising forest management and environmental planning on both levels to support the fulfilment of urgent needs of sustainability of the forest. Considering the specific topography and the poor accessibility of the forest versus the task of collecting information, remote sensing is an attractive, if not the only means of obtaining sound full-coverage spatial information on forest cover of Sundarban. This research used medium resolution Landsat ETM data of November 2000 and Landsat TM data of January 1989 to assess and monitor the forest for 1. Identification of the operational tools for mapping and monitoring the forest as well as on the examination of the reliability of the application of multitemporal satellite remote sensing data for building spatial databases on forest cover in Sundarban. 2. Based on the existing management plan of the forest as well as the spectral properties of Landsat ETM imagery a level III classification system was developed. 3. This classification strategy was tested by applying several methods to achieve the classification result with the highest accuracy and thus to build the most reliable methodology for mapping forest cover in Sundarban. 4. Forest cover change was assessed for the period of eleven years. Significant changes have been observed due to illegal removal of trees from the forest although a governmental moratorium on banning timber extraction exists since, Das Schutzgebiet des Sundarban Mangrovenwaldes in Bangladesh spielt eine entscheidende Rolle in Hinsicht auf nationale und lokale sozio-ökonomische und sozio-ökologische Aspekte. Das Waldgebiet stabilisiert nicht nur die Küstenlinie, sondern schützt auch die Bevölkerung vor den Einflüssen von Flutkatastrophen. Durch menschlichen Einfluss wurde die Region während der letzten Jahrzehnte mehr und mehr unmittelbar gestört. Der Rückgang des Ertrags an Ressourcen aus dem Wald führte zu wachsender Unzufriedenheit in der von diesen Nutzungs-möglichkeiten abhängigen Bevölkerung. Um eine Optimierung des Waldmanagements durchführen zu können, werden kontinuierliche und genaue raumbezogene Daten benötigt. Betrachtet man die spezifische Topographie und die schlechte Zugänglichkeit der Waldgebiete, so bietet die Fernerkundung eine attraktive Möglichkeit, raumbezogene Informationen für die großen Flächen des Sundurban Mangrovenwaldes zu erfassen. Zur Analyse und Überwachung der Waldgebiete wurden zwei Satellitenbild-Datensätze mit mittlerer Auflösung verwendet, und zwar Landsat ETM Daten aus dem Jahre 2000 (November) sowie Landsat TM Daten aus dem Jahre 1989 (Januar). Die zentralen Aktivitäten im Rahmen der Bearbeitung der Dissertation beziehen sich auf 1. die Identifikation der notwendigen Werkzeuge für eine erfolgreiche Kartierung und Überwachung der Waldgebiete sowie Untersuchung der Zuverlässigkeit multi-temporaler Fernerkundungsdaten für den Aufbau einer Datenbasis für die Kartierung von Waldbedeckungsarten im Untersuchungsgebiet des Sunderban Mangroven-waldes, 2. die Entwicklung eines Klassifikationssystems nach dem USGS-Schlüssel (Auflösungsebene III) auf Grundlage des existierenden Managementplanes und der spektralen Qualität der Landsat ETM Satellitenbilddaten, 3. den Test der Klassifikationsstrategie durch Adaption unterschiedlicher Methoden und Optimierung in bezug auf Erzielung eines Ergebnisses in maximal erreichbarer Genauigkeit als Ausgangspunkt für den Aufbau einer

