Headquarters U.S. Army Corps of Engineers News Releases

Air and Missile Defense Workstation is the First Army System to Receive Geospatial Certification

Press Operations — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 14:00:00 GMT

The Air and Missile Defense Workstation (AMDWS) was the first Army system to receive geospatial certification earlier this year. AMDWS provides the air situational input to the Common Operational Picture (COP) of Army Mission Command systems. Geospatial Certification validates that the AMDWS can ingest and visualize standard imagery and elevation data in accordance with AMDWS system requirements.

Evaluation of Unmanned Aircraft System Coastal Data Collection and Horizontal Accuracy: A Case Study at Garden City Beach, South Carolina

Press Operations — Thu, 01 Oct 2020 14:59:00 GMT

Abstract: The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) aims to evaluate unmanned aircraft system (UAS) technology to support flood risk management applications, examining data collection and processing methods and exploring potential for coastal capabilities. Foundational evaluation of the technology is critical for understanding data application and determining best practices for data collection and processing. This study demonstrated UAS Multispectral (MS) and Red Green Blue (RGB) image efficacy for coastal monitoring using Garden City Beach, South Carolina, as a case study. Relative impacts to horizontal accuracy were evaluated under varying field scenarios (flying altitude, viewing angle, and use of onboard Real-Time Kinematic–Global Positioning System), level of commercial off-the-shelf software processing precision (default optimal versus high or low levels) and processing time, and number of ground control points applied during postprocessing (default number versus additional points). Many data sets met the minimum horizontal accuracy requirements designated by USACE Engineering Manual 2015. Data collection and processing methods highlight procedures resulting in high resolution UAS MS and RGB imagery that meets a variety of USACE project monitoring needs for site plans, beach renourishment and hurricane protection projects, project conditions, planning and feasibility studies, floodplain mapping, water quality analysis, flood control studies, emergency management, and ecosystem restoration.

Integrated Rule-Oriented Data System (iRODS) and High Performance Computing (HPC) Project Management Plan

Press Operations — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:37:00 GMT

Abstract: This project management plan (PMP) is established to provide guidance on the management of the Integrated Rule-Oriented Data System (iRODS) Project. The PMP and its associated plans are the primary source of information for how the project will be planned, executed, monitored, controlled, and closed. The intended audience of the plan is all project stakeholders including the project manager (PM), Engineered Resilient Systems (ERS), High-Performance Computing (HPC), and the Geocent project team members.

Web-Enabled Interface for iRODS: Comparing Hydroshare and Metalnx

Press Operations — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:31:00 GMT

Abstract: The Integrated Rule-Oriented Data System (iRODS) software provides ample resources for managing data and collections thereof, but there are occasions where utilizing its command line interface (CLI) is impractical or not desirable. One such example is when it is required that the user authenticate using a common access card (CAC), which is more easily accomplished through a graphical user interface (GUI) than through a CLI. Furthermore, restricting the system to only offering a CLI can alienate users who would normally be averse to using a system in such a way, and there are users who are not averse to utilizing a CLI, but who would still benefit from a GUI until they are able to familiarize themselves with the iCommands provided by iRODS. Thus, it becomes imperative to either implement or utilize an existing GUI for the system.

Analysis of ERS use cases for iRODs

Press Operations — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 16:26:00 GMT

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the challenges inherent with High Performance Computing (HPC) data storage access and management, the capabilities of iRODS, and the analysis of several Engineered Resilient Systems (ERS) use cases relating iRODS capabilities to the teams’ stated needs. Specifically, these teams are the ERS Data Analytics group (specifically their research on rotorcraft maintenance in conjunction with the U. S. Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center [AMRDEC]), the ERS Environmental Simulation research team, the ERS Sensor Systems research team, and the HPC/Scientific computing group representing the “General HPC User.”

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Spatial and Temporal Variance in the Thermal Response of Buried Objects

Press Operations — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 15:26:00 GMT

ABSTRACT: Probability of detection and false alarm rates for current military sensor systems used for detecting buried objects are often unacceptable. One approach to increasing sensor performance and detection reliability is to better understand which physical processes are dominant under certain environmental conditions. Incorporating this understanding into detection algorithms will improve detection performance. Our approach involved studying a small, 3.05 × 3.05 m, test plot at the Engineer Research and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (ERDC-CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire. There we monitored a number of environmental variables (soil temperature moisture, and chemistry as well as air temperature and humidity, cloud cover, and incoming solar radiation) coupled with thermal infrared and electro-optical image collection. Data collection occurred over 4 months with measurements made at 15 minute intervals. Initial findings show that significant spatial and thermal temporal variability is caused by incoming solar radiation; meteorologically driven surface heat exchange; and subsurface-soil temperatures, density, moisture content, and surface roughness.

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Shallow Water Seakeeping Tests with Columbia Class Submarine for Integration into the Environmental Monitoring and Operator Guidance System

Press Operations — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 15:18:00 GMT

Abstract: The Environmental Monitoring and Operation Guidance System (EMOGS) tool was developed in 1989 to provide a real-time risk analysis for underkeel clearance for the Ohio class submarine while in transit to the Naval Submarine Base at Kings Bay, Georgia. The program computes expected submarine response for input water level, depth, speed, wave, and other input conditions using shallow-water motion transfer functions generated by the strip theory tool, Large Amplitude Motion Program (LAMP). The integration of the new Columbia class submarine into EMOGS required that new transfer functions be developed using LAMP. The LAMP results are to be validated using measured motions from physical model laboratory testing. This report summarizes a laboratory study of the Columbia class submarine response in shallow-water waves. The study was conducted at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, and was done in direct support of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division. These seakeeping tests were performed in a shallow basin with a multi-directional wave generator, with measured still water vessel motions and measured vessel motion in regular and irregular waves of varying height, period, and direction.

