Field Geologic Observation and Sample Collection Strategies for Planetary Surface Exploration: Insights from the 2010 Desert RATS Geologist Crewmembers

Observation is the primary role of all field geologists, and geologic observations put into an evolving conceptual context will be the most important data stream that will be relayed to Earth during a planetary exploration mission. Sample collection is also an important planetary field activity, and its success is closely tied to the quality of contextual observations. To test protocols for doing effective planetary geologic field- work, the Desert RATS(Research and Technology Studies) project deployed two prototype rovers for two weeks of simulated exploratory traverses in the San Francisco volcanic field of northern Arizona. The authors of this paper represent the geologist crew members who participated in the 2010 field test.We document the procedures adopted for Desert RATS 2010 and report on our experiences regarding these protocols. Careful consideration must be made of various issues that impact the interplay between field geologic observations and sample collection, including time management; strategies relatedtoduplicationofsamplesandobservations;logisticalconstraintson the volume and mass of samples and the volume/transfer of data collected; and paradigms for evaluation of mission success. We find that the 2010 field protocols brought to light important aspects of each of these issues, and we recommend best practices and modifications to training and operational protocols to address them. Underlying our recommendations is the recognition that the capacity of the crew to flexibly execute their activities is paramount. Careful design of mission parameters, especially field geologic protocols, is critical for enabling the crews to successfully meet their science objectives

Tools and Technologies Needed for Conducting Planetary Field Geology While On EVA: Insights from the 2010 Desert RATS Geologist Crewmembers

Observation is the primary role of all field geologists, and geologic observations put into an evolving conceptual context will be the most important data stream that will be relayed to Earth during a planetary exploration mission. Sample collection is also an important planetary field activity, and its success is closely tied to the quality of contextual observations. To test protocols for doing effective planetary geologic fieldwork, the Desert RATS (Research and Technology Studies) project deployed two prototype rovers for two weeks of simulated exploratory traverses in the San Francisco volcanic field of northern Arizona. The authors of this paper represent the geologist crewmembers who participated in the 2010 field test. We document the procedures adopted for Desert RATS 2010 and report on our experiences regarding these protocols. Careful consideration must be made of various issues that impact the interplay between field geologic observations and sample collection, including time management; strategies related to duplication of samples and observations; logistical constraints on the volume and mass of samples and the volume/transfer of data collected; and paradigms for evaluation of mission success. We find that the 2010 field protocols brought to light important aspects of each of these issues, and we recommend best practices and modifications to training and operational protocols to address them. Underlying our recommendations is the recognition that the capacity of the crew to "flexibly execute" their activities is paramount. Careful design of mission parameters, especially field geologic protocols, is critical for enabling the crews to successfully meet their science objectives

Deriving Expert Knowledge of Situational Awareness in Policing : a Mixed-Methods Study

Situational awareness (SA) is the most important skill required by police to effectively assess and respond to encounters, including critical incidents. Incomplete or sub-optimal SA strategies can lead to errors in subsequent judgement, decision-making, and action, including tactics and use of force (UOF). Errors in UOF, especially lethal force, in training or operational field settings, have severe consequences for learning, occupational health, and public safety. Therefore, adequately defining and instructing SA is an important gap to fill in existing applied police literature and practice. Using a mixed-methods approach, the current study aimed to define and conceptualize SA in police-specific contexts. Participants included 23 novice trainees and 11 experienced officers and instructors in tactics and UOF. Participants were shown 13 static images of various staged encounters, ranging from non-threatening to high-threat. Following each image, participants were interviewed and asked to describe what they saw and how they would respond. Thematic analyses of the interview data revealed the following seven themes that are highly interrelated and more completely define police-specific SA: distance/time laws; partner/roles; profiling the suspect; tactical options and opportunities; ongoing assessment of own tactical activities and outcomes; surrounding environment and conditions; and dangerous objects. Expert officers provided more detailed and multidimensional descriptions of the themes and statistical analyses confirmed that experts identified more themes compared to novices. By making tacit knowledge visible, the current findings establish a professional standard for SA formation, which can inform evidence-based police training in SA, tactical decision-making, and UOF while improving operational safety.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Situational Awareness in Operational Police Encounters : How is it formed, what factors influence it and how it can be trained