Sundarban Reserved Forest in Bangladesh is playing a significant role in local and national economy and is providing protection to the coastline as well as to the indigenous people. During the past decades and also in recent time this forest was heavily disturbed by human intervention in many aspects. As a consequence the resources of the forest are fragmenting, shrinking and declining, which in turn leads to an increasing failure of satisfying increasing demands both at local and national levels. Therefore accurate and continuously updated spatial information is needed for optimising forest management and environmental planning on both levels to support the fulfilment of urgent needs of sustainability of the forest. Considering the specific topography and the poor accessibility of the forest versus the task of collecting information, remote sensing is an attractive, if not the only means of obtaining sound full-coverage spatial information on forest cover of Sundarban. This research used medium resolution Landsat ETM data of November 2000 and Landsat TM data of January 1989 to assess and monitor the forest for 1. Identification of the operational tools for mapping and monitoring the forest as well as on the examination of the reliability of the application of multitemporal satellite remote sensing data for building spatial databases on forest cover in Sundarban. 2. Based on the existing management plan of the forest as well as the spectral properties of Landsat ETM imagery a level III classification system was developed. 3. This classification strategy was tested by applying several methods to achieve the classification result with the highest accuracy and thus to build the most reliable methodology for mapping forest cover in Sundarban. 4. Forest cover change was assessed for the period of eleven years. Significant changes have been observed due to illegal removal of trees from the forest although a governmental moratorium on banning timber extraction exists since, Das Schutzgebiet des Sundarban Mangrovenwaldes in Bangladesh spielt eine entscheidende Rolle in Hinsicht auf nationale und lokale sozio-ökonomische und sozio-ökologische Aspekte. Das Waldgebiet stabilisiert nicht nur die Küstenlinie, sondern schützt auch die Bevölkerung vor den Einflüssen von Flutkatastrophen. Durch menschlichen Einfluss wurde die Region während der letzten Jahrzehnte mehr und mehr unmittelbar gestört. Der Rückgang des Ertrags an Ressourcen aus dem Wald führte zu wachsender Unzufriedenheit in der von diesen Nutzungs-möglichkeiten abhängigen Bevölkerung. Um eine Optimierung des Waldmanagements durchführen zu können, werden kontinuierliche und genaue raumbezogene Daten benötigt. Betrachtet man die spezifische Topographie und die schlechte Zugänglichkeit der Waldgebiete, so bietet die Fernerkundung eine attraktive Möglichkeit, raumbezogene Informationen für die großen Flächen des Sundurban Mangrovenwaldes zu erfassen. Zur Analyse und Überwachung der Waldgebiete wurden zwei Satellitenbild-Datensätze mit mittlerer Auflösung verwendet, und zwar Landsat ETM Daten aus dem Jahre 2000 (November) sowie Landsat TM Daten aus dem Jahre 1989 (Januar). Die zentralen Aktivitäten im Rahmen der Bearbeitung der Dissertation beziehen sich auf 1. die Identifikation der notwendigen Werkzeuge für eine erfolgreiche Kartierung und Überwachung der Waldgebiete sowie Untersuchung der Zuverlässigkeit multi-temporaler Fernerkundungsdaten für den Aufbau einer Datenbasis für die Kartierung von Waldbedeckungsarten im Untersuchungsgebiet des Sunderban Mangroven-waldes, 2. die Entwicklung eines Klassifikationssystems nach dem USGS-Schlüssel (Auflösungsebene III) auf Grundlage des existierenden Managementplanes und der spektralen Qualität der Landsat ETM Satellitenbilddaten, 3. den Test der Klassifikationsstrategie durch Adaption unterschiedlicher Methoden und Optimierung in bezug auf Erzielung eines Ergebnisses in maximal erreichbarer Genauigkeit als Ausgangspunkt für den Aufbau einer

The objectives of the north boundary containment system comprehensive operational monitoring program are monitor the following: Carbon adsorbers to ensure effective removal of organic contaminants, Ground water quality to assess changes in the levels and distribution of contaminants; Ground water levels assess how the system is affecting local hydrology, and Plant influent and effluent for new contaminants at levels that would cause concern for public health.

In order to improve the operational surveillance of a VVER-1000 unit of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporosh'ye a technical monitoring system has been specified and installed during the last three years. The technical system enables the operator and supervisory body to monitor the core and the unit continuously during normal and off-normal conditions, to assess the safety status of core and unit, and to impose appropriate measures. The system provides an early indication of any operational incident and of emissions of radioactive materials. Based on the system an immediate warning in emergency situations is possible as well as an effective emergency management. For this purpose 49 different safety related operational parameters of the core and unit - e.g.: neutron flux, pressure - primary and secondary circuit, fuel rod outlet water temperature, boron concentration - primary circuit and so on -, 18 radiological parameters of the unit and the plant side and 6 meteorological parameters are automatically monitored and evaluated. The system was put into operation at the end of 1995. It is now working under test conditions. The paper presents the technical solution of the system and the evaluation principles. Additionally the paper gives a short overview about the results obtained during the test operation of the system.