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Evaluating Collection Parameters for Mobile Lidar Surveys in Vegetated Beach-Dune Settings

Press Operations — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 15:14:00 GMT

Purpose: The goal of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) is to compare collection parameters and gridding techniques for mobile lidar surveys of beach-dune systems in the northern Outer Banks, NC.

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Three Rivers, Southeast Arkansas Navigation Study: Ship Simulation Report

Press Operations — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:55:00 GMT

Abstract: The McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River System (MKARNS) is a major inland waterway that begins at the Port of Catoosa in Tulsa, OK, and travels to the confluence of the White and Mississippi Rivers. Over the years, many structures have been built to help control overland flow between the White, Arkansas, and Mississippi Rivers. These structures have required a significant amount of rehabilitation, which has resulted in high maintenance costs. The US Army Corps of Engineers and the Arkansas Waterways Commission conducted the Three Rivers Southeast Arkansas Feasibility Study (also known as the Three Rivers Study). The Three Rivers Study focused on providing long-term dependable navigation in the MKARNS. From this study, a proposal was developed that included a 1,000 ft reopening of the Historic Cutoff and a reinforcement of several areas near the White River. In 2019, the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center Ship/Tow Simulator was used to perform a navigation study to ensure the proposed modifications did not negatively impact navigation on the White River section of the MKARNS. Assessment of the proposed modifications was accomplished through analysis of ship simulations completed by experienced pilots, discussions, track plots, run sheets, and final pilot surveys.

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Understanding State-of-the-Art Material Classification through Deep Visualization

Press Operations — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:30:00 GMT

Abstract: Neural networks (NNs) excel at solving several complex, non-linear problems in the area of supervised learning. A prominent application of these networks is image classification. Numerous improvements over the last few decades have improved the capability of these image classifiers. However, neural networks are still a black-box for solving image classification and other sophisticated tasks. A number of experiments conducted look into exactly how neural networks solve these complex problems. This paper dismantles the neural network solution, incorporating convolution layers, of a specific material classifier. Several techniques are utilized to investigate the solution to this problem. These techniques look at specifically which pixels contribute to the decision made by the NN as well as a look at each neuron’s contribution to the decision. The purpose of this investigation is to understand the decision-making process of the NN and to use this knowledge to suggest improvements to the material classification algorithm.

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Understanding State-of-the-Art Material Classification through Deep Visualization

Press Operations — Thu, 20 Aug 2020 14:30:00 GMT

PUBLICATION NOTICE: The Urban Ground-to-Ground Radio-Frequency Channel: Measurement and Modeling in the Ultrahigh Frequency Band

Press Operations — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 13:27:00 GMT

ABSTRACT: Ground-to-ground radio communication and sensing within the urban environment is challenging because line of sight between transmitter and receiver is rarely available. Therefore, radio links are often critically reliant on reflection and scattering from built structures. Little is known about the scattering strength of different buildings or whether such differences are important to the urban ground-to-ground channel. We tested the hypotheses that (1) diffuse scattering from built structures significantly impacts the urban channel and (2) scattering strength of urban structures varies with surface roughness and materials. We tested these hypotheses by measuring urban channels in Concord, New Hampshire, and Boston, Massachusetts, and via channel-modeling efforts with three-dimensional representations of the urban environment. Direct comparison between measured and modeled channels suggest that both of these hypotheses are true. Further, it appears that ray-tracing approaches underestimate the complexity of urban channels because these approaches lack the physical processes to correctly assess the power incident on and scattered from built structures. We developed a radio-geospatial model that better accounts for incident power on both directly visible and occluded buildings and show that our model predictions com-pare more favorably with measured channels than those channels predicted via typical ray-tracing approaches.

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Autonomous QUerying And PATHogen Threat Agent Sensor System (AQUA PATH): Monitoring Source Waters with Geospatially Wirelessly Networked Distributed Sensing Systems

Press Operations — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 13:17:00 GMT

Abstract: Contaminants serve as health risks to recreational water, potable water, and marine life that result in undocumented effects on population exposure. In many areas of the world, the concern lies in contaminated drinking water, which would immediately effect social and economic order. As research advances for innovative solutions, the deployment of automated systems for source water monitoring could reduce the risk of exposure. Water quality monitoring typically involves sample collection and analyses that are performed in a laboratory setting. These results are normally presented after an 18−48 hr period. This report details the prototyped Autonomous QUerying And PATHogen threat agent sensor (AQUA PATH) geoenabled system that is able to detect the presence/absence of pathogenic bacteria indicators in source waters and report these values in the field, in less than 30 minutes. The AQUA PATH system establishes rapid field data collection and reports assessment of source waters bacterial loads at near shore inner coastal locations, which makes a leap forward compared to current presence/absence tests standards established by the EPA.

Vicksburg District announces updates to online inundation mapping viewer

Press Operations — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 15:15:00 GMT

VICKSBURG, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District announced Feb. 24 that its online viewer for inundation mapping has been updated to include new forecast information and additional areas in the district’s jurisdiction.

Vicksburg District announces launch of online inundation mapping viewer

Press Operations — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 15:22:00 GMT

VICKSBURG, Miss. --The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District announced that an

Vicksburg District announces launch of online inundation mapping viewer

Press Operations — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 22:10:00 GMT

VICKSBURG, Miss. -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District announced that an online viewer for inundation mapping will launch Feb. 12. The viewer, which will be accessible through a web browser, will allow users to view forecasted inundation layers for areas affected by high water across the district’s 68,000-square-mile jurisdiction in parts of Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas.