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NASA NTRS2022

Kamodo’s Model-Agnostic Satellite Flythrough: Lowering the Utilization Barrier for Heliophysics Model Outputs

Heliophysics model outputs are increasingly accessible, but typically are not usable by the majority of the community unless directly collaborating with the relevant model developers. Prohibitive factors include complex file output formats, cryptic metadata, unspecified and often customized coordinate systems, and non-linear coordinate grids. Some pockets of progress exist, giving interfaces to various simulation outputs, but only for a small set of outputs and typically not with open-source, freely available packages. Additionally, the increasing array of tools built upon these sporadic interfaces are typically model-specific. We present Kamodo’s model-agnostic satellite flythrough capabilities as the solution to the utilization barrier for heliophysics model outputs. Developed at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center, these flythrough capabilities are built in Python upon a network of model-agnostic interfaces developed in collaboration with model developers, providing interpolation results the community can trust. Kamodo’s flythrough capabilities present the user with a growing variety of flythrough tools based upon a rapidly expanding library of heliophysics model outputs in several domains, currently including a variety of Ionosphere-Thermosphere-Mesosphere and global magnetosphere model outputs. Each capability is designed to be easily accessible via simplistic model-agnostic syntax, with the entire package freely available in the cloud on Github. Here, we describe the tools developed, include several sample applications for common science questions, demonstrate interoperability with selected packages, and summarize ongoing developments.

Software↗

NASA NTRS1984

An operating system for future aerospace vehicle computer systems

The requirements for future aerospace vehicle computer operating systems are examined in this paper. The computer architecture is assumed to be distributed with a local area network connecting the nodes. Each node is assumed to provide a specific functionality. The network provides for communication so that the overall tasks of the vehicle are accomplished. The O/S structure is based upon the concept of objects. The mechanisms for integrating node unique objects with node common objects in order to implement both the autonomy and the cooperation between nodes is developed. The requirements for time critical performance and reliability and recovery are discussed. Time critical performance impacts all parts of the distributed operating system; e.g., its structure, the functional design of its objects, the language structure, etc. Throughout the paper the tradeoffs - concurrency, language structure, object recovery, binding, file structure, communication protocol, programmer freedom, etc. - are considered to arrive at a feasible, maximum performance design. Reliability of the network system is considered. A parallel multipath bus structure is proposed for the control of delivery time for time critical messages. The architecture also supports immediate recovery for the time critical message system after a communication failure.

Foudriat, E. C.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Three-Dimensional Audio Client Library

The Three-Dimensional Audio Client Library (3DAudio library) is a group of software routines written to facilitate development of both stand-alone (audio only) and immersive virtual-reality application programs that utilize three-dimensional audio displays. The library is intended to enable the development of three-dimensional audio client application programs by use of a code base common to multiple audio server computers. The 3DAudio library calls vendor-specific audio client libraries and currently supports the AuSIM Gold-Server and Lake Huron audio servers. 3DAudio library routines contain common functions for (1) initiation and termination of a client/audio server session, (2) configuration-file input, (3) positioning functions, (4) coordinate transformations, (5) audio transport functions, (6) rendering functions, (7) debugging functions, and (8) event-list-sequencing functions. The 3DAudio software is written in the C++ programming language and currently operates under the Linux, IRIX, and Windows operating systems.

Rizzi, Stephen A.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Biomass Harmonization and SAR Analysis with the Multi-mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP)