In order to improve the operational surveillance of a VVER-1000 unit of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporosh'ye a technical monitoring system has been specified and installed during the last three years. The technical system enables the operator and supervisory body to monitor the core and the unit continuously during normal and off-normal conditions, to assess the safety status of core and unit, and to impose appropriate measures. The system provides an early indication of any operational incident and of emissions of radioactive materials. Based on the system an immediate warning in emergency situations is possible as well as an effective emergency management. For this purpose 49 different safety related operational parameters of the core and unit - e.g.: neutron flux, pressure - primary and secondary circuit, fuel rod outlet water temperature, boron concentration - primary circuit and so on -, 18 radiological parameters of the unit and the plant side and 6 meteorological parameters are automatically monitored and evaluated. The system was put into operation at the end of 1995. It is now working under test conditions. The paper presents the technical solution of the system and the evaluation principles. Additionally the paper gives a short overview about the results obtained during the test operation of the system.

In order to improve the operational surveillance of a VVER-1000 unit of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporosh'ye a technical monitoring system has been specified. The system will enable the state regulatory and supervisory bodies to survey the unit operation independently of operators to assess its safety status, and to impose appropriate conditions. Due to its up-to-date configuration the system provides early indication of any operational incident and emission of radioactive materials connected. Based on the system an immediate warning in emergency situations is possible as well as an effective emergency management. For this purpose 49 different operational parameters of the unit, 18 radiological parameters of the unit and the plant site and 6 meteorological parameters are monitored.

In order to improve the operational surveillance of a VVER-1000 unit of the Ukrainian nuclear power plant Zaporosh'ye a technical monitoring system has been specified. The system will enable the state regulatory and supervisory bodies to survey the unit operation independently of operators to assess its safety status, and to impose appropriate conditions. Due to its up-to-date configuration the system provides early indication of any operational incident and emission of radioactive materials connected. Based on the system an immediate warning in emergency situations is possible as well as an effective emergency management. For this purpose 49 different operational parameters of the unit, 18 radiological parameters of the unit and the plant site and 6 meteorological parameters are monitored.

Post-mining drainage chemistry depends strongly on geochemical and hydrological processes that occur during the operational years, and can be predicted with confidence when routine operational monitoring data are abundant. Examples of modelling drainage chemistry using routine monitoring databases are presented from several mine sites, spanning up to 30 years of operation and closure. Simple statistical interpretation can reveal annual cycles and trends in aqueous concentrations. A compilation of twelve equations for copper versus pH illustrates similar trends in pH at the different sites, while showing how average annual Cu concentrations at a particular pH can vary between sites by three orders of magnitude. A new study comparing actual closure concentrations with those predicted in 1991 demonstrates that predictive accuracy is within a factor of two., Post-mining drainage chemistry depends strongly on geochemical and hydrological processes that occur during the operational years, and can be predicted with confidence when routine operational monitoring data are abundant. Examples of modelling drainage chemistry using routine monitoring databases are presented from several mine sites, spanning up to 30 years of operation and closure. Simple statistical interpretation can reveal annual cycles and trends in aqueous concentrations. A compilation of twelve equations for copper versus pH illustrates similar trends in pH at the different sites, while showing how average annual Cu concentrations at a particular pH can vary between sites by three orders of magnitude. A new study comparing actual closure concentrations with those predicted in 1991 demonstrates that predictive accuracy is within a factor of two.

An equation is developed which permits calculation of a diver's oxygen consumption in a semi-closed circuit UBA if the inspired partial pressure of oxygen, the depth, the mixed gas injection rate and the supply gas oxygen percentage are known. The approximate nature of this calculation and its limitations are discussed.

