Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “spatial performance”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4

Results obtained with position sensitive multiwire proportional chambers with helium, carbon, and oxygen nuclei

Spatial resolution performance results obtained at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory Bevatron with prototype multiwire proportional chamber spatial detectors with integral delay line readout are presented. The effects due to incident nuclei charge, chamber operating parameters, chamber design, electronics, gas mixtures, and magnetic field presence have been investigated and are discussed.

Emming, J. G.↗

Spatially resolved spectroscopy of AG Carinae, and direct evidence for stellar evolution: The central star of NGC 2392

We have performed spatially-resolved low dispersion long-slit spectroscopy for the circumstellar shell of the luminous blue variable AG Carinae with IUE between lambda lambda 1200 - 3200 A. At all positions a strong dust-scattered stellar continuum is detected. Only a few emission lines, FE II 2600 and O I (?) 1304, have been detected; the emission is stronger on the southern side of the shell. The UV surface brightness and derived dust properties are completely consistent with the groundbased and KAO FIR observations: the grains are large (0.1 - 1 micron), warm (45 - 100 K depending on composition), highly reflecting (C(sub sca)/C(sub abs) approximately equal to 1), and tie up about 10(exp -4) to 10(exp -3) solar mass of material. We also observe similarities of the results for HR Car and LBV's to those reported here.

Altner, Bruce↗

Wavefront Calibration Testing of the James Webb Space Telescope Primary Mirror Center of Curvature Optical Assembly

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Optical Telescope Element (OTE) consists of a 6.6 meter clear aperture, all-reflective, three-mirror anastigmat!. The 18-segment primary mirror (PM) presents unique and challenging assembly, integration, alignment and testing requirements. A full aperture center of curvature optical test is performed in cryogenic vacuum conditions at the integrated observatory level to verify PM performance requirements. Two wavefront calibration tests are utilized to verify the low and Mid/High spatial frequency performance ofthe test system. In this paper the methods and results of the wavefront calibration tests are presented.

Olczak, Gene↗

Multispectral scanner system parameter study and analysis software system description, volume 2

The author has identified the following significant results. The integration of the available methods provided the analyst with the unified scanner analysis package (USAP), the flexibility and versatility of which was superior to many previous integrated techniques. The USAP consisted of three main subsystems; (1) a spatial path, (2) a spectral path, and (3) a set of analytic classification accuracy estimators which evaluated the system performance. The spatial path consisted of satellite and/or aircraft data, data correlation analyzer, scanner IFOV, and random noise model. The output of the spatial path was fed into the analytic classification and accuracy predictor. The spectral path consisted of laboratory and/or field spectral data, EXOSYS data retrieval, optimum spectral function calculation, data transformation, and statistics calculation. The output of the spectral path was fended into the stratified posterior performance estimator.

Landgrebe, D. A.↗

Landsat Thematic Mapper image-derived MTF

The Landsat Image Data Quality Analysis (LIDQA) Program conducted by NASA has the objective to quantify the performance of the Thematic Mapper (TM) on the Landsat-4 and Landsat-5 spacecraft. The interest in the spatial resolution performance of the TM is partly related to the decrease of the instantaneous field of view (IFOV) from 80 m for the MSS to 30 m for the TM. Studies related to the preflight line spread function (LSF), square wave response (SWR), and theoretical component modeling of the TM system modulation transfer function (MTF) have been conducted. However, the need remains to estimate the MTF of the complete system. The present paper is concerned with investigations related to this task. Attention is given to three approaches for measuring the MTF of the TM system from imagery.

Schowengerdt, R. A.↗

Evaluation of spatial, radiometric and spectral Thematic Mapper performance for coastal studies

On 31 March 1983, the University of Delaware's Center for Remote Sensing initiated a study to evaluate the spatial, radiometric and spectral performance of the LANDSAT Thematic Mapper for coastal and estuarine studies. The investigation was supported by Contract NAS5-27580 from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The research was divided into three major subprojects: (1) a comparison of LANDSAT TM to MSS imagery for detecting submerged aquatic vegetation in Chesapeake Bay; (2) remote sensing of submerged aquatic vegetation - a radiative transfer approach; and (3) remote sensing of coastal wetland biomass using Thematic Mapper wavebands.