The Multi‐mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP) is a collaborative effort between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) to support above ground biomass (AGB) research in an open science framework. MAAP brings together relevant data, algorithms, and computing capabilities in a common cloud environment to address the challenges of sharing and processing data from field, airborne and satellite measurements. MAAP was publicly released in October 2021, providing computing capabilities co-located with the data, a collaborative coding and analysis environment, and a set of interoperable tools and algorithms developed to support the estimation and visualization of data. MAAP has allowed scientists from both North America and Europe to collaborate on the generation and analysis/visualization of data derived from multiple, discipline-adjacent missions in an open, collaborative environment that has reached beyond traditional scientific investigation. MAAP has been used to support multiple scientific activities. To date, existing LiDAR data from multiple platforms has been calibrated with field measurements and combined for more comprehensive and accurate estimates of above ground biomass AGB; these LiDAR platforms include airborne (e.g. LVIS), the International Space Station (NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), and satellites (e.g. ICESat-2). The current challenge is to effectively and seamlessly combine the aforementioned LiDAR-based data with new data sources such as P-band RADAR from ESA’s upcoming BIOMASS mission, existing ESA Sentinel-1 C-band SAR, and the 30 PB/yr of high cadence global coverage L-band SAR data from the upcoming NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) mission. Recent analysis using MAAP merged ICESat-2 and optical data (Harmonized Landsat Sentinel) produced the most comprehensively precise estimate of boreal-wide AGB to date. Another effort using MAAP is the production and open distribution of global comparisons of AGB map estimates, including from ICESat-2 and GEDI, to bolster stakeholder uptake for policy applications. These map estimates will feed into the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) database, likely aiding the next Global Carbon Stocktake of the UNFCCC. Furthermore, the biomass retrieval intercomparison exercise BRIX-2 could benefit from the MAAP providing standardized test cases (based on airborne campaign and spaceborne data) allowing the community to develop and apply retrieval algorithms based on these test cases, while forthcoming SAR data training curricula could also use the MAAP as a teaching and learning platform. The MAAP is meeting the challenges inherent in international, open science collaboration and large scale computing with a platform that is entirely open source and cloud native, using open standards for data access, manipulation, protocols, and formats. The MAAP data system consists of a dedicated data store whose data is indexed in an online catalog conforming to established metadata, application programmatic interfaces (APIs), and service interface standards, using an implementation of the open sourced NASA Common Metadata Repository. Federation of user identities allows users from either NASA or ESA to access and consume services from the other using a unified metadata catalog for the data utilized across the ESA and NASA MAAP platforms. Similarly, we are exploring how to increase interoperability to achieve a common approach to packaging, orchestrating and executing algorithms, with interoperable access to data for subsetting, fast browse, and cloud-optimized access, all using interoperable standards such as those from the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). Designed for interoperability, ESA and NASA utilize a common architecture for the software platform. It provides a cloud-based algorithm development environment (ADE) that enables scientists to develop algorithms collaboratively with access to the MAAP data catalog as well as other data archives. MAAP provides an Eclipse Che-based ADE supporting both Python and R languages, popular in this biomass community. Algorithms developed and containerized within the ADE can be deployed to run to thousands of computational nodes in the MAAP’s data processing system (DPS), dramatically speeding up processing and giving scientists a rapid, iterative turnaround of results. NASA’s implementation of the DPS is based on the Hybrid Science Data System (HySDS) framework, used by NASA flight projects to produce Earth science standard products.

cloud computing↗

NASA NTRS2017

Use of Schema on Read in Earth Science Data Archives

Traditionally, NASA Earth Science data archives have file-based storage using proprietary data file formats, such as HDF and HDF-EOS, which are optimized to support fast and efficient storage of spaceborne and model data as they are generated. The use of file-based storage essentially imposes an indexing strategy based on data dimensions. In most cases, NASA Earth Science data uses time as the primary index, leading to poor performance in accessing data in spatial dimensions. For example, producing a time series for a single spatial grid cell involves accessing a large number of data files. With exponential growth in data volume due to the ever-increasing spatial and temporal resolution of the data, using file-based archives poses significant performance and cost barriers to data discovery and access. Storing and disseminating data in proprietary data formats imposes an additional access barrier for users outside the mainstream research community. At the NASA Goddard Earth Sciences Data Information Services Center (GES DISC), we have evaluated applying the schema-on-read principle to data access and distribution. We used Apache Parquet to store geospatial data, and have exposed data through Amazon Web Services (AWS) Athena, AWS Simple Storage Service (S3), and Apache Spark. Using the schema-on-read approach allows customization of indexing spatially or temporally to suit the data access pattern. The storage of data in open formats such as Apache Parquet has widespread support in popular programming languages. A wide range of solutions for handling big data lowers the access barrier for all users. This presentation will discuss formats used for data storage, frameworks with This presentation will discuss formats used for data storage, frameworks with support for schema-on-read used for data access, and common use cases covering data usage patterns seen in a geospatial data archive.