There is a growing interest in emerging opportunistic sensors for precipitation, motivated by the need to improve its quantitative estimates at the ground. The scopes of this work are to discuss the effort of building a CML-based opportunistic sensing framework from scratch and to present preliminary assessment of the accuracy of CMLs retrieved rainfall rates in Northern Italy. The CML product, obtained by the open-source RAINLINK software package, is evaluated on different scales against the precipitation products operationally used at the Regional Weather Service of Emilia-Romagna (Italy). The results of the 15 min single-link validation with close-by rain gauges show high variability, which can be caused by the complex area physiography and precipitation patterns. Known sources of errors are particularly hard to mitigate in these conditions without a specific calibration, which has not been implemented. However, hourly cumulated spatially interpolated CML rainfall maps, validated with respect to the established regional gauge-based reference, show similar performance (R2 of 0.46 and CV of 0.78) to adjusted radar-based precipitation gridded products and better than satellite- ones. Performance improves when basin-scale total precipitation amounts are considered (R2 of 0.83 and CV of 0.48). Avoiding regional-specific calibration therefore does not preclude the algorithm from working but has some limitations in POD and accuracy. A widespread underestimation is evident at both grid box (Mean Error of -0.26) and basin-scale (Multiplicative Bias of 0.7), while the number of false alarms is generally low and gets even lower as link coverage increases. Taking into account also delays in the availability of the data (latency of 0.33 hours for CML against 1 hour for the adjusted radar and 24h for the quality-controlled rain gauges), CML appears as a valuable data source in particular from a local operational framework perspective.

There is a growing interest in emerging opportunistic sensors for precipitation, motivated by the need to improve its quantitative estimates at the ground. The scopes of this work are to discuss the effort of building a CML-based opportunistic sensing framework from scratch and to present preliminary assessment of the accuracy of CMLs retrieved rainfall rates in Northern Italy. The CML product, obtained by the open-source RAINLINK software package, is evaluated on different scales against the precipitation products operationally used at the Regional Weather Service of Emilia-Romagna (Italy). The results of the 15 min single-link validation with close-by rain gauges show high variability, which can be caused by the complex area physiography and precipitation patterns. Known sources of errors are particularly hard to mitigate in these conditions without a specific calibration, which has not been implemented. However, hourly cumulated spatially interpolated CML rainfall maps, validated with respect to the established regional gauge-based reference, show similar performance (R2 of 0.46 and CV of 0.78) to adjusted radar-based precipitation gridded products and better than satellite- ones. Performance improves when basin-scale total precipitation amounts are considered (R2 of 0.83 and CV of 0.48). Avoiding regional-specific calibration therefore does not preclude the algorithm from working but has some limitations in POD and accuracy. A widespread underestimation is evident at both grid box (Mean Error of -0.26) and basin-scale (Multiplicative Bias of 0.7), while the number of false alarms is generally low and gets even lower as link coverage increases. Taking into account also delays in the availability of the data (latency of 0.33 hours for CML against 1 hour for the adjusted radar and 24h for the quality-controlled rain gauges), CML appears as a valuable data source in particular from a local operational framework perspective.

Dynamic Monitoring of Service Members to Quantify Blast Exposure Levels During Combat Training Using BlackBox Biometrics Blast Gauges: Explosive Breaching, Shoulder-fired Weapons, Artillery, Mortars, and .50 Caliber Guns Background Results Methods Conclusions Disclaimers Acknowledgements References Wiri S, Massow T, Reid J, Whitty J, Dunbar C, Graves W, Gonzales A, Ortley D, Longwell J, Needham CE, Ziegle A, Phan V, Leonessa F and Duckworth JL (2023) Dynamic monitoring of service members to quantify blast exposure levels during combat training using BlackBox Biometrics Blast Gauges: explosive breaching, shoulder-fired weapons, artillery, mortars, and 0.50 caliber guns. Front. Neurol. 14:1175671. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1175671 Today, one of the areas of concern driving research on health impact of blast exposure is the relationship between repeated sub-concussive blast exposure and adverse neurological outcomes. In order to quantify blast exposure levels during training and combat, small, wireless blast overpressure sensors are used to collect blast exposure data on military personnel. Such data has been collected by CONQUER (Combat and Training Queryable Exposure/Event Repository), an operational monitoring program whose main objective is to provide reports to units and commands on the magnitude and frequency of blast exposure during training. Understanding the blast environment and variability in exposure is an important step to allow researchers to correlate blast exposure with physiologic changes, health impairment, and combat readiness. Blast overpressure data were collected during normal training operations using the Blackbox Biometrics (B3) Blast Gauge System (BGS). The Blast Gauges were mounted on the head, chest, and shoulder of the subjects. The data presented was collected from 202 subjects, operating different weapon systems and blast sources. A wide range of round types, propelling charge masses, and barrel angles are represented. To date, the CONQUER p, RITM0040589, Today, one of the areas of concern driving research on health impact of blast exposure is the relationship between repeated subconcussive blast exposure and adverse neurological outcomes. In order to quantify blast exposure levels during training and combat, small, wireless blast overpressure sensors are used to collect blast exposure data on military personnel. Such data has been collected by CONQUER (Combat and Training Queryable Exposure/Event Repository), an operational monitoring program whose main objective is to provide reports to units and commands on the magnitude and frequency of blast exposure during training. Understanding the blast environment and variability in exposure is an important step to allow researchers to correlate blast exposure with physiologic changes, health impairment, and combat readiness.

