Leveraging Spatial Metadata in Machine Learning for Improved Objective Quantification of Geological Drill Core

Here we present a method for using the spatial x–y coordinate of an image cropped from the cylindrical surface of digital 3D drill core images and demonstrate how this spatial metadata can be used to improve unsupervised machine learning performance. This approach is applicable to any data set with known spatial context, however, here it is used to classify 400 m of drillcore imagery into 12 distinct classes reflecting the dominant rock types and alteration features in the core. We modified two unsupervised learning models to incorporate spatial metadata and an average improvement of 25% was achieved over equivalent models that did not utilize metadata. Our semi-supervised workflow involves unsupervised network training followed by semi-supervised clustering where a support vector machine uses a subset of M expert labeled images to assign a pseudolabel to the entire data set. Fine-tuning of the best performing model showed an f1 (macro average) of 90%, and its classifications were used to estimate bulk fresh and altered rock abundance downhole. Validation against the same information gathered manually by experts when the core was recovered during the Oman Drilling Project revealed that our automatically generated data sets have a significant positive correlation (Pearson's r of 0.65–0.72) to the expert generated equivalent, demonstrating that valuable geological information can be generated automatically for 400 m of core with only ∼24 hr of domain expert effort

Tectonic structure, evolution, and the nature of oceanic core complexes and their detachment fault zones (13°20′N and 13°30′N, Mid Atlantic Ridge)

Microbathymetry data, in situ observations, and sampling along the 138200N and 138200N oceanic core complexes (OCCs) reveal mechanisms of detachment fault denudation at the seafloor, links between tectonic extension and mass wasting, and expose the nature of corrugations, ubiquitous at OCCs. In the initial stages of detachment faulting and high-angle fault, scarps show extensive mass wasting that reduces their slope. Flexural rotation further lowers scarp slope, hinders mass wasting, resulting in morphologically complex chaotic terrain between the breakaway and the denuded corrugated surface. Extension and drag along the fault plane uplifts a wedge of hangingwall material (apron). The detachment surface emerges along a continuous moat that sheds rocks and covers it with unconsolidated rubble, while local slumping emplaces rubble ridges overlying corrugations. The detachment fault zone is a set of anostomosed slip planes, elongated in the alongextension direction. Slip planes bind fault rock bodies defining the corrugations observed in microbathymetry and sonar. Fault planes with extension-parallel stria are exposed along corrugation flanks, where the rubble cover is shed. Detachment fault rocks are primarily basalt fault breccia at 138200N OCC, and gabbro and peridotite at 138300N, demonstrating that brittle strain localization in shallow lithosphere form corrugations, regardless of lithologies in the detachment zone. Finally, faulting and volcanism dismember the 138300N OCC, with widespread present and past hydrothermal activity (Semenov fields), while the Irinovskoe hydrothermal field at the 138200N core complex suggests a magmatic source within the footwall. These results confirm the ubiquitous relationship between hydrothermal activity and oceanic detachment formation and evolution

Multilevel two quadrant DC/DC converter for regenerative braking in mobile applications

In this paper different cascaded and multilevel topologies are compared for regenerative braking systems using supercapacitors (SC). It shows that the multilevel buck derived topology can beneficiate from both reduced voltage across the inductor and increased frequency to reduce the output inductance, even if there is the need for an input LC filter to reduce harmonic content in the SC. Also, the proposed control scheme is able to control the energy flow between SC and the DC bus, balancing the voltage in the SC banks. Experimental results verify the performance of the proposed converter and its control algorism

Multilevel modular DC/DC converter for regenerative braking using supercapacitors

[eng] Regenerative braking is present in many electric traction applications such as electric and hybrid vehicles, lifts and railways. The regenerated energy can be stored for future use, increasing the efficiency of the system. This paper outlines the benefits of the modular multilevel converter (MMC) in front of the cascaded or series connection of converters to achieve high voltage from low voltage storage elements such as supercapacitors. The paper compares three different solutions and shows that the MMC can benefit from weight and volume reduction of the output inductance when shifted frequency is increased, and reduces the magnitude of the voltage applied to the inductor, reducing its size and volume

Leveraging spatial metadata in machine learning for improved objective quantification of geological drill core

