Report on phase 2 of 1990 OSSA data census

The 1990 NASA Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) data census contributed significantly to a database intended to identify and briefly describe all archived data and potentially archive-desirable data from active and inactive NASA/OSSA spaceflight investigations. This database is being created at the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) and will be more comprehensive than the databases describing data held at individual sites such as NSSDC. Active investigations are defined as those flying on currently operational spacecraft or those that flew on recently operational spacecraft for which project-coordinated data archiving is continuing. Inactive investigations are those that flew on spacecraft that are no longer operational, and for which systematic archiving has ended. The principal purpose of this report is to describe phase two of the 1990 census. The previously reported phase one of this census, as well as a relevant 1981 census, are briefly discussed. The phase two survey instrument is described, those surveyed and respondents/reponses are identified, and data sets from inactive OSSA investigations discovered during the 1990 census (phase two) are briefly discussed individually

Quality of spatial information for municipal infrastructure management

Management of municipal infrastructure involves many processes such as planning, construction, operation, and maintenance of various assets. Municipal infrastructure management systems require gathering and combining a large amount of data from different sources. These data consist of spatial and non-spatial data for describing the process information about each facility. In recent years, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are widely used in municipal infrastructure management to spatially locate the elements of roads, sewers and water networks. However, the data used in these systems are collected from different sources using different methods with little information about the quality of the data. Problems regarding spatial data quality can affect all fields that use geographic data. Furthermore, the aging of municipal infrastructure assets combined with limited maintenance budgets presents unprecedented challenges to municipalities and public work agencies. A new integrated Municipal Infrastructure Management System (MIMS) is required to perform better quality performance for optimizing maintenance, repair and replacement activities. In this research, first a literature review is conducted about the existing MIMS software solutions, various spatial technologies are introduced, and data standards and quality concepts are discussed. Then, a new framework for MIMS spatial data quality assurance process is proposed. This framework is developed to cover all aspects of data quality and several practical methods for achieving spatial data quality assurance. One case study with four implementations is used to demonstrate the applications of the proposed approach

Comparação geomorfológica de algumas estruturas da superfície dos planetas Marte e Terra

Dissertação mest., Biologia e Geologia, Universidade do Algarve, 2007O trabalho apresentado nesta dissertação compreende estudos sobre vários aspectos geomor-fológicos do planeta Marte e possíveis analogias com a superfície da Terra. Os dados utilizados resultam de 30 anos de observação de Marte por sondas não tripuladas, essencialmente imagens e informações altimétricas obtidas a partir da órbita do planeta. Os dados obtidos pela Mars Global Surveyor, que esteve em actividade entre 1997 e 2006, assumem alguma importância neste trabalho, concretamente as imagens de alta resolução e as informações do altímetro laser. As estruturas geomorfológicas escolhidas para análise e comparação entre os dois planetas foram: estruturas de origem eólica, estruturas de origem fluvial e estruturas vulcânicas. A acção do vento na mobilização de materiais à superfície de Marte foi estudada, existindo diversos tipos de estruturas análogas às dunas que se encontram nas regiões áridas secas da Terra. Estas estruturas foram designadas como dunas e verificou-se que se encontram concentradas nas latitudes mais elevadas do hemisfério norte mas, também, no interior de várias crateras dissemina-das pelo planeta. As dunas analisadas nas regiões próximas do Pólo Norte podem ser classificadas como transversais, denunciando uma constância na direcção predominante do vento e um grande suprimento de materiais de tamanho areia. No interior das crateras estudadas existe uma maior variedade de formas de dunas, tendo-se observado barchans e dunas em estrela, o que reflecte dife-renças na disponibilidade de material mobilizável e, no caso das dunas em estrela, variações na direcção predominante do vento. A presença de estruturas de origem fluvial pode ser uma indicação de que já existiu água líquida à superfície de Marte. O Nirgal Vallis apresenta-se como um vale com baixa sinuosidade, escavado na superfície de Marte ao longo de cerca 700 km, em terrenos datados do Noachiano e Hesperiano. Ao contrário dos vales fluviais terrestres, apresenta um padrão dendrítico pouco desen-volvido e os seus afluentes iniciam-se em cabeceiras em forma de anfiteatro, o que aponta para uma possível origem em exsurgências de águas subterrâneas, embora a possibilidade de ter existido um contributo de águas de escorrência superficiais não possa ser totalmente excluída. iv Três vulcões de Marte foram alvo do nosso estudo com o fim de encontrar analogias com exemplos terrestres. Os vulcões escolhidos, Ceraunius Tholus, Uranius Tholus e Biblis Patera, situam-se na principal província vulcânica do planeta e parecem ter tido origem em escoadas de lava fluida, apresentando vertentes de baixo declive, semelhantes aos vulcões basálticos em escudo terrestres. Ceraunius Tholus e Uranius Tholus apresentam nos flancos estruturas semelhantes a canais, com disposição radial, que foram atribuídos à actividade fluvial. No caso de Ceraunius Tho-lus a disposição dos canais levou-nos a considerar a hipótese de estes poderem ter sido formados por águas provenientes de um glaciar de montanha bem como a possibilidade de ter existido um lago no interior da caldeira. Biblis Patera é um vulcão parcialmente soterrado por escoadas de lava mais recente, provenientes dos Tharsis Montes, e apresenta uma caldeira muito profunda e larga. O alargamento da caldeira parece ter ocorrido por colapsos sucessivos das paredes devido a um siste-ma de falhas circulares, apresentando muitas semelhanças com as caldeiras dos vulcões das ilhas Galápagos