Worldwide, governments are implementing strategies to combat marine litter. However, their effectiveness is largely unknown because we lack tools to systematically monitor marine litter over broad spatio-temporal scales. Metre-sized aggregations of floating debris generated by sea-surface convergence lines have been reported as a reliable target for detection from satellites. Yet, the usefulness of such ephemeral, scattered aggregations as proxy for sustained, large-scale monitoring of marine litter remains an open question for a dedicated Earth-Observation mission. Here, we track this proxy over a series of 300,000 satellite images of the entire Mediterranean Sea. The proxy is mainly related to recent inputs from land-based litter sources. Despite the limitations of in-orbit technology, satellite detections are sufficient to map hot-spots and capture trends, providing an unprecedented source-to-sink view of the marine litter phenomenon. Torrential rains largely control marine litter inputs, while coastal boundary currents and wind-driven surface sweep arise as key drivers for its distribution over the ocean. Satellite-based monitoring proves to be a real game changer for marine litter research and management. Furthermore, the development of an ad-hoc sensor can lower the minimum detectable concentration by one order of magnitude, ensuring operational monitoring, at least for seasonal-to-interannual variability in the mesoscale., Postprint (published version)

Unreliable predictions can occur when using artificial intelligence (AI) systems with negative consequences for downstream applications, particularly when employed for decision-making. Conformal prediction provides a model-agnostic framework for uncertainty quantification that can be applied to any dataset, irrespective of its distribution, post hoc. In contrast to other pixel-level uncertainty quantification methods, conformal prediction operates without requiring access to the underlying model and training dataset, concurrently offering statistically valid and informative prediction regions, all while maintaining computational efficiency. In response to the increased need to report uncertainty alongside point predictions, we bring attention to the promise of conformal prediction within the domain of Earth Observation (EO) applications. To accomplish this, we assess the current state of uncertainty quantification in the EO domain and found that only 20% of the reviewed Google Earth Engine (GEE) datasets incorporated a degree of uncertainty information, with unreliable methods prevalent. Next, we introduce modules that seamlessly integrate into existing GEE predictive modelling workflows and demonstrate the application of these tools for datasets spanning local to global scales, including the Dynamic World and Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) datasets. These case studies encompass regression and classification tasks, featuring both traditional and deep learning-based workflows. Subsequently, we discuss the opportunities arising from the use of conformal prediction in EO. We anticipate that the increased availability of easy-to-use implementations of conformal predictors, such as those provided here, will drive wider adoption of rigorous uncertainty quantification in EO, thereby enhancing the reliability of uses such as operational monitoring and decision making.

