Helmet-mounted pilot night vision systems: Human factors issues

Helmet-mounted displays of infrared imagery (forward-looking infrared (FLIR)) allow helicopter pilots to perform low level missions at night and in low visibility. However, pilots experience high visual and cognitive workload during these missions, and their performance capabilities may be reduced. Human factors problems inherent in existing systems stem from three primary sources: the nature of thermal imagery; the characteristics of specific FLIR systems; and the difficulty of using FLIR system for flying and/or visually acquiring and tracking objects in the environment. The pilot night vision system (PNVS) in the Apache AH-64 provides a monochrome, 30 by 40 deg helmet-mounted display of infrared imagery. Thermal imagery is inferior to television imagery in both resolution and contrast ratio. Gray shades represent temperatures differences rather than brightness variability, and images undergo significant changes over time. The limited field of view, displacement of the sensor from the pilot's eye position, and monocular presentation of a bright FLIR image (while the other eye remains dark-adapted) are all potential sources of disorientation, limitations in depth and distance estimation, sensations of apparent motion, and difficulties in target and obstacle detection. Insufficient information about human perceptual and performance limitations restrains the ability of human factors specialists to provide significantly improved specifications, training programs, or alternative designs. Additional research is required to determine the most critical problem areas and to propose solutions that consider the human as well as the development of technology

Investigation related to multispectral imaging systems

A summary of technical progress made during a five year research program directed toward the development of operational information systems based on multispectral sensing and the use of these systems in earth-resource survey applications is presented. Efforts were undertaken during this program to: (1) improve the basic understanding of the many facets of multispectral remote sensing, (2) develop methods for improving the accuracy of information generated by remote sensing systems, (3) improve the efficiency of data processing and information extraction techniques to enhance the cost-effectiveness of remote sensing systems, (4) investigate additional problems having potential remote sensing solutions, and (5) apply the existing and developing technology for specific users and document and transfer that technology to the remote sensing community

Remote sensing applications to resource problems in South Dakota

Cooperative projects between RSI and numerous South Dakota agencies have provided a means of incorporating remote sensing techniques into operational programs. Eight projects discussed in detail are: (1) detection of high moisture zones near interstate 90; (2) thermal infrared census of Canada geese in South Dakota; (3) dutch elm disease detection in urban environment; (4) a feasibility study for monitoring effective precipitation in South Dakota using TIROS-N; (5) open and abandoned dump sites in Spink county; (6) the influence of soil reflectance on LANDSAT signatures of crops; (7) A model implementation program for Lake Herman watershed; and (8) the Six-Mile Creek investigation follow-on

Remote sensing in the mixing zone

Characteristics of dispersion and diffusion as the mechanisms by which pollutants are transported in natural river courses were studied with the view of providing additional data for the establishment of water quality guidelines and effluent outfall design protocols. Work has been divided into four basic categories which are directed at the basic goal of developing relationships which will permit the estimation of the nature and extent of the mixing zone as a function of those variables which characterize the outfall structure, the effluent, and the river, as well as climatological conditions. The four basic categories of effort are: (1) the development of mathematical models; (2) laboratory studies of physical models; (3) field surveys involving ground and aerial sensing; and (4) correlation between aerial photographic imagery and mixing zone characteristics

MODIS: Moderate-resolution imaging spectrometer. Earth observing system, volume 2B

The Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS), as presently conceived, is a system of two imaging spectroradiometer components designed for the widest possible applicability to research tasks that require long-term (5 to 10 years), low-resolution (52 channels between 0.4 and 12.0 micrometers) data sets. The system described is preliminary and subject to scientific and technological review and modification, and it is anticipated that both will occur prior to selection of a final system configuration; however, the basic concept outlined is likely to remain unchanged

Estimation of the vertical wavelength of atmospheric gravity waves from airglow imagery

Abstract In the summer of 2010, two imagers were installed in New Mexico with the objective of making stereoscopic observations of atmospheric gravity waves (AGWs). As AGWs propagate vertically, they spatially perturb the airglow emission layers in all three dimensions. Estimates of the vertical wavelength, horizontal wavelength, and the intrinsic frequency are needed to characterize an AGW and quantify its effects on upper atmospheric dynamics. The dispersion relation describes the relationship between vertical and horizontal wavelengths as a function of the intrinsic frequency. Thus, any two of the three aforementioned parameters can be used to determine the third. Mesospheric winds are hard to measure and consequently the intrinsic frequency is difficult to estimate. However, the horizontal wavelength can be directly measured from airglow imagery once the three-dimensional imager field of view is projected onto the two-dimensional image plane. This thesis presents a method to estimate the vertical wavelength using an airglow perturbation model proposed by Anderson et al. (2009). The model is subsequently validated using the observations from ground-based imagers installed in New Mexico. Abstract The perturbed airglow is modeled as a quasi-monochromatic wave and thus, it can be characterized using only a few parameters, one of which is the vertical wavelength. Because the vertical wavelength is embedded in both the phase and the magnitude of this model, two values of the vertical wavelength are estimated by applying two different parameter estimation techniques on the phase and magnitude. The estimation of the vertical wavelength from the phase of the model entails solving an overdetermined system of linear equations by minimizing the sum of the squared residuals. This estimate is then compared to that obtained by iteratively finding the best approximation to the roots of a function, representing the magnitude of the perturbation model. These two techniques are applied on three nights in 2010, and the estimates for the vertical wavelength match to within a few kilometers. Thus, the perturbation model is validated using real data

The use of multispectral sensing techniques to detect Ponderosa pine trees under stress from insect or pathogenic organisms

Multispectral sensing techniques for ground and airborne detection of Ponderosa pine trees under stress from insect or pathogenic organism

Field phenomics:will it enable crop improvement?

Field phenomics has been identified as a promising enabling technology to assist plant breeders with the development of improved cultivars for farmers. Yet, despite much investment, there are few examples demonstrating the application of phenomics within a plant breeding program. We review recent progress in field phenomics and highlight the importance of targeting breeders’ needs, rather than perceived technology needs, through developing and enhancing partnerships between phenomics researchers and plant breeders