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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 613 records · Page 34

NASA Earth Science Data Rescue Efforts

Historically, at the end of a NASA mission, earth and space science data were stored at NASA's National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC). The original data archive consisted of both magnetic tapes and film media. As data storage technology improved, data from later missions were stored on disks and platters and higher capacity magnetic media for online accessibility. To conserve physical space at NASA archive sites and to meet disaster recovery guidelines, historical data originally stored on magnetic tapes and film were moved to the Federal Archives and Record Center (FRC) as a temporary holding area until its long-term value was determined by NASA. All records at the FRC are controlled by the NASA Records Retention Schedule (NRRS) which determines the disposal date for each record. On that date, responsible NASA parties are notified that all scheduled records should be reviewed and assessed to determine if they continue to hold significant historical, scientific or administrative value. For Earth Science data records being held at FRC, the Earth Science Data and Information System (ESDIS) Project office is the party responsible for making the value assessment that determines which records warrant preservation and which are ready for proper disposal according to NASA guidelines. Once the data's long-term value is determined, ESDIS takes definitive steps to preserve this data for future discovery and access. Deteriorating media containing historic data of value are recalled from FRC and brought back to ESDIS. Through a tedious, laborious process, digital data are recovered and restored to modern formats with improved metadata and documentation to aid discovery. The restored digital products are then incorporated into our modern online archive, and made immediately accessible to the public. In this paper, we will discuss how we identify data-at-risk, ways to minimize data loss, how we plan for recovery, how we delegate recovery activities to our archive facilities, and how we make recovered data more accessible.

Data Systems; Social and Information sciences↗

Using Historical Cost and Schedule Data to Predict Cost Risk for Future NASA X-Planes

Accurate cost estimates help managers understand critical cost-risk information, which improves their perception of the impact project changes have on the budget and schedule. This research project examined buffer reserves, a key aspect of cost estimation. The main focus of this project was to utilize historical data to calculate the extent to which NASA programs typically exceed their original buffers.

cost analysis↗

Geothermal Operational Optimization with Machine Learning

The Geothermal Operational Optimization with Machine Learning (GOOML) project has developed a generic and extensible component-based system modeling framework to study complex geothermal fields using a data-driven approach. Through building a digital twin of a geothermal steam field with the GOOML modeling framework, operators can analyze historical and forecasted power production, explore possible steam field configurations, and optimize real world operations, all in a cost-effective digital environment. The GOOML modeling software is based on a historical data-assimilation framework that uses first-principal thermodynamics to model steam field components using historical data, and a forecast framework that uses machine-learning-driven models of steam field components to predict future operations. This modeling framework creates countless new opportunities for digital exploration of steam field design and operations. To date, digital twins have been developed for several steam fields in New Zealand and the United States. These digital twins have been validated by comparing hindcast predictions against historical production data. Field design and operations have been explored using genetic optimization and reinforcement learning. Initial results show compelling and often surprising opportunities for improved design and operation of fields with 2 to 5 percent improvements in annual energy production. GOOML is driving a step-change in geothermal operations by applying state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, comprehensive data analytics, and a first-of-its-kind intelligent geothermal systems model.

40 EE - Geothermal Technologies Office (EE-4G)↗

GOOML - Finding Optimization Opportunities for Geothermal Operations: Preprint

Geothermal Operational Optimization with Machine Learning (GOOML) is a transferable and extensible component-based geothermal asset modeling framework that considers complex steamfield relationships and identifies optimization prospects using a data-driven approach. We have used this framework to develop digital twins that provide steamfield operators with an operational environment to analyze and understand historical and forecasted power production, explore new steamfield configuration possibilities, and seek optimal asset management for real world applications. The GOOML modeling software is built on a generic component-based systems framework that allows for both historical and forecast analysis. A GOOML model can perform historical data-assimilation using first-principal thermodynamics to create a meaningful data model. Historical production data can then be coupled with a forecast framework to train machine-learning models of steamfield components to predict future outputs. This modeling environment enables digital exploration of steamfield design configurations and operational scenarios. GOOML digital twins have been developed for steamfields in New Zealand and the United States representing differing power generation and field conditions. These digital twins have been validated by comparing hindcast predictions against historical production data. Reinforcement learning experiments were conducted to demonstrate the ability to programmatically explore the operations space using machine learning agents. Our initial results are compelling; two to five percent increases in annual energy production were demonstrated by the GOOML models with no additional infrastructure build required. GOOML offers a new approach to geothermal operations by applying state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms, comprehensive data analytics, and interaction with digital twins. Through application of these tools, operators will realize greater availability and higher net generation which will increase the cost effectiveness of geothermal energy projects.

