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At least 37 records · Page 2

Some issues in data model mapping

Numerous data models have been reported in the literature since the early 1970's. They have been used as database interfaces and as conceptual design tools. The mapping between schemas expressed according to the same data model or according to different models is interesting for theoretical and practical purposes. This paper addresses some of the issues involved in such a mapping. Of special interest are the identification of the mapping parameters and some current approaches for handling the various situations that require a mapping.

Dominick, Wayne D.↗

New dust opacity maps from Viking IR thermal mapper data

Mapping of dust opacity of the Martian atmosphere, using the silicate-induced absorption of 9 micron radiation, was performed with the Viking Infrared Thermal Mapper (IRTM) data for several local dust storms and in a global sense. We present here the first results from an effort to extend the earlier mapping work to the period of the 1977b major storm, and to concentrate attention on the details of opacity behavior during the initial phases of the 1977a and b storms.

Martin, T. Z.↗

The cartography of Venus with Magellan data

Maps of Venus based on Magellan data are being compiled at 1:50,000,000, 1:5,000,000 and 1:1,500,000 scales. Topographic contour lines based on radar altimetry data are overprinted on the image maps, along with feature nomenclature. Map controls are based on existing knowledge of the spacecraft orbit; photogrammetric triangulation, a traditional basis for geodetic control for bodies where framing cameras were used, is not feasible with the radar images of Venus. Preliminary synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image maps have some data gaps and cosmetic inconsistencies, which will be corrected on final compilations. Eventual revision of geodetic controls and of the adopted Venusian spin-axis location will result in geometric adjustments, particularly on large-scale maps.

Kirk, R. L.↗

Use of satellite data for mapping snow cover in the western United States

The author has identified the following significant results. The results of the analysis of ERTS imagery for the Arizona and California test sites indicate that the extent of the mountain snowpacks can be mapped from ERTS data in more detail than is depicted in aerial survey snow charts. In addition to comparative analysis with aerial snow charts, the ERTS data have also been compared with high altitude aircraft photography. The results of the comparative analysis indicate that although small details in the snow line that cannot be detected in the ERTS data can be mapped from the higher resolution aircraft data, the boundaries of the areas of significant snow cover can be mapped as accurately from ERTS imagery as from aircraft photography.

Barnes, J. C.↗

Mapping Ungulate Habitats in Yellowstone National Park with Airborne Hyperspectral Data

Mapping vegetation habitats of ungulates (e.g., bison, elk, and deer) is critical to the development of efficient wildlife management and monitoring practices in Yellowstone National Park. Image endmembers were chosen using the ENVI minimum noise fraction, pixel purity index, N-dimensional visualizer approach. The spectral angle mapper algorithm was used to classify the image. This process was applied to low altitude AVIRIS and Probe-1 hyperspectral imagery of the Lamar River/Soda Butte Creek confluence to map several ungulate habitats (e.g., grasses, sedge, sage, aspen, willow, and cottonwood. The results are being compared to field measurements and large-scale color infrared aerial photography to assess mapping accuracy. The use of AVIRIS and Probe-1 data enabled the examination of hyperspectral data collected at different spatial and spectral resolutions.

Terrie, Gregory↗

Evaluating near-surface soil moisture using Heat Capacity Mapping Mission data

Four dates of Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) data were analyzed in order to evaluate HCMM thermal data use in estimating near-surface soil moisture in a complex agricultural landscape. Because of large spatial and temporal ground cover variations, HCMM radiometric temperatures alone did not correlate with soil water content. The radiometric temperatures consisted of radiance contributions from different canopies and their respective soil backgrounds. However, when surface soil temperatures were empirically estimated from HCMM temperatures and percent cover of each pixel, a highly significant correlation was obtained between the estimated soil temperatures and near-surface soil water content.

Heilman, J. L.↗

Automatic Aircraft Collision Avoidance System and Method

The invention is a system and method of compressing a DTM to be used in an Auto-GCAS system using a semi-regular geometric compression algorithm. In general, the invention operates by first selecting the boundaries of the three dimensional map to be compressed and dividing the three dimensional map data into regular areas. Next, a type of free-edged, flat geometric surface is selected which will be used to approximate terrain data of the three dimensional map data. The flat geometric surface is used to approximate terrain data for each regular area. The approximations are checked to determine if they fall within selected tolerances. If the approximation for a specific regular area is within specified tolerance, the data is saved for that specific regular area. If the approximation for a specific area falls outside the specified tolerances, the regular area is divided and a flat geometric surface approximation is made for each of the divided areas. This process is recursively repeated until all of the regular areas are approximated by flat geometric surfaces. Finally, the compressed three dimensional map data is provided to the automatic ground collision system for an aircraft.