Klemas, V.↗

Lasercom system architecture with reduced complexity

Spatial acquisition and precision beam pointing functions are critical to spaceborne laser communication systems. In the present invention, a single high bandwidth CCD detector is used to perform both spatial acquisition and tracking functions. Compared to previous lasercom hardware design, the array tracking concept offers reduced system complexity by reducing the number of optical elements in the design. Specifically, the design requires only one detector and one beam steering mechanism. It also provides the means to optically close the point-ahead control loop. The technology required for high bandwidth array tracking was examined and shown to be consistent with current state of the art. The single detector design can lead to a significantly reduced system complexity and a lower system cost.

Lesh, James R.↗

LaserCom System Architecture With Reduced Complexity

Spatial acquisition and precision beam pointing functions are critical to spaceborne laser communication systems. In the present invention a single high bandwidth CCD detector is used to perform both spatial acquisition and tracking functions. Compared to previous lasercom hardware design, the array tracking concept offers reduced system complexity by reducing the number of optical elements in the design. Specifically, the design requires only one detector and one beam steering mechanism. It also provides means to optically close the point-ahead control loop. The technology required for high bandwidth array tracking was examined and shown to be consistent with current state of the art. The single detector design can lead to a significantly reduced system complexity and a lower system cost.

Lesh, James R.↗

First retrieval of AOD at fine-resolution over shallow and turbid coastal waters from MODIS

The widely used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Dark-Target (DT) aerosol product fails to accurately retrieve Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) over shallow and turbid Coastal Waters (CWs). To fill in gaps, and to improve land to ocean AOD continuity, we developed a coastal water retrieval algorithm at a spatial resolution of 1 km (CW-1km). CW-1km relies on observed top-of-atmosphere reflectance at 2.1 μm (ρ2.1), both to derive AOD and to perform a spatial variation test that enhances the existing DT masks for clouds and land. We show that the CW-1km improves spatial continuity of AOD between land, coast, and open ocean, while also increasing AOD product availability by 47.0%. Comparing with 15 years of marine aerosol network measurements, CW-1km AODs are validated to have a normalized mean bias of 1.0%, which is much smaller than 17.6% for the original DT product.

MODIS AOD↗

Steady-State and Transient Boundary Element Methods for Coupled Heat Conduction

Boundary element algorithms for the solution of steady-state and transient heat conduction are presented. The algorithms are designed for efficient coupling with computational fluid dynamic discretizations and feature piecewise linear elements with offset nodal points. The steady-state algorithm employs the fundamental solution approach; the integration kernels are computed analytically based on linear shape functions, linear elements, and variably offset nodal points. The analytic expressions for both singular and nonsingular integrands are presented. The transient algorithm employs the transient fundamental solution; the temporal integration is performed analytically and the nonsingular spatial integration is performed numerically using Gaussian quadrature. A series solution to the integration is derived for the instance of a singular integrand. The boundary-only character of the algorithm is maintained by integrating the influence coefficients from initial time. Numerical results are compared to analytical solutions to verify the current boundary element algorithms. The steady-state and transient algorithms are numerically shown to be second-order accurate in space and time, respectively.

Kontinos, Dean A.↗

Precision Beam Pointing for Laser Communication System Using a CCD-based Tracker

Spatial acquisition and precision beam pointing functions are critical to spaceborne laser communication systems. A recent system study indicated that a single high bandwidth CCD detector can be used to perform both spatial acquisition and tracking functions. Compared to previous lasercom hardware design, the arrray tracking cocept offers reduced system complexity by reducing the number of optical elements in the design.