Det här examensarbetet genomförs med Vattenfall Eldistribution som uppdragsgivare. Parter inom företaget anser att driftövervakningen idag sker aningen konservativt och traditionsbundet. Syftet med arbetet är att tydliggöra nuvarande övervakningsfilosofi och försöka hitta eventuella förbättringar och förändringar som kan införas i Vattenfall Eldistributions styrande dokument och driftövervakningssystem. Elektrisk kraftöverföring är ett effektivt och flexibelt sätt att transportera energi. Överföringsförmågan i ett elnät är dock begränsad och bestäms av de ingående komponenters kapacitetsgränser. Begränsningarna är oftast av termisk eller mekanisk natur, och ibland även en kombination av dessa. Ur ett övervakningsperspektiv kan en anläggning eller anläggningsdel i kraftsystemet bestå av flera ingående komponenter, exempelvis luftledningssektioner, kabelsektioner, frånskiljare, brytare, ström- och krafttransformatorer samt reläskydd. I rapporten framkommer det att luftledningar är den komponent som begränsar överföringsförmågan i systemet mest, följt av strömtransformatorer. Märkströmmen är den ström som sätter begränsningen för överföringskapaciteten i luftledningarna, den är baserad på kontinuerlig drift och vid bestämda förutsättningar där omgivningens förmåga att kyla är avgörande. När beräkningar av överföringsförmågan genomförs antas parametrar med sämsta tänkbara kylningsförhållandet. Bedömningen av överföringsförmågan är inte alltid enhetligt med hur larmgränserna fastslås, detta eftersom larmgränserna fastslås med försiktighet då det är en hjälpfunktion för driftoperatörerna. Larmen är ett verktyg för operatören som alltid kräver ett aktivt ställningstagande. Överlastförmågan är kopplat till åldring och haveri men även till anläggningssäkerheten. I rapporten framkommer det att apparater och kablar generellt inte överbelastas i Vattenfall Eldistributions nät medans luftledningar och transformatorer antas ha utrymme för det. Samtliga komponenter är beroende av, This thesis is carried out on behalf of Vattenfall Eldistribution. As parties within the company believe that operational monitoring today is somewhat conservative and traditional. The goal is to clarify the current monitoring philosophy and try to find any improvements and changes that can be introduced in Vattenfall's electricity distribution's governing documents and operational monitoring system. Electric power transmission is an efficient and flexible way of transporting energy. However, the transmission capacity of an electricity network is limited, and the limitation is determined by the capacity limits of the components. The limitations are usually of a thermal or mechanical nature, and sometimes even a combination of these. The power system can consist of several components, such as overhead line sections, cable sections, disconnectors, switches, current and power transformers and relay protection. The report shows that overhead lines are the component that limits the transmission capacity of the system the most, followed by current transformers. The rated current is the current that sets the limitation on the transmission capacity of the overhead lines, it is based on continuous operation and under certain conditions where the environment's ability to cool is crucial. When calculations of the transmission capacity are performed, parameters with the worst possible cooling ratio are assumed. The estimation of the transmission capacity is not always in accordance with how the alarm limits are determined, because the alarm limits are determined with caution as it is a help function for the operating operators. The alarms are a tool for the operator that always requires an active action. The overload capacity is linked to aging and breakdowns, but also to plant safety. The report shows that appliances and cables are generally something that is not overloaded while overhead lines and transformers are assumed to have room for it. All components are dependent on t

This document corresponding to deliverable DEL01 “DRT service requirements and KPIs’’ is produced in the context of Task A2102, Requirements and Methodology. The document has been developed by CERTH with the collaboration of FACTUAL, AMB, CARRIS, SANT CUGAT and TheTa and its main goal is to identify the main requirements for designing and operating DRT services, and develop the associated KPIs., As a part of MultiDEPART project, a series of surveys to key stakeholders have been done and analysed in order to obtain further information on typologies of DRT services and their acceptance. In the first part of the document the results of the surveys are presented through graphic representation. The results of the survey were also presented in a workshop held on the 28th of June with the participation of related stakeholders. The KPIs collected for both the transport operators/technology providers and the users are also presented. In the second part of the document the technical requirements for the planning and operation of DRT services are described in details. The technical requirements are related with the main categories of the users and the system administrators and are grouped into functional and non-functional requirements. The functional requirements define a specific behavior or functions while non-functional requirements specify criteria that can be used to describe or measure the performance of the system. The conclusions and lessons learnt are critical points for the project’s progress since they will contribute to the development of the planning and operational monitoring in A2103 ‘’ DRT Planning tools’’ and A2104 ‘’ DRT Operational Monitoring Tools’’ respectively ensuring the success implementation of these tools., Preprint