Skoog, Mark↗

BOREAS TE-23 Map Plot Data

The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmospheric Study (BOREAS) TE-23 (Terrestrial Ecology) team collected map plot data in support of its efforts to characterize and interpret information on canopy architecture and understory cover at the BOREAS tower flux sites and selected auxiliary sites from May to August 1994. Mapped plots (typical dimensions 50 m x 60 m) were set up and characterized at all BOREAS forested tower flux and selected auxiliary sites. Detailed measurement of the mapped plots included: (1) stand characteristics (location, density, basal area); (2) map locations diameter at breast height (DBH) of all trees; (3) detailed geometric measures of a subset of trees (height, crown dimensions); and (4) understory cover maps. The data are stored in tabular ASCII files. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).

Rich, Paul M.↗

A new method for mapping multidimensional data to lower dimensions

A multispectral mapping method is proposed which is based on the new concept of BEND (Bidimensional Effective Normalised Difference). The method, which involves taking one sample point at a time and finding the interrelationships between its features, is found very economical from the point of view of storage and processing time. It has good dimensionality reduction and clustering properties, and is highly suitable for computer analysis of large amounts of data. The transformed values obtained by this procedure are suitable for either a planar 2-space mapping of geological sample points or for making grayscale and color images of geo-terrains. A few examples are given to justify the efficacy of the proposed procedure.

Gowda, K. C.↗

Forest canopy characterization and vegetation penetration assessment with space-borne radar

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Shuttle Imaging Radar-B mission were used to analyze the effects of radar incidence angle on information content and vegetation penetration. Three SAR data sets using incidence angles of 26, 46, and 58 deg were acquired over the mangrove jungles of Southern Bangladesh. The data sets were digitally processed using 3 x 3, 7 x 7, and 11 x 11 spatial filters and geometrically registered to a multisource-multilevel-corraborative data base consisting of Landsat data, forest map data, and in situ acquired forest enumeration and topographic information. Analyses revealed that significant vegetation 'penetration' was found at all angles, and that tree and canopy structural morphology may exert an influence on this phenomenon.

Imhoff, M.↗

Assistant for Analyzing Tropical-Rain-Mapping Radar Data

A document is defined that describes an approach for a Tropical Rain Mapping Radar Data System (TDS). TDS is composed of software and hardware elements incorporating a two-frequency spaceborne radar system for measuring tropical precipitation. The TDS would be used primarily in generating data products for scientific investigations. The most novel part of the TDS would be expert-system software to aid in the selection of algorithms for converting raw radar-return data into such primary observables as rain rate, path-integrated rain rate, and surface backscatter. The expert-system approach would address the issue that selection of algorithms for processing the data requires a significant amount of preprocessing, non-intuitive reasoning, and heuristic application, making it infeasible, in many cases, to select the proper algorithm in real time. In the TDS, tentative selections would be made to enable conversions in real time. The expert system would remove straightforwardly convertible data from further consideration, and would examine ambiguous data, performing analysis in depth to determine which algorithms to select. Conversions performed by these algorithms, presumed to be correct, would be compared with the corresponding real-time conversions. Incorrect real-time conversions would be updated using the correct conversions.

James, Mark↗

Sea Ice Identification Using Dual-Polarized Ku-Band Scatterometer Data

Maps of sea ice have been based on a combination of observations from aircraft and ships, and infrared and passive microwave data from various spaceborne sensors. Described here is the potential of using dual-polarized scatterometer returns from the polar oceans to identify the edge of the ice cover. This ice edge could be used to compute the ice extent, which may be a useful indicator of climatic changes.

Ocean↗

Use of ERTS data for mapping Arctic sea ice

This investigation is to evaluate the application of ERTS data for detecting and mapping Arctic sea ice. The specific objectives are to determine the spectral bands most suitable for detecting ice, to measure the scale and types of ice features that can be detected, and to develop interpretive techniques for differentiating ice from clouds and for mapping ice concentrations. The ERTS data are being analyzed primarily for three Arctic areas, the eastern Beaufort Sea, Baffin Bay, and the Greenland Sea.

Barnes, J. C.↗

Timber Volume and Biomass Estimates in Central Siberia from Satellite Data

Mapping of boreal forest's type, structure parameters and biomass are critical for understanding the boreal forest's significance in the carbon cycle, its response to and impact on global climate change. The biggest deficiency of the existing ground based forest inventories is the uncertainty in the inventory data, particularly in remote areas of Siberia where sampling is sparse, lacking, and often decades old. Remote sensing methods can help overcome these problems. In this joint US and Russian study, we used the moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) and unique waveform data of the geoscience laser altimeter system (GLAS) and produced a map of timber volume for a 10degx12deg area in Central Siberia. Using these methods, the mean timber volume for the forested area in the total study area was 203 m3/ ha. The new remote sensing methods used in this study provide a truly independent estimate of forest structure, which is not dependent on traditional ground forest inventory methods.

Ranson, K. Jon↗