cloud applications↗

NASA NTRS2018

Using Board Games as Subject Matter for Developing Expertise in Model-Based Systems Engineering

As more organizations transition from traditional document-centric systems engineering to a model-based approach, many are challenged to train their staff in new languages, tools, and methodologies, while managing the expectations of stakeholders and their expected model outcomes. In particular, challenges associated with learning a new modeling language and developing skills in the 'art' of modeling present organizations with formidable obstacles to realizing this transition. This paper hypothesizes that systems engineers may more readily learn how to correctly model with SysML, and develop intuition about the art of modeling and using patterns, if their learning references a commonly and thoroughly-understood subject, such as a board game. This paper presents a case for the use of board games as subject matter for new modelers. It demonstrates the concept with a sample model of Hasbro's popular board game, Monopoly, and discusses the limitations of this approach and potential adaptations that may broaden the applicability of the learned skills to projects. Finally, results from a small feasibility assessment and concepts for more formal study to evaluate the hypothesis are presented.

Model-Based Systems Engineering↗

NASA NTRS2018

Using Board Games as Subject Matter for Developing Expertise in Model-Based Systems Engineering

As more organizations transition from traditional document-centric systems engineering to a model-based approach, many are challenged to train their staff in new languages, tools, and methodologies, and manage the expectations of stakeholders and their expected model outcomes. In particular, challenges associated with learning a new modeling language and developing skills in the 'art' of modeling present organizations with formidable obstacles to realizing this transition. This paper hypothesizes that systems engineers may more readily learn how to correctly model with SysML, and develop intuition about the art of modeling and using patterns, if their learning references a commonly and thoroughly-understood subject matter, such as a board game. This paper presents a case for the use of board games as subject matter for new modelers, demonstrates the concept with a sample model of Hasbro's popular board game, Monopoly, and discusses the limitations of this approach and potential adaptations that may broaden the applicability of the learned skills to projects.

Systems Engineering↗

NASA NTRS2016

Topic Modeling of NASA Space System Problem Reports: Research in Practice

Problem reports at NASA are similar to bug reports: they capture defects found during test, post-launch operational anomalies, and document the investigation and corrective action of the issue. These artifacts are a rich source of lessons learned for NASA, but are expensive to analyze since problem reports are comprised primarily of natural language text. We apply topic modeling to a corpus of NASA problem reports to extract trends in testing and operational failures. We collected 16,669 problem reports from six NASA space flight missions and applied Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modeling to the document corpus. We analyze the most popular topics within and across missions, and how popular topics changed over the lifetime of a mission. We find that hardware material and flight software issues are common during the integration and testing phase, while ground station software and equipment issues are more common during the operations phase. We identify a number of challenges in topic modeling for trend analysis: 1) that the process of selecting the topic modeling parameters lacks definitive guidance, 2) defining semantically-meaningful topic labels requires nontrivial effort and domain expertise, 3) topic models derived from the combined corpus of the six missions were biased toward the larger missions, and 4) topics must be semantically distinct as well as cohesive to be useful. Nonetheless,topic modeling can identify problem themes within missions and across mission lifetimes, providing useful feedback to engineers and project managers.

Data Mining↗

NASA NTRS1994

Common modeling system for digital simulation

The Joint Modeling and Simulation System is a tri-service investigation into a common modeling framework for the development digital models. The basis for the success of this framework is an X-window-based, open systems architecture, object-based/oriented methodology, standard interface approach to digital model construction, configuration, execution, and post processing. For years Department of Defense (DOD) agencies have produced various weapon systems/technologies and typically digital representations of the systems/technologies. These digital representations (models) have also been developed for other reasons such as studies and analysis, Cost Effectiveness Analysis (COEA) tradeoffs, etc. Unfortunately, there have been no Modeling and Simulation (M&S) standards, guidelines, or efforts towards commonality in DOD M&S. The typical scenario is an organization hires a contractor to build hardware and in doing so an digital model may be constructed. Until recently, this model was not even obtained by the organization. Even if it was procured, it was on a unique platform, in a unique language, with unique interfaces, and, with the result being UNIQUE maintenance required. Additionally, the constructors of the model expended more effort in writing the 'infrastructure' of the model/simulation (e.g. user interface, database/database management system, data journalizing/archiving, graphical presentations, environment characteristics, other components in the simulation, etc.) than in producing the model of the desired system. Other side effects include: duplication of efforts; varying assumptions; lack of credibility/validation; and decentralization in policy and execution. J-MASS provides the infrastructure, standards, toolset, and architecture to permit M&S developers and analysts to concentrate on the their area of interest.

Painter, Rick↗

NASA NTRS1994

Array distribution in data-parallel programs

We consider distribution at compile time of the array data in a distributed-memory implementation of a data-parallel program written in a language like Fortran 90. We allow dynamic redistribution of data and define a heuristic algorithmic framework that chooses distribution parameters to minimize an estimate of program completion time. We represent the program as an alignment-distribution graph. We propose a divide-and-conquer algorithm for distribution that initially assigns a common distribution to each node of the graph and successively refines this assignment, taking computation, realignment, and redistribution costs into account. We explain how to estimate the effect of distribution on computation cost and how to choose a candidate set of distributions. We present the results of an implementation of our algorithms on several test problems.

Chatterjee, Siddhartha↗

NASA NTRS2010

GLobal Integrated Design Environment (GLIDE): A Concurrent Engineering Application

The GLobal Integrated Design Environment (GLIDE) is a client-server software application purpose-built to mitigate issues associated with real time data sharing in concurrent engineering environments and to facilitate discipline-to-discipline interaction between multiple engineers and researchers. GLIDE is implemented in multiple programming languages utilizing standardized web protocols to enable secure parameter data sharing between engineers and researchers across the Internet in closed and/or widely distributed working environments. A well defined, HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) based Application Programming Interface (API) to the GLIDE client/server environment enables users to interact with GLIDE, and each other, within common and familiar tools. One such common tool, Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation), paired with its add-in API for GLIDE, is discussed in this paper. The top-level examples given demonstrate how this interface improves the efficiency of the design process of a concurrent engineering study while reducing potential errors associated with manually sharing information between study participants.

McGuire, Melissa L.↗

NASA NTRS2011

LADEE Satellite Modeling and Simulation Development

As human activity on and around the Moon increases, so does the likelihood that our actions will have an impact on its atmosphere. The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), a NASA satellite scheduled to launch in 2013, will orbit the Moon collecting composition, density, and time variability data to characterize the current state of the lunar atmosphere. LADEE will also test the concept of the "Modular Common Bus" spacecraft architecture, an effort to reduce both development time and cost by designing reusable, modular components for use in multiple missions with similar requirements. An important aspect of this design strategy is to both simulate the spacecraft and develop the flight code in Simulink, a block diagram-style programming language that allows easy algorithm visualization and performance testing. Before flight code can be tested, however, a realistic simulation of the satellite and its dynamics must be generated and validated. This includes all of the satellite control system components such as actuators used for force and torque generation and sensors used for inertial orientation reference. My primary responsibilities have included designing, integrating, and testing models for the LADEE thrusters, reaction wheels, star trackers, and rate gyroscopes.

Adams, Michael↗

NASA NTRS1988

Ada (trademark) projects at NASA. Runtime environment issues and recommendations

Ada practitioners should use this document to discuss and establish common short term requirements for Ada runtime environments. The major current Ada runtime environment issues are identified through the analysis of some of the Ada efforts at NASA and other research centers. The runtime environment characteristics of major compilers are compared while alternate runtime implementations are reviewed. Modifications and extensions to the Ada Language Reference Manual to address some of these runtime issues are proposed. Three classes of projects focusing on the most critical runtime features of Ada are recommended, including a range of immediately feasible full scale Ada development projects. Also, a list of runtime features and procurement issues is proposed for consideration by the vendors, contractors and the government.

Roy, Daniel M.↗

NASA NTRS1991

NMESys: An expert system for network fault detection

The problem of network management is becoming an increasingly difficult and challenging task. It is very common today to find heterogeneous networks consisting of many different types of computers, operating systems, and protocols. The complexity of implementing a network with this many components is difficult enough, while the maintenance of such a network is an even larger problem. A prototype network management expert system, NMESys, implemented in the C Language Integrated Production System (CLIPS). NMESys concentrates on solving some of the critical problems encountered in managing a large network. The major goal of NMESys is to provide a network operator with an expert system tool to quickly and accurately detect hard failures, potential failures, and to minimize or eliminate user down time in a large network.