access↗

Parametric Cost Modeling of Space Missions Using the Develop New Projects (DMP) Implementation Process

This paper presents an overview of a parametric cost model that has been built at JPL to estimate costs of future, deep space, robotic science missions. Due to the recent dramatic changes in JPL business practices brought about by an internal reengineering effort known as develop new products (DNP), high-level historic cost data is no longer considered analogous to future missions. Therefore, the historic data is of little value in forecasting costs for projects developed using the DNP process. This has lead to the development of an approach for obtaining expert opinion and also for combining actual data with expert opinion to provide a cost database for future missions. In addition, the DNP cost model has a maximum of objective cost drivers which reduces the likelihood of model input error. Version 2 is now under development which expands the model capabilities, links it more tightly with key design technical parameters, and is grounded in more rigorous statistical techniques. The challenges faced in building this model will be discussed, as well as it's background, development approach, status, validation, and future plans.

Rosenberg, Leigh↗

Bayesian Approach to Estimation of Water Table Elevations Using Historical Rasters as Prior Information 2019 - 20430

In cases of complex but only partially known geology and a lack of spatial control in observation well locations, water table elevation estimation is very challenging. In some cases, auxiliary information, such as observations of the movement of tracers, operation of injection and extraction wells, and calibration of groundwater models against the historical elevation data, can be combined with expert judgement to estimate flow directions in areas of sparse data and to aid in the production of more reliable contour maps (and associated rasters) than could be produced by relying on sparse well elevation data alone. Given a historical sequence of these raster maps, the question arises how to automate, to the extent possible, the process of producing new raster maps to reflect data from previous times, the current data and the operation of expert judgement. One solution is to adopt a Bayesian point of view and to regard the historical well elevation data, auxiliary information and historical raster maps as prior information. The well elevations for water table wells, as well as those for injection/extraction wells and the data associated with other relevant variables, can be viewed as predictors for the raster surface. From this prior information, we can, conditional on the values of these predictors for a new time period, compute an expected value map and a standard deviation map for the new raster. These then can be taken to specify a prior predictive distribution for the pixels in the new raster map. Then we condition the pixels, corresponding to water level observation wells within the raster, on the observed values in those wells (which in general will differ from the regression estimate) for the new time period. Given the smoothness of the water table surface, we then smooth the surface of deviations from the mean surface, based on the variograms of the historical rasters, and add this smoothed surface to the regression mean surface. The error structure of the produced raster map is defined by the regression error structure and the error due to smoothing based on the estimated variograms. This methodology has been developed and is being further refined for groundwater monitoring and remediation at LANL. It is a very flexible method that can also be applied with a variety of other predictors applied to model the water level wells in the area of interest over the historical record. The smoothness of the spatial process and its possible evolution over time can then be estimated from the residuals from this regression. This can be augmented by expert hydrogeological opinion based on site topography and hydrogeology. (authors)

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Dense autoencoders, clustering techniques, and semi-supervised learning for HPGe $γ$-spectra

