Automated land-use mapping from spacecraft data

The author has identified the following significant results. In response to the need for a faster, more economical means of producing land use maps, this study evaluated the suitability of using ERTS-1 computer compatible tape (CCT) data as a basis for automatic mapping. Significant findings are: (1) automatic classification accuracy greater than 90% is achieved on categories of deep and shallow water, tended grass, rangeland, extractive (bare earth), urban, forest land, and nonforested wet lands; (2) computer-generated printouts by target class provide a quantitative measure of land use; and (3) the generation of map overlays showing land use from ERTS-1 CCTs offers a significant breakthrough in the rate at which land use maps are generated. Rather than uncorrected classified imagery or computer line printer outputs, the processing results in geometrically-corrected computer-driven pen drawing of land categories, drawn on a transparent material at a scale specified by the operator. These map overlays are economically produced and provide an efficient means of rapidly updating maps showing land use

Classifying and monitoring water quality by use of satellite imagery

A technique in which LANDSAT measurements from very clear lakes are subtracted from measurements from other lakes in order to remove atmospheric and surface noise effects to obtain a residual signal dependent only on the material suspended in the water is described. This residual signal is used by the Multispectral Data Analysis System as a basis for producing color categorized imagery showing lakes by type and concentration of suspended material. Several hundred lakes in the Madison and Spooner, Wisconsin area were categorized for tannin or non-tannin waters and for the degree of algae, silt, weeds, and bottom effects

What can the formation and evolution of biological polymers teach us about the structure of the universe? special reference to super galactic clusters

It is now evident that the visible Universe is decidedly structured and this is acceptably clear by the observation of super galactic clusters. These clusters bear a remarkable similarity to insoluble biological polymers. However, the forces underlying the formation and persistence of these structures remains unknown to date. Current theory suggests that attractive gravitational forces may explain this structure. We are proposing an alternative theory for the origin, formation and present structure of super galactic structures

What can the formation and evolution of biological polymers teach us about the structure of the universe? special reference to super galactic clusters

It is now evident that the visible Universe is decidedly structured and this is acceptably clear by the observation of super galactic clusters. These clusters bear a remarkable similarity to insoluble biological polymers. However, the forces underlying the formation and persistence of these structures remains unknown to date. Current theory suggests that attractive gravitational forces may explain this structure. We are proposing an alternative theory for the origin, formation and present structure of super galactic structures

Gauge fixing and equivariant cohomology

The supersymmetric model developed by Witten to study the equivariant cohomology of a manifold with an isometric circle action is derived from the BRST quantization of a simple classical model. The gauge-fixing process is carefully analysed, and demonstrates that different choices of gauge-fixing fermion can lead to different quantum theories.Comment: 18 pages LaTe

Ultra-wide detuning planar Bragg grating fabrication technique based on direct UV grating writing with electro-optic phase modulation

A direct UV grating writing technique based on phase-controlled interferometry is proposed and demonstrated in a silica-on-silicon platform, with a wider wavelength detuning range than any previously reported UV writing technology. Electro-optic phase modulation of one beam in the interferometer is used to manipulate the fringe pattern and thus control the parameters of the Bragg gratings and waveguides. Various grating structures with refractive index apodization, phase shifts and index contrasts of up to 0.8×10-3 have been demonstrated. The method offers significant time/energy efficiency as well as simplified optical layout and fabrication process. We have shown Bragg gratings can be made from 1200 nm to 1900 nm exclusively under software control and the maximum peak grating reflectivity only decreases by 3dB over a 250 nm (~32THz) bandwidth

Academic Library Leadership Issues and Challenges: An Informational Interview with Peter Sidorko, Librarian of the University of Hong Kong

Founded in 1911 during the British Colonial era, with the aim of competing with the other Great Powers opening universities in Mainland China, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Supporting the learning, teaching and research needs of the whole University community, the HKU Library is set up with the commitment to develop and deliver a wide range of resources and services dedicated for engaging the users in the efficient use of library resources in all formats. It was the commitment to promoting a strong intellectual environment and IT infrastructure in libraries that brought Peter Sidorko to the HKU Library over 13 years ago. A seasoned librarian with an established career of working in libraries throughout Australia, Peter Sidorko was hired in 2001 as the Deputy Librarian for HKU before becoming the current University Librarian in 2011. In his current position, Peter Sidorko oversees HKU's library network, comprised of one Main Library and six other subject branches that serve a student population of over 27,000. In the following interview, Peter Sidorko discusses the ways in which he uses his participative management style to work closely with staff and faculty in supporting the unique academic environment at HKU. Furthermore, he speaks about the deep collaboration with other university libraries in Hong Kong through organizations such as JULAC (Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee), and other services like HKALL (Hong Kong Academic Library Link). He also openly discusses the current challenges facing the field and the promising goals of supporting the unique collections that have made HKU a world-renowned academic institute.published_or_final_versio

ERTS-1: Automated land-use mapping in lake watersheds

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 computer compatible tapes were used as a basis to generate land use maps in lake watersheds in southeastern Michigan. These maps, generated on a repetitive basis, provide information essential to governmental agencies concerned with planning and control of lake eutrophication. The ERTS mapping products included geometrically current land use map overlays at 1:250,000 and 1:48,000 scale and area measurement printouts. The printouts provide, within the watershed boundaries and by land use category, a quantitative measure of the amount of land, in square kilometers and acres. This quantitative measure of land use in watersheds is essential to the development and application of deterministic models, which compute nutrient flows into lakes and establish lake eutrophication rates

Flow establishment in a generic scramjet combustor

The establishment of a quasi-steady flow in a generic scramjet combustor was studied for the case of a time varying inflow to the combustor. Such transient flow is characteristic of the reflected shock tunnel and expansion tube test facilities. Several numerical simulations of hypervelocity flow through a straight duct combustor with either a side wall step fuel injector or a centrally located strut injector are presented. Comparisons were made between impulsively started but otherwise constant flow conditions (typical of the expansion tube or tailored operations of the reflected shock tunnel) and the relaxing flow produced by the 'undertailored' operations of the reflected shock tunnel. Generally the inviscid flow features, such as the shock pattern and pressure distribution, were unaffected by the time varying inlet conditions and approached steady state in approx. the times indicated by experimental correlations. However, viscous features, such as heat transfer and skin friction, were altered by the relaxing inlet flow conditions