Nelson, Peter C.↗

NASA NTRS1994

McIDAS-eXplorer: A version of McIDAS for planetary applications

McIDAS-eXplorer is a set of software tools developed for analysis of planetary data published by the Planetary Data System on CD-ROM's. It is built upon McIDAS-X, an environment which has been in use nearly two decades now for earth weather satellite data applications in research and routine operations. The environment allows convenient access, navigation, analysis, display, and animation of planetary data by utilizing the full calibration data accompanying the planetary data. Support currently exists for Voyager images of the giant planets and their satellites; Magellan radar images (F-MIDR and C-MIDR's, global map products (GxDR's), and altimetry data (ARCDR's)); Galileo SSI images of the earth, moon, and Venus; Viking Mars images and MDIM's as well as most earth based telescopic images of solar system objects (FITS). The NAIF/JPL SPICE kernels are used for image navigation when available. For data without the SPICE kernels (such as the bulk of the Voyager Jupiter and Saturn imagery and Pioneer Orbiter images of Venus), tools based on NAIF toolkit allow the user to navigate the images interactively. Multiple navigation types can be attached to a given image (e.g., for ring navigation and planet navigation in the same image). Tools are available to perform common image processing tasks such as digital filtering, cartographic mapping, map overlays, and data extraction. It is also possible to have different planetary radii for an object such as Venus which requires a different radius for the surface and for the cloud level. A graphical user interface based on Tel-Tk scripting language is provided (UNIX only at present) for using the environment and also to provide on-line help. It is possible for end users to add applications of their own to the environment at any time.

Limaye, Sanjay S.↗

NASA NTRS1984

Logical optimization for database uniformization

Data base uniformization refers to the building of a common user interface facility to support uniform access to any or all of a collection of distributed heterogeneous data bases. Such a system should enable a user, situated anywhere along a set of distributed data bases, to access all of the information in the data bases without having to learn the various data manipulation languages. Furthermore, such a system should leave intact the component data bases, and in particular, their already existing software. A survey of various aspects of the data bases uniformization problem and a proposed solution are presented.

Grant, J.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Experience with abstract notation one

The development of computer science has produced a vast number of machine architectures, programming languages, and compiler technologies. The cross product of these three characteristics defines the spectrum of previous and present data representation methodologies. With regard to computer networks, the uniqueness of these methodologies presents an obstacle when disparate host environments are to be interconnected. Interoperability within a heterogeneous network relies upon the establishment of data representation commonality. The International Standards Organization (ISO) is currently developing the abstract syntax notation one standard (ASN.1) and the basic encoding rules standard (BER) that collectively address this problem. When used within the presentation layer of the open systems interconnection reference model, these two standards provide the data representation commonality required to facilitate interoperability. The details of a compiler that was built to automate the use of ASN.1 and BER are described. From this experience, insights into both standards are given and potential problems relating to this development effort are discussed.

Harvey, James D.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Application-Program-Installer Builder

A computer program builds application programming interfaces (APIs) and related software components for installing and uninstalling application programs in any of a variety of computers and operating systems that support the Java programming language in its binary form. This program is partly similar in function to commercial (e.g., Install-Shield) software. This program is intended to enable satisfaction of a quasi-industry-standard set of requirements for a set of APIs that would enable such installation and uninstallation and that would avoid the pitfalls that are commonly encountered during installation of software. The requirements include the following: 1) Properly detecting prerequisites to an application program before performing the installation; 2) Properly registering component requirements; 3) Correctly measuring the required hard-disk space, including accounting for prerequisite components that have already been installed; and 4) Correctly uninstalling an application program. Correct uninstallation includes (1) detecting whether any component of the program to be removed is required by another program, (2) not removing that component, and (3) deleting references to requirements of the to-be-removed program for components of other programs so that those components can be properly removed at a later time.

Wolgast, Paul↗