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The purpose of this presentation is to describe the highlights of a research program designed to investigate the feasibility of creating a motion base driving simulator in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE). The goal of the project was to create the most effective simulator possible using a compact, portable motion system. In addition to reviews of state-of-the-art simulation technology, two human factors studies were conducted to determine the impacts of design trade-offs on off-road driving performance in the simulator. In the first study, field (FOV), display system, and motion cueing algorithm were evaluate. In the second study, the optimum configuration from the first study was compared to off-road driving performance in TACOM's Ride Motion Simulator (RMS). In addition to performance evaluation, several simulator sickness mitigation techniques were also tested. The important findings from each of these evaluations will be discussed., See also ADM001736, Proceedings of the Army Science Conference (24th) held in Orlando, FL on 29 Nov-2 Dec 2004. The original document contains color images.

Salamanders of the genus Plethodon occur in a variety of mesic woodland habitats. Recently, populations of an undescribed species have been discovered at Fort Hood, Texas. These populations are associated with features such as caves and sinkholes. Red imported fire ants (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta Buren, are thought to compete with cavernicoles for food and sometimes prey upon animals in the caves, but their impact at Fort Hood has not been closely examined. This research documents (1) the presence/absence and abundance of Plethodon sp. at selected caves and sinkholes on Fort Hood and (2) the presence or absence of RIFA at features surveyed for Plethodon sp. The data fail to demonstrate any meaningful relationship between either active RIFA mound counts or numbers of RIFA in bait traps and the presence/absence or abundance of Plethodon sp. Because RIFA can be overwhelming as a predator and difficult to control, management efforts should focus toward limiting the impacts of RIFA on sites where the salamander is known to occur. A more robust estimate of the population size for the salamander is needed. General size data suggest that the salamander population is normal and healthy., The original document contains color images. All DTIC reproductions will be in black and white.

This document is one in a series of technical notes concerning species that are potentially impacted by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) reservoir operations. These technical notes are products of the Corps Ecosystem Management and Restoration Research Program (EMRRP) work unit titled "Reservoir Operations - Impacts on Target Species" (Dickerson, Martin, and Allen 1999; Kasul, Martin, and Allen 2000). This note provides information on six species of forest bats that roost in caves or cave-like structures and potentially occur on Corps projects in the Eastern United States. The status of each species is given and information is provided on the impacts responsible for population decline.

For some of today's simulations very expensive heavy and large equipment is needed. Examples are driving shipping, and flight simulators with huge and expensive visual and motion systems. In order to reduce cost immersive Virtual Simulation becomes very attractive. Head Mounted Displays (HMD) or CAVEs (Computer Animated Virtual Environments). Datagloves. and cheap SeatingBucks are used to generate a stercoscopic virtual environment (VE) for the trainee. IVS enhances training quality and quantity for classroom-teaching and Computer Based Training (CBT). It allows to visualize and animate teaching material in a more natural stereoscopic environment. Data of before unseen complexity can be revealed and complex models easily visualized. For the first time the trainee himself can interact with a Data-Glove in the environment and collect cockpit experience long before his maiden flight. CAVEs and Immersive Projection Screens enable "group training" to collect personal and shared experience while further enhancing training quality., Pres. Workshop of RTO Human Factors and Medicine Panel (HFM) The Hague, Netherlands, 13-15 Apr 2000, p11-1/11-8. This article is from ADA390882 What is Essential for Virtual Reality Systems to Meet Human Performance Goals? (les Caracteristiques essentielles des systemes VR pour atteindre les objectifs militaires en matiere de performances humaines)

The Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) is a medium-sized bat with grayish chestnut fur on the dorsum. The species is found from the western edge of the Ozark Plateau in Oklahoma, North to Iowa and southwestern Wisconsin, East to New Hampshire, and south to portions of Georgia and Alabama. The Indiana bat was Listed as Federally Endangered in 1967 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, primarily due to disturbance and habitat destruction. Indiana bats migrate between wintering and summering areas. Winter hibernacula are located in cool limestone caves and abandoned mineshafts. During summer, Indiana bats require closed canopy, riparian forests for foraging and hardwood stands with open to partially closed canopies for roosting. The species has been documented on at least one military installation in the southeastern United States; installations with suitable habitat in other portions of the United States should also benefit from this document. This document is one of a series of Species Profiles being developed for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species inhabiting southeastern United States plant communities. The work is being conducted as part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). The report is designed to supplement information provided in plant community management reports for major United States plant communities found on military installations. Information provided on the Indiana bat includes status, life history and ecology, habitat requirements, impacts and causes of decline, habitat assessment techniques, inventory and monitoring, and management and protection.

The gray bat (Myotis grisescens) is a medium-sized bat with gray or chestnut-brown fur. The species was listed as Federally endangered in 1976 throughout its range by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, primarily due to human disturbance, environ- mental disturbance, and impoundment of waterways. Gray bats are year-round cave residents but migrate between caves in wintering and summering areas of the midwestern and southeastern United States. Populations are mainly concentrated in Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The species was been documented on one military installation in the southeastern United States; installations with suitable habitat in other sections of the United States should also benefit from this profile. This report is one of a series of Species Profiles being developed for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species inhabiting southeastern United States plant communities. The work is being conducted as part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). The report is designed to supplement information provided in plant community management reports for major United States plant communities found on military installations. Information provided on the gray bat includes status, life history and ecology, habitat requirements, impacts and causes of decline, habitat assessment techniques, inventory and monitoring, and management and protection.

According to an American Petroleum Institute production waste survey reported on by P.G. Wakim in 1987 and 1988, the exploration and production segment of the U.S. oil and gas industry generated more than 360 million barrels (bbl) of drilling wastes, more than 20 billion bbl of produced water, and nearly 12 million bbl of associated wastes in 1985. Current exploration and production activities are believed to be generating comparable quantities of these oil field wastes. Wakim estimates that 28% of drilling wastes, less than 2% of produced water, and 52% of associated wastes are disposed of in off-site commercial facilities. In recent years, interest in disposing of oil field wastes in solution mined salt caverns has been growing. This report provides information on the availability of commercial disposal companies in oil and gas producing states, the treatment and disposal methods they employ, and the amounts they charge. It also compares cavern disposal costs with the costs of other forms of waste disposal. At the federal level, the majority of oil field wastes are considered to be exempt from the hazardous waste provisions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). These wastes are instead regulated at the state level. All oil and gas producing states allow some oil field wastes to be disposed of on-site. The commonly used on site disposal methods include underground injection, on-site burial, land spreading or other land treatment, evaporation, surface discharge, and recycling. Argonne National Laboratory conducted interviews with oil and gas officials in 31 oil and gas producing states to learn how oil field wastes are disposed of in their states and to identify commercial off-site disposal companies.

Salt caverns have been used for several decades to store various hydrocarbon products. In the past few years, four facilities in the United States have been permitted to dispose nonhazardous oil field wastes in salt caverns. Several other disposal caverns have been permitted in Canada and in Europe. This report evaluates the possibility that adverse human health effects (carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic) could result from exposure to contaminants released from the caverns in domal salt formations used for nonhazardous oil field waste disposal. The evaluation assumes normal operations but considers the possibility of leaks in cavern seals and cavern walls during the post closure phase of operation. In this assessment, several steps were followed to identify possible human health risks. At the broadest level, these steps include identifying a reasonable set of contaminants of possible concern, identifying how humans could be exposed to these contaminants, assessing the toxicities of these contaminants, estimating their intakes, and characterizing their associated human health risks. The contaminants of concern for the assessment are benzene, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium. These were selected as being components of oil field waste and having a likelihood to remain in solution for a long enough time to reach a human receptor.

This study evaluated numerous geophysical techniques to determine their applicability to the detection of clandestine tunneling activity, either in progress or completed, which is directed against field fortifications. The first priority was to develop a rapid and reliable approach for detecting tunneling at shallow depths (less than 50 m) in rock. The course of this investigation operated under the premise that a rapid reconnaissance survey using only surface geophysical methods would first be performed followed by a detailed or high-resolution survey in which strategically placed boreholes would be included. Two well-documented test sites, both located in the State of Florida, were chosen for evaluation of the methods. The Medford Cave test site , near Ocala, Fla., was an air-filled cave system located about 20 to 30 ft below the ground surface. The second test site near Chiefland, Fla., was a state park called Manatee Springs. This site differed from Medford Cave in that the cavities were located approximately 100 ft below the ground surface, were water- filled, and were mapped by cave divers. In addition, two existing seismic triangulation systems developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines were also evaluated for application to the tunnel detection program.

Seismic signatures of void and mud-filled subterranean cavities are presented. The results imply that cavity interference with deep penetrating surface waves is the cause for the manifestation of diagnostic seismic events indicative of voids.

This study examines the availability and the potential of using mine space (and to a lesser extent, cave and tunnel space) in future civil defense programs. It provides background information concerning previous research on this study, and makes new estimates of usable space and yearly space increases, based on a sample survey of a few mines. The possibilities and costs of developing new mine space and adapting mines to shelter use is also discussed. Information on caves and tunnels is also included. Three appendices (AD617112) are included with this report, containing detailed listing of mines and caves located by the National Fallout Shelter Survey, and detailed listings and locations of vehicular tunnels. This data is intended for possible use by those who might wish to undertake more specific studies of shelter potential in mines, caves, and tunnels., See also AD617112.

13 photographs of people visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM. "Subject: Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico; Remarks: 1 #3 - 8x10 gl[ossy], Las Vegas, 1 #3 - 8x10 gl[ossy] full Buss; No. C9-1-4" -- on envelope. "#2,3 Carlsbad Cavern Busses [sic] meet the train at El Paso Texas; 4,5,6 Changing Tires on Passenger bus; 7 Cafe on New Mexico-Texas Border; 8 gov[ernmen]t office Carlsbad Caverns; 9 to 14 entrance to Carlsbad Caverns." -- on sleeve.