Laser↗

Spatial validation reveals poor predictive performance of large-scale ecological mapping models

Mapping aboveground forest biomass is central for assessing the global carbon balance. However, current large-scale maps show strong disparities, despite good validation statistics of their underlying models. Here, we attribute this contradiction to a flaw in the validation methods, which ignore spatial autocorrelation (SAC) in data, leading to overoptimistic assessment of model predictive power. To illustrate this issue, we reproduce the approach of large-scale mapping studies using a massive forest inventory dataset of 11.8 million trees in central Africa to train and validate a random forest model based on multispectral and environmental variables. A standard nonspatial validation method suggests that the model predicts more than half of the forest biomass variation, while spatial validation methods accounting for SAC reveal quasi-null predictive power. This study underscores how a common practice in big data mapping studies shows an apparent high predictive power, even when predictors have poor relationships with the ecological variable of interest, thus possibly leading to erroneous maps and interpretations.

biomass↗

Visual scanning with or without spatial uncertainty and time-sharing performance

An experiment is reported that examines the pattern of task interference between visual scanning as a sequential and selective attention process and other concurrent spatial or verbal processing tasks. A distinction is proposed between visual scanning with or without spatial uncertainty regarding the possible differential effects of these two types of scanning on interference with other concurrent processes. The experiment required the subject to perform a simulated primary tracking task, which was time-shared with a secondary spatial or verbal decision task. The relevant information that was needed to perform the decision tasks were displayed with or without spatial uncertainty. The experiment employed a 2 x 2 x 2 design with types of scanning (with or without spatial uncertainty), expected scanning distance (low/high), and codes of concurrent processing (spatial/verbal) as the three experimental factors. The results provide strong evidence that visual scanning as a spatial exploratory activity produces greater task interference with concurrent spatial tasks than with concurrent verbal tasks. Furthermore, spatial uncertainty in visual scanning is identified to be the crucial factor in producing this differential effect.

Liu, Yili↗

A discrepancy within primate spatial vision and its bearing on the definition of edge detection processes in machine vision

The visual perception of form information is considered to be based on the functioning of simple and complex neurons in the primate striate cortex. However, a review of the physiological data on these brain cells cannot be harmonized with either the perceptual spatial frequency performance of primates or the performance which is necessary for form perception in humans. This discrepancy together with recent interest in cortical-like and perceptual-like processing in image coding and machine vision prompted a series of image processing experiments intended to provide some definition of the selection of image operators. The experiments were aimed at determining operators which could be used to detect edges in a computational manner consistent with the visual perception of structure in images. Fundamental issues were the selection of size (peak spatial frequency) and circular versus oriented operators (or some combination). In a previous study, circular difference-of-Gaussian (DOG) operators, with peak spatial frequency responses at about 11 and 33 cyc/deg were found to capture the primary structural information in images. Here larger scale circular DOG operators were explored and led to severe loss of image structure and introduced spatial dislocations (due to blur) in structure which is not consistent with visual perception. Orientation sensitive operators (akin to one class of simple cortical neurons) introduced ambiguities of edge extent regardless of the scale of the operator. For machine vision schemes which are functionally similar to natural vision form perception, two circularly symmetric very high spatial frequency channels appear to be necessary and sufficient for a wide range of natural images. Such a machine vision scheme is most similar to the physiological performance of the primate lateral geniculate nucleus rather than the striate cortex.

Jobson, Daniel J.↗

Visual Cueing Effects Investigation for a Hovering Task

In simulators, as in actual aircraft, pilots conduct their missions according to perceived vehicle performance and spatial orientation from out-the-window (OTW) information. Ground-based flight simulations rely upon computer-generated OTW visual scenes. The realism and fidelity of a specific OTW simulation therefore has a significant impact on mission effectiveness. This study investigates effects of three visual parameters of the computer-generated image system (field-of-view, collimation, and resolution) on a disturbance-rejection hovering task. Pilots' performance and workload were studied under the following conditions: collimated optics vs. noncollimated optics, wide field-of-view (FOV) vs. narrow FOV, and higher resolution vs. lower resolution. Subjects were instructed to maintain a station-keeping position during disturbances while piloting an uncoupled four degrees-of-freedom (DOF) helicopter model, which had a satisfactory rate-command system in pitch and roll axes and ideal heading and altitude hold. Display collimation and FOV were found to have significant effects on pilots performance and subjective their subjective perception of visual cueing quality.

Chung, William W. Y.↗