Here we present a method for using the spatial x–y coordinate of an image cropped from the cylindrical surface of digital 3D drill core images and demonstrate how this spatial metadata can be used to improve unsupervised machine learning performance. This approach is applicable to any data set with known spatial context, however, here it is used to classify 400 m of drillcore imagery into 12 distinct classes reflecting the dominant rock types and alteration features in the core. We modified two unsupervised learning models to incorporate spatial metadata and an average improvement of 25% was achieved over equivalent models that did not utilize metadata. Our semi-supervised workflow involves unsupervised network training followed by semi-supervised clustering where a support vector machine uses a subset of M expert labeled images to assign a pseudolabel to the entire data set. Fine-tuning of the best performing model showed an f 1 (macro average) of 90%, and its classifications were used to estimate bulk fresh and altered rock abundance downhole. Validation against the same information gathered manually by experts when the core was recovered during the Oman Drilling Project revealed that our automatically generated data sets have a significant positive correlation (Pearson's r of 0.65–0.72) to the expert generated equivalent, demonstrating that valuable geological information can be generated automatically for 400 m of core with only ∼24 hr of domain expert effort.</p

Improving coral monitoring by reducing variability and bias in cover estimates from seabed images

Seabed cover of organisms is an established metric for assessing the status of many vulnerable marine ecosystems. When deriving cover estimates from seafloor imagery, a source of uncertainty in capturing the true distribution of organisms is introduced by the inherent variability and bias of the annotation method used to extract ecological data. We investigated variability and bias in two common annotation methods for estimating organism cover, and the role of size selectivity in this variability. Eleven annotators estimated sparse cold-water coral cover in the same 96 images with both grid-based and manual segmentation annotation methods. The standard deviation between annotators was three times greater in the grid-based method compared to segmentation, and grid-based estimates from annotators tended to overestimate coral cover. Size selectivity biased the manual segmentation; the minimum size of colonies segmented varied between annotators fivefold. Two modelling techniques (based on Richard’s selection curves and Gaussian processes) were used to impute areas where annotators identified colonies too small for segmentation. By imputing small coral sizes in segmentation estimates, the coefficient of variation between annotators was reduced by approximately 10%, and method bias (compared to a reference dataset) was reduced by up to 23%. Therefore, for sparse, low cover organisms, manual segmentation of images is recommended to minimise annotator variability and bias. Uncertainty in cover estimates may be further reduced by addressing size selectivity bias when annotating small organisms in images using a data-driven modelling technique.<br/

Tectonic structure, evolution, and the nature of oceanic core complexes and their detachment fault zones (13°20′N and 13°30′N, Mid Atlantic Ridge)

Microbathymetry data, in situ observations, and sampling along the 13°20′N and 13°20′N oceanic core complexes (OCCs) reveal mechanisms of detachment fault denudation at the seafloor, links between tectonic extension and mass wasting, and expose the nature of corrugations, ubiquitous at OCCs. In the initial stages of detachment faulting and high-angle fault, scarps show extensive mass wasting that reduces their slope. Flexural rotation further lowers scarp slope, hinders mass wasting, resulting in morphologically complex chaotic terrain between the breakaway and the denuded corrugated surface. Extension and drag along the fault plane uplifts a wedge of hangingwall material (apron). The detachment surface emerges along a continuous moat that sheds rocks and covers it with unconsolidated rubble, while local slumping emplaces rubble ridges overlying corrugations. The detachment fault zone is a set of anostomosed slip planes, elongated in the along-extension direction. Slip planes bind fault rock bodies defining the corrugations observed in microbathymetry and sonar. Fault planes with extension-parallel stria are exposed along corrugation flanks, where the rubble cover is shed. Detachment fault rocks are primarily basalt fault breccia at 13°20′N OCC, and gabbro and peridotite at 13°30′N, demonstrating that brittle strain localization in shallow lithosphere form corrugations, regardless of lithologies in the detachment zone. Finally, faulting and volcanism dismember the 13°30′N OCC, with widespread present and past hydrothermal activity (Semenov fields), while the Irinovskoe hydrothermal field at the 13°20′N core complex suggests a magmatic source within the footwall. These results confirm the ubiquitous relationship between hydrothermal activity and oceanic detachment formation and evolution. © 2017. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved