Active Missions and the VxOs with THEMIS as an Example

The Virtual Observatories (VxOs) provide a host of services to data producers and researchers. They help data producers to describe their data in standard Space Physics Archive Search and Extract (SPASE) terms that enable scientists to understand data products from a wide range of missions. They offer search interfaces based on specified criteria that help researchers discover conjunctions, prominent events, and intervals of interest. In this talk, we show how VMO services can be used with Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) observations to identify magnetotail intervals marked by high speed flows, enhanced densities, or high temperatures. We present statistical surveys of when and where these phenomena occur. We then show how the VMO services can be used to identify events in which two or more THEMIS spacecraft observe specified features for more detailed analysis. We conclude by discussing the current limitations of VMO tools and outline plans for the future

Autoplot: A browser for scientific data on the web

Autoplot is software developed for the Virtual Observatories in Heliophysics to provide intelligent and automated plotting capabilities for many typical data products that are stored in a variety of file formats or databases. Autoplot has proven to be a flexible tool for exploring, accessing, and viewing data resources as typically found on the web, usually in the form of a directory containing data files with multiple parameters contained in each file. Data from a data source is abstracted into a common internal data model called QDataSet. Autoplot is built from individually useful components, and can be extended and reused to create specialized data handling and analysis applications and is being used in a variety of science visualization and analysis applications. Although originally developed for viewing heliophysics-related time series and spectrograms, its flexible and generic data representation model makes it potentially useful for the Earth sciences.Comment: 16 page

Prison Industries Metering at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice: Two Years of Operational Experience

In 2001 the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Utilities and Energy Department (TDCJU& E) completed the installation of an extensive energy consumption metering system for their prison industries system. As the second largest state prison system in the nation, TDCJ facilities are scattered over many locations around the state and cover a diversity of prison industries and agricultural operations. The Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL), with New Horizon Technologies, Inc. (NHT) and eComponents Technology, Inc. installed a state-ofthe- art sub-metering system with the intent of meeting the needs of the TDCJ-U&E group well into the future. The system uses a web-based data acquisition interface and is capable of near real-time data acquisition and display. Fifteen-minute interval utility and sub-metered energy consumption data have been continuously collected since the system was commissioned. This paper describes the varied applications for these data at the TDCJ-U&E department. Significant improvements in the quality of energy use reporting and unit accountability have been obtained. Prison industries now receive monthly energy consumption reports and are responsible for the cost of their sub-metered energy consumption. Additionally, the operations and maintenance staff have found the data to be very useful for energy systems and equipment operational diagnosis

State of the Art Energy Submetering at Texas Department of Criminal Justice Industries

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice Utilities and Energy Department (TDCJ-U&E) has completed the first phase of a detailed energy use submetering system that will be one of the largest such installations in the United States at the second largest state prison system in the nation. Through responsibility accounting, TDCJ unit wardens and other staff needed to be able to monitor and justify the utility and energy use and expenses for the various prison industries and agricultural operations. These facilities are scattered at many locations around the state and cover a diversity of prison industries and agricultural operations from meat packing operations to metal fabrication, furniture restoration, garment and shoe factories, vehicle restoration, soap and detergent plants, mattress making and graphics that include sign and license plate manufacturing. The Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) with New Horizon Technologies, Inc. (NHT) proposed to install a state-of-the-art submetering system that would meet the needs of the TDCJ system well into the future. Upon award of the contract, TDCJ-U&E assisted the ESL and NHT in conducting numerous surveys of the proposed metering locations, coordinated installations of the equipment with local unit wardens and staff, then installed the system hardware and software. The system uses a web-based user interface and is capable of real-time data acquisition and display. SquareD supplied the components for the field metering installation and local plumbing contractors either retrofitted existing gas meters or installed new meters as required. Preliminary testing began in late summer of 2000 and the system is collecting 15 minute interval utility and energy consumption data. This paper will describe the issues involved in implementing a project covering such a large geographic area, tight security issues and using inmate labor

SPEAKING CONFIDENCE AMONG GE 2 COMPLETERS: BASIS FOR INTERVENTION PROGRAM

This study focuses on students' speaking confidence and the lack thereof, which is one of the challenges that students encounter during class discussions. This occurrence motivated the researchers to determine the level of speaking confidence of GE2 completers at UM Digos College as the basis for the intervention program. Quantitative-descriptive research was carried out to determine the speaking confidence of UM Digos college students involving 383 randomly chosen students from 1st year to 4th year. Results revealed that UM Digos College students possess low speaking confidence. Moreover, statistical evidence showed a significant difference in year level, where first-year students significantly differ from third-year and fourth-year students since the first year has the lowest mean score. Thus, this research recommends implementing a program that addresses students' speaking challenges and provides intervention to improve their speaking confidence and participate in the classroom without hesitation.  Article visualizations

Interplanetary Magnetic Field Power Spectrum Variations: A VHO Enabled Study

The newly reprocessed high time resolution (11/22 vectors/sec) Wind mission interplanetary magnetic field data and the solar wind key parameter search capability of the Virtual Heliospheric Observatory (VHO) affords an opportunity to study magnetic field power spectral density variations as a function of solar wind conditions. In the reprocessed Wind Magnetic Field Investigation (MFI) data, the spin tone and its harmonics are greatly reduced that allows the meaningful fitting of power spectra to the approx.2 Hz limit above which digitization noise becomes apparent. The power spectral density is computed and the spectral index is fitted for the MHD and ion inertial regime separately along with the break point between the two for various solar wind conditions . The time periods of fixed solar wind conditions are obtained from VHO searches that greatly simplify the process. The functional dependence of the ion inertial spectral index and break point on solar wind plasma and magnetic field conditions will be discusse

Pressure balance at the magnetopause: Experimental studies

The pressure balance at the magnetopause is formed by magnetic field and plasma in the magnetosheath, on one side, and inside the magnetosphere, on the other side. In the approach of dipole earth's magnetic field configuration and gas-dynamics solar wind flowing around the magnetosphere, the pressure balance predicts that the magnetopause distance R depends on solar wind dynamic pressure Pd as a power low R ~ Pd^alpha, where the exponent alpha=-1/6. In the real magnetosphere the magnetic filed is contributed by additional sources: Chapman-Ferraro current system, field-aligned currents, tail current, and storm-time ring current. Net contribution of those sources depends on particular magnetospheric region and varies with solar wind conditions and geomagnetic activity. As a result, the parameters of pressure balance, including power index alpha, depend on both the local position at the magnetopause and geomagnetic activity. In addition, the pressure balance can be affected by a non-linear transfer of the solar wind energy to the magnetosheath, especially for quasi-radial regime of the subsolar bow shock formation proper for the interplanetary magnetic field vector aligned with the solar wind plasma flow.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure

A comparison of IMP 8 observed bow shock

a radial flow. Taking the upstream parameters from a distant solar wind monitor (the Wind spacecraft) resulted in the models predicting the shock farther away from the Earth, which is likely a result of the spacecraft separation perpendicular to the solar wind flow, or of calibrational differences of the plasma density measurements by the spacecraft. INDEX TERMS: 2154 Interplanetary Physics: Planetary bow shocks; 2784 Magnetospheric Physics: Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions; 2722 Magnetospheric Physics: Forecasting; 7899 Space Plasma Physics: General or miscellaneous; KEYWORDS: terrestrial bow shock, models, IMP 8 observations Citation: Merka, J., A. Szabo, T. W. Narock, J. H. King, K. I. Paularena, and J. D. Richardson, A comparison of IMP 8 observed bow shock positions with model predictions, J. Geophys. Res., 108(A2), 1077, doi:10.1029/2002JA009384, 2003. 1. Introduction [2] The characteristic shape, position and motion of Earth's bow shock have been studied for ma

Statistical Survey of the Terrestrial Bow Shock Observed by the Cluster Spacecraft

International audienceThe terrestrial bow shock provides us with a unique opportunity to extensively investigate properties of collisionless shocks using in situ measurements under a wide range of upstream conditions. Here we report a statistical study of 529 terrestrial bow shock crossings observed between years 2001 and 2013 by the four Cluster spacecraft. By applying a simple timing method to multipoint measurements, we are able to investigate their characteristic spatiotemporal features. We have found a significant correlation between the speed of the bow shock motion and the solar wind speed. We have also compared obtained speeds with time derivatives of locations predicted by a three-dimensional bow shock model. Finally, we provide a list of bow shock crossings for possible further investigation by the scientific community. Plain Language Summary The Sun is continuously emitting a stream of charged particles-called the solar wind-from its upper atmosphere. The terrestrial magnetosphere forms the obstacle to its flow. Due to supersonic speed of the solar wind, the bow shock is created ahead of the magnetosphere. This abrupt transition region between supersonic and subsonic flows has been frequently observed by the four Cluster spacecraft. Using a timing analysis, we have retrieved speed and directions of the bow shock motion for a large number of crossings. We have correlated the bow shock speed with the solar wind speed and predictions of the bow shock locations by the empirical model. A better understanding of the bow shock kinematics may bring new insights to wave-particle interactions with applications in laboratory plasmas