Det här examensarbetet genomförs med Vattenfall Eldistribution som uppdragsgivare. Parter inom företaget anser att driftövervakningen idag sker aningen konservativt och traditionsbundet. Syftet med arbetet är att tydliggöra nuvarande övervakningsfilosofi och försöka hitta eventuella förbättringar och förändringar som kan införas i Vattenfall Eldistributions styrande dokument och driftövervakningssystem. Elektrisk kraftöverföring är ett effektivt och flexibelt sätt att transportera energi. Överföringsförmågan i ett elnät är dock begränsad och bestäms av de ingående komponenters kapacitetsgränser. Begränsningarna är oftast av termisk eller mekanisk natur, och ibland även en kombination av dessa. Ur ett övervakningsperspektiv kan en anläggning eller anläggningsdel i kraftsystemet bestå av flera ingående komponenter, exempelvis luftledningssektioner, kabelsektioner, frånskiljare, brytare, ström- och krafttransformatorer samt reläskydd. I rapporten framkommer det att luftledningar är den komponent som begränsar överföringsförmågan i systemet mest, följt av strömtransformatorer. Märkströmmen är den ström som sätter begränsningen för överföringskapaciteten i luftledningarna, den är baserad på kontinuerlig drift och vid bestämda förutsättningar där omgivningens förmåga att kyla är avgörande. När beräkningar av överföringsförmågan genomförs antas parametrar med sämsta tänkbara kylningsförhållandet. Bedömningen av överföringsförmågan är inte alltid enhetligt med hur larmgränserna fastslås, detta eftersom larmgränserna fastslås med försiktighet då det är en hjälpfunktion för driftoperatörerna. Larmen är ett verktyg för operatören som alltid kräver ett aktivt ställningstagande. Överlastförmågan är kopplat till åldring och haveri men även till anläggningssäkerheten. I rapporten framkommer det att apparater och kablar generellt inte överbelastas i Vattenfall Eldistributions nät medans luftledningar och transformatorer antas ha utrymme för det. Samtliga komponenter är beroende av, This thesis is carried out on behalf of Vattenfall Eldistribution. As parties within the company believe that operational monitoring today is somewhat conservative and traditional. The goal is to clarify the current monitoring philosophy and try to find any improvements and changes that can be introduced in Vattenfall's electricity distribution's governing documents and operational monitoring system. Electric power transmission is an efficient and flexible way of transporting energy. However, the transmission capacity of an electricity network is limited, and the limitation is determined by the capacity limits of the components. The limitations are usually of a thermal or mechanical nature, and sometimes even a combination of these. The power system can consist of several components, such as overhead line sections, cable sections, disconnectors, switches, current and power transformers and relay protection. The report shows that overhead lines are the component that limits the transmission capacity of the system the most, followed by current transformers. The rated current is the current that sets the limitation on the transmission capacity of the overhead lines, it is based on continuous operation and under certain conditions where the environment's ability to cool is crucial. When calculations of the transmission capacity are performed, parameters with the worst possible cooling ratio are assumed. The estimation of the transmission capacity is not always in accordance with how the alarm limits are determined, because the alarm limits are determined with caution as it is a help function for the operating operators. The alarms are a tool for the operator that always requires an active action. The overload capacity is linked to aging and breakdowns, but also to plant safety. The report shows that appliances and cables are generally something that is not overloaded while overhead lines and transformers are assumed to have room for it. All components are dependent on t

A typical district heating (DH) network consists of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of substations. In the absence of a well-understood prior model or data labels about each substation, the overall monitoring of such large number of substations can be challenging. To overcome the challenge, an approach based on the collective operational monitoring of each substation by a local group (i.e., the reference-group) of other similar substations in the network was formulated. Herein, if a substation of interest (i.e., the target) starts to behave differently in comparison to those in its reference-group, then it was designated as an outlier. The approach was demonstrated on the monitoring of the return temperature variable for atypical and faulty operational behavior in 778 substations associated with multi-dwelling buildings. The choice of an appropriate similarity measure along with its size k were the two important factors that enables a reference-group to effectively detect an outlier target. Thus, different similarity measures and size k for the construction of the reference-groups were investigated, which led to the selection of the Euclidean distance with k = 80. This setup resulted in the detection of 77 target substations that were outliers, i.e., the behavior of their return temperature changed in comparison to the majority of those in their respective reference-groups. Of these, 44 were detected due to the local construction of the reference-groups. In addition, six frequent patterns of deviating behavior in the return temperature of the substations were identified using the reference-group based approach, which were then further corroborated by the feedback from a DH domain expert. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

This document specifies the NetCDF file format of EGO-gliders that is used to distribute glider data, metadata and technical data. It documents the standards used therein; this includes naming conventions as well as metadata content. It was initiated in October 2012, based on OceanSITES, Argo and ANFOG user's manuals. Everyone’s Gliding Observatories - EGO is dedicated to the promotion of the glider technology and its applications. The EGO group promotes glider applications through coordination, training, liaison between providers and users, advocacy, and provision of expert advice. We intend to favor oceanographic experiments and the operational monitoring of the oceans with gliders through scientific and international collaboration. We provide news, support, information about glider projects and glider data management, as well as resources related to gliders. All EGO data are publicly available. More information about the project is available at: http://www.ego-network.org

An emerging industrial automation has led to higher demands required for construction of encoders to ensure functionality of automated processes. The main purpose of the encoder is to provide data which indicates the condition of a drive system. If the encoder is found to be defective, there is a risk of causing a critical discontinuity in the drive system increasing the risk of causing a dangerous situation. For rotary inductive encoders, ball bearing failure is the main reason for encoder failure. Since the effectiveness of a lubricant decreases over time, continued operation of the encoder will lead to wear increasing frictional torque in the ball bearings. The bearings will eventually lose their ability to rotate resulting in blocked bearings. This thesis has been executed at the request of Leine & Linde with the aim of concretising and further developing a patented conceptual solution initiated by the company. A solution that aims to mechanically register lost rotational ability of the ball bearings in a rotary inductive encoder. As a result, maintenance or replacement of defective ball bearings can be scheduled upon indication of wear rather than after a malfunction has occurred contributing to increased functional safety. This has led to formulation of two research questions: RQ1: How can a mechanical solution be designed to enable the detection of blocked bearings in a rotary inductive encoder and thereby increase the functional safety of a control system? RQ2: Which aspects should be taken into account when designing industrial rotary encoders with inductive measurement technique on which the functional safety increases? This study includes two sub-studies which were executed within a period of 20 weeks: 1) theoretical study; 2) empirical study. The theoretical sub-study is based on a literature study of published research articles as well as relevant company documents in functional safety, operational monitoring and control as well as flexible and ro, Med en framväxande industriautomation ställs allt högre krav vid konstruktion av pulsgivare i syfte att säkerställa funktionaliteten hos automatiserade processer. Pulsgivarens huvudsakliga syfte är att tillhandahålla data vilka påvisar tillståndet hos ett drivsystem. I det fall då pulsgivaren ses vara defekt riskeras ett kritiskt avbrott hos drivsystemet att förorsakas, vilket medför ökad risk för uppkomst av en farlig situation. För roterande induktiva pulsgivare ses kullagerfel vara den främsta anledningen till att haveri uppstår. Då effektiviteten av ett smörjningsmedel avtar med tiden ses fortsatt drift leda till slitage och ökat friktionsmoment i kullagren vilka till slut förlorar rotationsförmågan och låses. Denna avhandling har utförts på uppdrag av Leine & Linde med målsättningen att konkretisera och vidareutveckla en patenterad konceptuell lösning framtagen av företaget. En lösning som syftar till att mekaniskt registrera förlorad rotationsförmåga hos kullagren i en roterande induktiv pulsgivare. Således ses underhåll eller byte av kullager kunna planeras in redan vid indikation på slitage istället för vid defekt funktion, vilket bidrar till ökad funktionssäkerhet. Detta har lett till formulering av två forskningsfrågor: F1: Hur kan en mekanisk lösning konstrueras för att möjliggöra detektering av låsta lager hos en roterande induktiv pulsgivare och därmed öka funktionssäkerheten för ett styrsystem? F2: Vilka aspekter bör beaktas vid konstruktion av industriella roterande pulsgivare med induktiv mätteknik på vilken funktionssäkerheten ses öka? Studien omfattar två delstudier vilka utförts inom en tidsperiod på 20 veckor: 1) teoretisk studie; 2) empirisk studie. Den teoretiska delstudien baseras på en litteraturstudie av publicerade forskningsartiklar liksom relevanta företagsdokument inom funktionssäkerhet, driftövervakning och styrning samt flexibla och robusta konstruktioner. Den empiriska studien utgörs av en fallstudie vilken baseras på en utforsk