Taitoa ja kykyä muodostaa tilannetietoisuus voidaan pitää kaikkein tärkeimpänä ja kriittisempiä taitona poliisin ammatissa, sillä kaikki poliisitoiminta kuten päätösten tekeminen, taktiikan valinta ja voimakeinojen käyttämisen arviointi ja keinot perustuvat tai niiden tulisi perustua tilannetietoisuuteen. Tässä väitöskirjassa määritellään poliisin operatiivisessa toiminnassa vaadittava tilannetietoisuus; miten tilannetietoisuus muodostuu, mitä se sisältää ja mitkä tekijät vaikuttavat siihen sekä miten poliisitoimintaan liittyvää tilannetietoisuuden opetusta voidaan kehittää. Tämä väitöskirja sisältää neljä osatutkimusta, joissa jokaisessa poliisityöhön liittyvää tilannetietoisuutta pyritään selvittämään erilaisilla tutkimuskysymyksillä ja menetelmillä. Ensimmäisessä teoreettisessa tutkimuksessa keskitytään selvittämään sitä, mitä poliisin operatiiviseen toimintaan liittyvästä tilannetietoisuudesta on aikaisemmin tiedetty ja sitä mitä pitäisi edelleen tutkia, sekä selvitetään motoristen taitojen oppimisen ja tilannetietoisuuden oppimisen välistä yhteyttä. Toisessa osatutkimuksessa tutkitaan tilannetietoisuuteen liittyvää toimintaa ja käyttäytymistä empiirisen tutkimusasetelman avulla sekä selvitetään tutkimuksessa määriteltyjen käyttäytymisen ulottuvuuksien ja yksilöllisen persoonallisuuden piirteiden välistä yhteyttä. Väitöskirjan toisessa empiirisessä tutkimusasetelmassa selvitetään katseen käyttäytymistä sekä käsitteellistetään nimenomaan poliisitoimintaan liittyvä tilannetietoisuus käyttämällä kvalitatiivisia menetelmiä. Väitöskirjan tulokset käsittelevät poliisin tilannetietoisuuden kouluttamiseen ja käytäntöihin liittyviä poliisin koulutuksen maailmanlaajuisia haasteita; poliisityöhön liittyvää tilannetietoisuutta ei ole koskaan aikaisemmin määritelty tai operationalisoitu, ja se on ollut merkittävä rajoitus tilannetietoisuuden ja operatiivisen poliisitoiminnan opetukselle ja koulutukselle sekä niiden kehittämiselle. Tämä väitöstutkimus osoittaa, että poliisin tilannetietoisuuteen liittyvät elementit voidaan tunnistaa, määritellä ja niitä on mahdollista opettaa. Väitöskirja paljastaa ja määrittelee kuusi käyttäytymisen ulottuvuutta, jotka vaikuttavat tilannetietoisuuteen ja/tai poliisin toimintaan joko positiivisesti tai negatiivisesti sekä näiden ulottuvuuksien ja persoonallisuuden piirteiden välisiä yhteyksiä. Väitöskirjassa selvitetään millä tavoin kokeneet poliisit pyrkivät keräämään tietoa erilaisissa kohtaamisissa. Lopuksi väitöskirjassa tunnistetaan ja määritellään kokeneiden poliisien, eksperttien käyttämät seitsemän erityistä teemaa/elementtiä, joiden avulla voidaan muodostaa operatiivisen poliisitoiminnan edellyttämä tilannetietoisuus.The formation of situational awareness can be seen as the most critical and important skill in the police profession, as all other activities of the police, such as decision-making, tactics, and the use of force, are or should be based on situational awareness. This dissertation defines the situational awareness required in the operational work situations of police, what it consists of and is formed by, what factors affect it, and how its teaching can be developed. The dissertation consists of four sub-studies, each of which examined the situational awareness of the police through a variety of research questions and settings. Some of the sub-studies examined what was previously known about situational awareness specific to the police, what should be investigated, and the link between the learning of police situational awareness and other motor skills. The dissertation also studied behaviour and activity related to situational awareness in simulated training tasks and examined the relationship between newly defined behavioural dimensions and individual personality traits. The second empirical study design in this dissertation examined gaze behaviour and used qualitative methods to conceptualize police-specific situational awareness. The results of the dissertation address global challenges of police education relating to the training and practices of police situational awareness, which has so far not been defined or operationalized and is a major limitation for teaching and training. This research shows that elements related to police situational awareness can be identified, defined, and taught. The dissertation revealed and defined six behavioural dimensions that affect situational awareness and/or police activity either positively or negatively, as well as the relationship between these dimensions and personality traits. The dissertation identified the ways in which officers try to collect information in various encounters. Finally, the dissertation identified and defined seven specific themes that when taken into account can form the specific situational awareness of the police

Assessing vulnerability and modelling assistance: using demographic indicators of vulnerability and agent-based modelling to explore emergency flooding relief response

Flooding is a significant concern for much of the UK and is recognised as a primary threat by most local councils. Those in society most often deemed vulnerable: the elderly, poor or sick, for example, often see their level of vulnerability increase during hazard events. A greater knowledge of the spatial distribution of vulnerability within communities is key to understanding how a population may be impacted by a hazard event. Vulnerability indices are regularly used – in conjunction with needs assessments and on-the-ground research – to target service provision and justify resource allocation. Past work on measuring and mapping vulnerability has been limited by a focus on income-related indicators, a lack of consideration of accessibility, and the reliance on proprietary data. The Open Source Vulnerability Index (OSVI) encompasses an extensive range of vulnerability indicators supported by the wider literature and expert validation and provides data at a sufficiently fine resolution that can identify vulnerable populations. Findings of the OSVI demonstrate the potential cascading impact of a flood hazard as it impacts an already vulnerable population: exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities, limiting capabilities and restricting accessibility and access to key services. The OSVI feeds into an agent-based model (ABM) that explores the capacity of the British Red Cross (BRC) to distribute relief during flood emergencies using strategies based upon the OSVI. A participatory modelling approach was utilised whereby the BRC were included in all aspects of the model development. The major contribution of this work is the novel synthesis of demographics analysis, vulnerability mapping and geospatial simulation. The project contributes to the growing understanding of vulnerability and response management within the NGO sector. It is hoped that the index and model produced will allow responder organisations to run simulations of similar emergency events and adjust strategic response plans accordingly