12th Annual Focus on Creative Inquiry Poster Forum Program

The 2017 Focus on Creative Inquiry Poster Forum displays a selection of the projects accomplished by Clemson University students in their Creative Inquiry teams. What is Creative Inquiry? It is small-group learning for all students, in all disciplines. It is the imaginative combination of engaged learning and undergraduate research – and it is unique to Clemson University. In Creative Inquiry, small teams of undergraduate students work with faculty mentors to take on problems that spring from their own curiosity, a professor’s challenge, or the pressing needs of the world around them. Students take ownership of their projects. They ask questions, they take risks, and they get answers

Data bases and data base systems related to NASA's aerospace program. A bibliography with indexes

This bibliography lists 1778 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system, 1975 through 1980

The overview effect and counselling psychology: astronaut experiences of earth gazing

A significant number of space travellers have reported seeing Earth from orbit or the moon as an awe-inducing experience that is deeply impactful. To date existent research has provided convincing evidence that nature is therapeutic but there is limited research exploring the impact of extraordinary awe inducing natural environments. In order to bridge this gap, this study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore how seven retired National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts experienced Earth gazing from orbit and viewing nature from this perspective. Three main themes emerged: 1) Deeply Impactful Perceptions of Earth, 2) Profound and Unexpected Emotional Impact and, 3) A Space Odyssey. The first theme describes the initial aesthetic observations and the dynamic interaction with the natural world. The second theme describes the emotive impact and noetic contemplation that took place. The final theme represents the embodiment of the experience post-flight. It seems that Earth gazing can strengthen our connection to nature and life, elicit awe, gratitude, humility, and reverence, and enable a sense of social cohesion. These features suggest it can instigate behavioural change and foster wellbeing, and therefore make it relevant to Counselling Psychology. Finally, this study recommends that this experience can be adapted and simulated via positive technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), as a green wellbeing intervention at an individual, local, and global level

Guide to best practices for ocean acidification research and data reporting

Ocean acidification is an undisputed fact. The ocean presently takes up one-fourth of the carbon CO2 emitted to the atmosphere from human activities. As this CO2 dissolves in the surface ocean, it reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid, increasing ocean acidity and shifting the partitioning of inorganic carbon species towards increased CO2 and dissolved inorganic carbon, and decreased concentration of carbonate ion. While our understanding of the possible consequences of ocean acidification is still rudimentary, both the scientific community and the society at large are increasingly concerned about the possible risks associated with ocean acidification for marine organisms and ecosystems. As this new and pressing field of marine research gains momentum, many in our community, including representatives of coordinated research projects, international scientific organisations, funding agencies, and scientists in this field felt the need to provide guidelines and standards for ocean acidification research. To initiate this process, the European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) and the International Oceanographic Commission (IOC) jointly invited over 40 leading scientists active in ocean acidification research to a meeting at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Science (IFM-GEOMAR) in Kiel, Germany on 19-21 November 2008. At the meeting, which was sponsored by EPOCA, IOC, the Scientific Council on Oceanic Research (SCOR), the U.S. Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Project (OCB) and the Kiel Excellence Cluster “The Future Ocean”, the basic structure and contents of the guide was agreed upon and an outline was drafted. In the following months, the workshop participants and additional invited experts prepared draft manuscripts for each of the sections, which were subsequently reviewed by independent experts and revised according to their recommendations. Starting 15 May 2009, the guide was made publicly available for an open community review

Cognition, Affects et Interaction

International audienceCet ouvrage rassemble les travaux d’études et de recherche effectués dans le cadre du cours «Cognition, Affects et Interaction » que nous avons animé au 1er semestre 2015-2016. Cette deuxième édition de cours poursuit le principe inauguré en 2014 : aux cours magistraux donnés sur la thématique "Cognition, Interaction & Affects" qui donnent les outils méthodologiques des composantes de l’interaction socio-communicative, nous avons couplé une introduction à la robotique sociale et un apprentissage actif par travail de recherche en binômes. Le principe de ces travaux d’études et de recherche est d’effectuer une recherche bibliographique et de rédiger un article de synthèse sur un aspect de l’interaction homme-robot. Si plusieurs sujets ont été proposés aux étudiants en début d’année, certains binômes ont choisi d’aborder l’interaction avec un angle original qui reflète souvent les trajectoires de formation variés des étudiants en sciences cognitives (ingénierie, sociologie, psychologie, etc). Le résultat dépasse nos espérances : le lecteur trouvera une compilation d’articles argumentés de manière solide, rédigés de manière claire et présentés avec soin. Ces premières «publications» reflètent les capacités singulières de réflexion de cette promotion en nette augmentation par rapport à l’année précédente. Nous espérons que cette série d’ouvrages disponibles sous HAL puisse servir de point d’entrée à des étudiants ou chercheurs intéressés à explorer ce champ de recherches pluri-disciplinaire