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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 289 records · Page 16

Recursive ideal observer detection of known M-ary signals in multiplicative and additive Gaussian noise.

This paper presents the derivation of the recursive algorithms necessary for real-time digital detection of M-ary known signals that are subject to independent multiplicative and additive Gaussian noises. The motivating application is minimum probability of error detection of digital data-link messages aboard civil aircraft in the earth reflection multipath environment. For each known signal, the detector contains one Kalman filter and one probability computer. The filters estimate the multipath disturbance. The estimates and the received signal drive the probability computers. Outputs of all the computers are compared in amplitude to give the signal decision. The practicality and usefulness of the detector are extensively discussed.

Painter, J. H.↗

Skylab and ERTS-1 investigations of coastal land-use and water properties in Delaware Bay

Study of coastal land use and water properties of Delaware Bay using digital and visual analysis of enhanced imagery from NASA's Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) and from the Skylab Earth Resources Experimental Package (EREP). ERTS is shown to have the advantage of repetitive coverage of the test site which facilitates change detection experiments by gathering data under a variety of tidal, seasonal, and atmospheric conditions. Skylab-EREP data, on the other hand, are superior in both spatial and spectral resolution.

Klemas, V.↗

IPL processing of the Mariner 10 images of Mercury

This paper describes the digital processing performed on the images of Mercury returned to earth from Mariner 10. Each image contains considerably more information than can be displayed in a single picture. Several specialized processing techniques and procedures are utilized to display the particular information desired for specific scientific analyses: radiometric decalibration for photometric investigations, high-pass filtering to characterize morphology, modulation transfer function restoration to provide the highest possible resolution, scene-dependent filtering of the terminator images to provide maximum feature discriminability in the regions of low illumination, and rectification to cartographic projections to provide known geometric relationships between features. A principal task was the construction of full disk mosaics as an aid to the understanding of surface structure on a global scale.

Soha, J. M.↗

Computer classification of remotely sensed multispectral image data by extraction and classification of homogeneous objects

A method of classification of digitized multispectral images is developed and experimentally evaluated on actual earth resources data collected by aircraft and satellite. The method is designed to exploit the characteristic dependence between adjacent states of nature that is neglected by the more conventional simple-symmetric decision rule. Thus contextual information is incorporated into the classification scheme. The principle reason for doing this is to improve the accuracy of the classification. For general types of dependence this would generally require more computation per resolution element than the simple-symmetric classifier. But when the dependence occurs in the form of redundance, the elements can be classified collectively, in groups, therby reducing the number of classifications required.

Kettig, R. L.↗

A microcomputer based data acquisition system and experiment controller

A data acquisition system is described. The system monitors and records the signal strength of a radio beacon sent to Earth from a geosynchronous satellite. It acquires data from several devices such as a radar, a radiometer, and a rain gauge which monitor the meteorological conditions along the Earth space propagation path. The acquired data are stored in digital format on magnetic tape for analysis at the computer center. A detailed description of the design and operation of the system's various hardware components is given. Schematic diagrams, the theory of operation, and normal operating procedures are presented.

Ganz, M. W.↗

Automated Collection of Scientific Publications Linked to NASA Earth Science Datasets

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) began dataset Digital Object Identifier (DOI) registration in 2012. The number of dataset DOIs registered as of January of 2023 exceeds 11,000. As the research community becomes aware of the importance of sharing data through Open Science and optimizing data reuse through Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse (FAIR) data management principles, datasets are increasingly being cited in scientific publications. When datasets are cited explicitly by DOI within published works, automated methods can be developed for collecting these published works from a variety of bibliometric sources. The coverage of the sources varies, so each source can collect citations that are only available within it. Using major citation databases such as Scopus and Web of Science, the Google Scholar search engine, the CrossRef Open Citation Index, and the dataset DOI registry DataCite, we present an automated workflow for dataset citation collection. By harvesting citations automatically, a citation library is created explicitly linking EOSDIS datasets to publications that cite them. Using Zotero, a free and open-source citation manager, we demonstrate how to access and browse this library by the tags indicating bibliometric sources, dataset DOI, and the dataset archive center. We also demonstrate temporary trends in the number of publications harvested from bibliometric sources.

Infometrics↗

Nebraska Earth Science Education Network: Enhancing the NASA, University, and Pre-College Science Teacher Connection with Electronic Communication

The primary goals of this project were to: 1. Promote and enhance K-12 earth science education; and enhance the access to and exchange of information through the use of digital networks in K-12 institutions. We have achieved these two goals. Through the efforts of many individuals at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Nebraska Earth Science Education Network (NESEN) has become a viable and beneficial interdisciplinary outreach program for K-12 educators in Nebraska. Over the last three years, the NASA grant has provided personnel and equipment to maintain, expand and develop NESEN into a program that is recognized by its membership as a valuable source of information and expertise in earth systems science. Because NASA funding provided a framework upon which to build, other external sources of funding have become available to support NESEN programs.

Gosselin, David C.↗

Use of the synoptic view: Examples from Earth and other planets

Space technology has added the synoptic view to other techniques used in geomorphology. Synoptic views are provided by spacecraft images or by application of space technology to time-honored information systems. Examples of spacecraft images of Earth are LANDSAT, SEASAT, and the SIR (Shuttle Imaging Radar) series. Examples of applied space technologies include the digital conversion of topographic maps to shaded relief maps and digital correlation methods. From the study of other planets we have learned that synoptic views enable the deciphering of a planet's history: large features are identified and mapped before small ones; studies proceed from the general to the specific. On Earth, we generally recognize smaller features and study specific processes first, then extrapolate toward larger features and a general synthesis. With the advent of space images of Earth, perhaps the time is ripe to employ the methods used for other planets to the study of terrestrial geology and geomorphology. The following examples illustrate the use of regional-scale studies on Earth: the application of synoptic-view images in Antarctica, the use of digital methods and correlations of multiple data sets in regional studies, and some benefits to our understanding of terrestrial geology that have been obtained from analyses of other planets.

Lucchitta, B. K.↗

Crew Earth Observations: New Tools to Support Your Research

The collection of astronaut photography hosted on the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth (GAPE, eol.jsc.nasa.gov) forms one of the most extensive historical compilations of Earth remote sensing data sets available to researchers and the public. The GAPE database contains astronaut photography spanning all manned NASA spaceflight missions over the past 60 years and continuing to this day with operations on the International Space Station (ISS). The continuous crew presence in low Earth orbit (LEO) on the ISS for the last 22+ years and the advent of digital handheld cameras has resulted in an exponential increase in astronaut photography, growing the GAPE collection to over 4.5M photographs (Figs. 1 and 2). This increase in astronaut photography of Earth has corresponded to a significant increase in interest in the collection by the research community and the public. The Earth Science and Remote Sensing (ESRS) group at Johnson Space Center, which manages Crew Earth Observations (CEO) from the ISS, has been developing multiple new tools to improve the GAPE database so that users can more quickly find the imagery they need. The three major enhancements to GAPE are: a new API to interface with the database, a method for automatically georeferencing ISS photos (Fig. 3), and a new tool for automatically generating timelapse movies.

Kenton R Fisher↗

Fundamental remote science research program. Part 2: Status report of the mathematical pattern recognition and image analysis project

The Mathematical Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis (MPRIA) Project is concerned with basic research problems related to the study of he Earth from remotely sensed measurements of its surface characteristics. The program goal is to better understand how to analyze the digital image that represents the spatial, spectral, and temporal arrangement of these measurements for purposing of making selected inferences about the Earth. This report summarizes the progress that has been made toward this program goal by each of the principal investigators in the MPRIA Program.

Heydorn, R. P.↗

Fundamental remote sensing science research program. Part 1: Status report of the mathematical pattern recognition and image analysis project

The Mathematical Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis (MPRIA) Project is concerned with basic research problems related to the study of the Earth from remotely sensed measurement of its surface characteristics. The program goal is to better understand how to analyze the digital image that represents the spatial, spectral, and temporal arrangement of these measurements for purposing of making selected inference about the Earth.

Heydorn, R. D.↗

The International Space Station: New Capabilities for Disaster Response and Humanitarian Aid

The International Space Station (ISS) has been acquiring Earth imagery since 2000, primarily in the form of astronaut photography using hand-held film and digital cameras. Recent additions of more sophisticated multispectral and hyperspectral sensor systems have expanded both the capabilities and relevance of the ISS to basic research, applied Earth science, and development of new sensor technologies. Funding opportunities established within NASA, the US National Laboratories and the international partner organizations have generated instrument proposals that will further enhance these capabilities. With both internal and external sensor location options, and the availability of both automated and human-tended operational environments, the ISS is a unique platform within the constellation of Earth-observing satellites currently in orbit. Current progress and challenges associated with development of ISS terrestrial remote sensing capabilities in the area of disaster response and support of relief efforts will be presented. The ISS orbit allows for imaging of the Earth's surface at varying times of day and night, providing opportunities for data collection over approximately 95% of the populated regions. These opportunities are distinct from--yet augment--the data collection windows for the majority of sensors on polar-orbiting satellites. In addition to this potential for "being in the right place at the right time" to collect critical information on an evolving disaster, the presence of a human crew also allows for immediate recognition of an event from orbit, notification of relevant organizations on the ground, and re-tasking of available remote sensing resources to support humanitarian response and relief efforts. Challenges to establishing an integrated response capability are both technical (coordination of sensor targeting and data collection, rapid downlink and posting of data to a central accessible hub, timely generation and distribution of relevant data products) and operational (notification and engagement of sensor support teams, international partner agency sanction of astronaut support activities). To better collaborate on common issues and strengthen applications, including using the data to support disaster response, we established an ISS Program Science Forum Working Group for Earth Observations comprised of representatives from the international partner agencies. This international forum welcomes input and support from relevant United Nations task groups regarding our disaster response and humanitarian aid to enable development of the ISS capabilities in this area for greatest value to the international community.

Stefanov, William↗

NASA's Earth Observing Data and Information System - Near-Term Challenges

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been a central component of the NASA Earth observation program since the 1990's. EOSDIS manages data covering a wide range of Earth science disciplines including cryosphere, land cover change, polar processes, field campaigns, ocean surface, digital elevation, atmosphere dynamics and composition, and inter-disciplinary research, and many others. One of the key components of EOSDIS is a set of twelve discipline-based Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) distributed across the United States. Managed by NASA's Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project at Goddard Space Flight Center, these DAACs serve over 3 million users globally. The ESDIS Project provides the infrastructure support for EOSDIS, which includes other components such as the Science Investigator-led Processing systems (SIPS), common metadata and metrics management systems, specialized network systems, standards management, and centralized support for use of commercial cloud capabilities. Given the long-term requirements, and the rapid pace of information technology and changing expectations of the user community, EOSDIS has evolved continually over the past three decades. However, many challenges remain. Challenges addressed in this paper include: growing volume and variety, achieving consistency across a diverse set of data producers, managing information about a large number of datasets, migration to a cloud computing environment, optimizing data discovery and access, incorporating user feedback from a diverse community, keeping metadata updated as data collections grow and age, and ensuring that all the content needed for understanding datasets by future users is identified and preserved.

Remote Sensing↗

Public Engagement of Earth Science and Art Using Astronaut Photography

For over fifty years of crewed spaceflight missions, NASA astronauts have taken remarkable photographs of the Earth that offer various perspectives for viewing dynamic Earth processes. The International Space Station (ISS) today provides a unique platform to view and capture imagery of Earth at a variety of viewing angles, seasons, and times of day. Astronaut photos comprise a variable true-color (RGB - Red Green Blue) dataset taken with multiple handheld digital (and historically, film) cameras and lens types that differ from nadir-looking satellite-based remote sensing instruments with fixed temporal and spatial resolutions. The Crew Earth Observations (CEO) Facility within the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit at NASA’s Johnson Space Center supports the acquisition, analysis, and curation of astronaut photography of Earth’s surface and atmosphere. CEO’s website, the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth (eol.jsc.nasa.gov), provides free public access to view, search, and download over three million images taken by astronauts from Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions to current ISS missions. Handheld images taken by astronauts from the ISS are used for scientific research and public engagement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields, particularly earth science. While segments of the public are actively interested in STEM fields, there may be groups who are underexposed to and disinterested in earth science or are unaware of astronaut photography from the ISS. A broader public audience can be introduced to earth science, STEM fields, and ISS research through artistic or abstract photos of the Earth. Wide angle pictures taken of Earth have identifiable landforms and bodies of water, however zoomed in, very high resolution photos without obvious geographic reference can attract new viewing audiences on a purely aesthetic basis. The CEO Facility actively curates a collection of exceptional astronaut photos of Earth as art used to reach a wider population through increased digital products and outreach events. This continuously-updated collection feeds development of freely accessible and high-quality downloadable materials including scientific articles, videos, computer wallpapers, and social media content. These materials are presented with science-based information that augments the artistic qualities of the imagery, and facilitate connection between art-engaged or non-STEM audiences to the ISS research platform and the need for future innovative STEM research.

Meado, Andrea L.↗

Machine processing of remotely sensed data; Proceedings of the Conference, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., October 16-18, 1973

Topics discussed include the management and processing of earth resources information, special-purpose processors for the machine processing of remotely sensed data, digital image registration by a mathematical programming technique, the use of remote-sensor data in land classification (in particular, the use of ERTS-1 multispectral scanning data), the use of remote-sensor data in geometrical transformations and mapping, earth resource measurement with the aid of ERTS-1 multispectral scanning data, the use of remote-sensor data in the classification of turbidity levels in coastal zones and in the identification of ecological anomalies, the problem of feature selection and the classification of objects in multispectral images, the estimation of proportions of certain categories of objects, and a number of special systems and techniques. Individual items are announced in this issue.

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The development of machine technology processing for earth resource survey

The following technologies are considered for automatic processing of earth resources data: (1) registration of multispectral and multitemporal images, (2) digital image display systems, (3) data system parameter effects on satellite remote sensing systems, and (4) data compression techniques based on spectral redundancy. The importance of proper spectral band and compression algorithm selections is pointed out.

Landgrebe, D. A.↗

Communications terminal breadboard

A baseline design is presented of a digital communications link between an advanced manned spacecraft (AMS) and an earth terminal via an Intelsat 4 type communications satellite used as a geosynchronous orbiting relay station. The fabrication, integration, and testing of terminal elements at each end of the link are discussed. In the baseline link design, the information carrying capacity of the link was estimated for both the forward direction (earth terminal to AMS) and the return direction, based upon orbital geometry, relay satellite characteristics, terminal characteristics, and the improvement that can be achieved by the use of convolutional coding/Viterbi decoding techniques.

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