Classifying high-resolution gamma spectra by their isotopic content is an essential task in nuclear forensics and other applications. Traditional analysis methods are often time-intensive, but machine learning (ML) may help analysts quickly process many spectra. Such methods tend to rely on abundant, well-labeled data for training. Historical gamma data exists in various fields but is not uniformly useful for supervised ML due to inconsistent labeling. Here, to address some of these challenges, we present a method to classify and organize unlabeled data from high-purity germanium detectors using an autoencoding neural network (autoencoder). We trained dense autoencoders to compress gamma data into latent representations that enable efficient data characterization. By clustering the encoded spectra or lower-dimensional mappings of them, we identified and removed portions of over-abundant data categories, resulting in a more balanced dataset and improved autoencoder performance. This encoding and clustering pipeline also enabled the organization of spectra into self-consistent categories. Finally, we found that encoded representations showed potential as inputs for semi-supervised learning of nuclide identification (NID) labels, achieving an average F1 score of 0.85 ± 0.03 when mapping encodings to a set of 65 isotope labels.

Autoencoders↗

Description of historical crop calendar data bases developed to support foreign commodity production forecasting project experiments

The content, format, and storage of data bases developed for the Foreign Commodity Production Forecasting project and used to produce normal crop calendars are described. In addition, the data bases may be used for agricultural meteorology, modeling of stage sequences and planting dates, and as indicators of possible drought and famine.

West, W. L., III↗

On trends in historical marine wind data

Long-period variations which include a trend toward strengthening winds over the last three decades have on the one hand been suggested to be real climatic changes, and on the other artifacts of the evolution of measuring techniques. An examination is presently conducted of individual ship reports from three regions with high data densities, in order to resolve this dispute. Even with corrections for instrumental effects, the pre-1950 winds appear weaker than post-1950 winds; the most probable explanation is the absence of universal sea state and Beaufort force standards prior to 1946.

Cardone, Vincent J.↗

A southwest monsoon hydrographic climatology for the Northwestern Arabian Sea

This paper provides a detailed hydrographic climatology for the shallow northwestern Arabian Sea prior to and during the southwest monsoon, presented as multiple-year composite vertical hydrographic sections based on National Oceanographic Data Center historical ocean station data. Temperature and salinity measurements are used to infer the water masses present in the upper 500 m. The hydrographic evolution depicted on bimonthly sections is inferred to result from wind-driven physical processes. In the northwestern Arabian Sea the water mass in the upper 50 m is the Arabian Sea Surface Water. Waters from 50 to 500 m are formed by mixing of Arabian Sea Surface Water with Antarctic and Indonesian intermediate waters. The inflow of Persian Gulf Water does not significantly influence the hydrography of the northwestern Arabian Sea along the Omani coast. Nitrate has a high inverse correlation with temperature and oxygen in the premonsoon thermocline in the depth interval 50-150 m. During the southwest monsoon, coastal upwelling off Oman and adjacent offshore upward Ekman pumping alter the shallow hydrography.

Brock, John C.↗

Analysis of AVHRR, CZCS and historical in situ data off the Oregon Coast

The original scientific objectives of this grant were to: (1) characterize the seasonal cycles and interannual variability for phytoplankton concentrations and sea surface temperature (SST) in the California Current using satellite data; and (2) to explore the spatial and temporal relationship between these variables and surface wind forcing. An additional methodological objective was to develop statistical methods for forming mean fields, which minimize the effects of random data gaps and errors in the irregularly sampled CZCS (Coastal Zone Color Scanner) and AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) satellite data. A final task was to evaluate the level of uncertainty in the wind fields used for the statistical analysis. Funding in the first year included part of the cost of an image processing system to enable this and other projects to process and analyze satellite data. This report consists of summaries of the major projects carried out with all or partial support from this grant. The appendices include a list of papers and professional presentations supported by the grant, as well as reprints of the major papers and reports.

Strub, P. Ted↗

Stochastic Characterization of Flutter using Historical Wind Tunnel Data

Methods for predicting the onset of flutter during an experiment are traditionally applied treating the data as deterministic values. Uncertainty and variation in the data is often glossed over by using best-fit curves to represent the information. This paper applies stochastic treatments to wind tunnel data obtained for the Piezoelectric Aeroelastic Response Tailoring Investigation model. These methods include modal amplitude tracking, modal frequency tracking and several applications of the flutter margin method. The flutter margin method was developed by Zimmerman and Weissenburger, and extended by Poirel, Dunn and Porter to incorporate uncertainty. Much of the current work follows the future work recommendations of Poirel, Dunn and Porter.

Heeg, Jennifer↗

Arctic Sea Ice Parameters from AMSR-E Data using Two Techniques, and Comparisons with Sea Ice from SSM

We use two algorithms to process AMSR-E data in order to determine algorithm dependence, if any, on the estimates of sea ice concentration, ice extent and area, and trends and to evaluate how AMSR-E data compare with historical SSM/I data. The monthly ice concentrations derived from the two algorithms from AMSR-E data (the AMSR-E Bootstrap Algorithm, or ABA, and the enhanced NASA Team algorithm, or NT2) differ on average by about 1 to 3%, with data from the consolidated ice region being generally comparable for ABA and NT2 retrievals while data in the marginal ice zones and thin ice regions show higher values when the NT2 algorithm is used. The ice extents and areas derived separately from AMSR-E using these two algorithms are, however, in good agreement, with the differences (ABA-NT2) being about 6.6 x 10(exp 4) square kilometers on average for ice extents and -6.6 x 10(exp 4) square kilometers for ice area which are small compared to mean seasonal values of 10.5 x 10(exp 6) and 9.8 x 10(exp 6) for ice extent and area: respectively. Likewise, extents and areas derived from the same algorithm but from AMSR-E and SSM/I data are consistent but differ by about -24.4 x 10(exp 4) square kilometers and -13.9 x 10(exp 4) square kilometers, respectively. The discrepancies are larger with the estimates of extents than area mainly because of differences in channel selection and sensor resolutions. Trends in extent during the AMSR-E era were also estimated and results from all three data sets are shown to be in good agreement (within errors).

Comiso, Josefino C.↗

NASA Wrangler: Automated Cloud-Based Data Assembly in the RECOVER Wildfire Decision Support System

NASA Wrangler is a loosely-coupled, event driven, highly parallel data aggregation service designed to take advantageof the elastic resource capabilities of cloud computing. Wrangler automatically collects Earth observational data, climate model outputs, derived remote sensing data products, and historic biophysical data for pre-, active-, and post-wildfire decision making. It is a core service of the RECOVER decision support system, which is providing rapid-response GIS analytic capabilities to state and local government agencies. Wrangler reduces to minutes the time needed to assemble and deliver crucial wildfire-related data.

decision support↗

Exploring Natural and Social Drivers of Forest Degradation in Post-Soviet Georgia

The Caucasus Mountains harbor high concentrations of endemic species and provide an abundance of ecosystem services yet are significantly understudied compared to other ecosystems in Eurasia. In the country of Georgia, at the heart of the Caucasus region, forest degradation has been the largest land change process over the last thirty years. The prevailing narrative is that legal and illegal cutting of trees for fuelwood is primarily responsible for this process. Yet, since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country has undergone rapid socioeconomic and institutional changes which have not been explored as drivers of forest change. We combine newly available land-cover change estimates, Georgian statistical data, and historical institutional change data to examine socioeconomic drivers of forest degradation. Our analysis controls for concurrent changes in climate that would affect degradation and examines variation at the regional (state) level from 2011 to 2019, as well as at the national level from 1987 to 2019. We find that higher winter temperature and drought are associated with higher degradation at the regional scale, while major institutional changes and drought are associated with higher forest degradation at the national level. Access to natural gas, the major energy alternative to fuelwood, had no significant association with degradation. Our results challenge the narrative that poverty and a lack of alternative energy infrastructure drive forest degradation and suggest that government policies banning household fuelwood cutting, including the new Forest Code of 2020, may not reduce forest degradation. Given these results, improved data on wood harvesting and more research on the commercial drivers of degradation and their links to economic and political reforms is needed to better inform forest policy in the region, especially given ongoing risks from climate change.

Institutions↗