News Stories

  • February

    TAD PM receives Army Technology Leader award

    Margaret Jones, a program manager with the Transatlantic Division’s Afghanistan District, received a U.S. Army Technology Leader award during a ceremony at the 2020 BEYA STEM Conference in Washington, D.C., Feb. 14.
  • Uniquely qualified unmanned aircraft systems team completes data collection project

    VICKSBURG, Miss. (Feb. 14, 2020) -- As the installation asset mapping project nears completion, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Manager Jenny Laird said she feels proud of her team. “This has been a two-year project in the making, and it’s a huge accomplishment for our group, the Environmental Laboratory and the ERDC as a whole to have created a comprehensive map for a 700-acre installation,” Laird said. “That’s a large data collection to take on as our first go-around with this type of application.”
  • Regulatory Branch completes over 1700 permit actions last year, plus more

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District Regulatory Branch does more than issue permits. Last year alone, it completed over 1,700 actions that covered permits plus more of what the team does on a daily basis: investigate violations, determine jurisdiction, along with permit compliance inspections and pre-application meetings.
  • Senior electrical engineer honored as ‘Modern-Day Technology Leader’

    NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 19, 2020) – Officials honored a senior electrical engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District as a “Modern-Day Technology Leader” during the 34th Black Engineers of the Year Awards Technology Recognition Luncheon Feb. 14 in Washington, D.C.
  • Engineers Week 2020: Resident Engineer speaks about building a career with USACE

    CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea – U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) employees are provided opportunities worldwide to grow with the organization and continue to influence potential future employees of the organization.
  • Mother’s Life Lessons Guide Eller Ever Higher

    Many people struggle to find or recognize their higher purpose in life. Some never come to understand the significance of the minutes, hours and days that make up their life. Tambour Eller is not one of them. From a young age Eller looked to her mother, who raised her alone, for such answers. What she found was an example of how to face life's daily challenges straight on, with faith that hard work and perseverance would reveal all she needed to know. "She taught me that when the going gets tough, it's tough for everyone – people have different ways of handling it. But every day, you get up, be thankful and get to work because you are a part of a larger plan – God's plan."
  • Real Estate Provides Facelift for New Jersey Armed Forces Career Center

    While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has missions planning and designing construction projects, there’s a less-well-known component in the New York District: Providing real estate support for more than 400 U.S. Armed Forces recruiting stations in New York and New Jersey.
  • DOD Moves to Use Data More Effectively in Decision-Making

    The Defense Department is seeking ways to use data better in decision-making on the battlefield and in its business practices, Deputy Defense Secretary David L. Norquist said.
  • Military Sealift Command, Seabees support Operation Deep Freeze

    Military Sealift Command-chartered container ship MV Ocean Giant is currently conducting cargo offloads in one of the most remote and challenging environments on the planet; McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The operation is part of MSC’s annual resupply mission in support of Operation Deep Freeze, the Joint Task Force Support for Antarctica mission to resupply the remote scientific outpost.
  • Corps Engineers participate in West Point STEM event

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District representatives encouraged students to design and build bridges during a West Point Academy Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics event at Stephen M. White Middle School in Carson, California.

News Releases

  • Corps continues flows from Lake O, supports firefighting in Everglades National Park

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District will continue flows from the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam (S-79) to the Caloosahatchee estuary at a 7-day average rate of 457 cubic feet per second (cfs). Flows to the St. Lucie estuary remain at zero cfs as measured at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam (S-80). Releases are made in a pulse pattern which begin on Saturday. In addition, our partners at the South Florida Water Management District have coordinated with the Corps as they mobilize pumps and modify water management operations to help control a wildfire in Everglades National Park.
  • Draft EA for flood-related repairs to several Salt Creek Dams in Nebraska available for public comment

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, is seeking comments on a draft environmental assessment for a proposal to repair several Salt Creek Dams in and around Lincoln, Nebraska. Comments on the draft EA will be accepted until May 23, 2020.
  • Corps’ Kansas City District campsite and shelter reservation closures extended through 1 June

    Due to the ongoing concerns related to the spread of COVID-19, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District has extended its recreation area closures through June 1, 2020.
  • Houston Ship Channel Expansion Reaches Major Milestone

    GALVESTON, Texas – Yesterday, Galveston District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) received a signed Chief of Engineers Report (Chief’s Report) for the proposed Houston Ship Channel Expansion Project. Signed April 23 by Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, USACE Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, the report culminates a four-year, $10 million study conducted by USACE in partnership with Port Houston to identify needed channel improvements, determine economic value to the nation, and complete necessary environmental requirements. The signed report recommends adoption of the plan presented by Galveston District in order to support economic efficiency of commercial navigation throughout the Houston Ship Channel System.
  • General’s visit punctuates engineering efforts converting arena to alternate care site

    Brig. Gen. Thomas Tickner, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – Pacific Ocean Division, toured the Alaska Airlines Center on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus on Tuesday. A portion of the arena was converted into an alternate care site capable of treating coronavirus patients.
  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: A Comparison of GenCade,  Pelnard-Considere, and LITPACK

    PURPOSE: The purpose of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) is to investigate the basic physics and numerical code of GenCade by running a series of simplified test cases and comparing the results to another numerical shoreline evolution model and an analytical solution. The complementary numerical code is the widely used shoreline evolution model LITPACK. The analytical model is the original solution derived by Pelnard-Considere (1956). The underlying assumption in all three approaches is a beach profile of constant shape so that shoreline change is driven by long-shore transport processes and a combination of independent sediment sources or sinks (e.g., sea level change, subsidence). The CHETN presents a descriptive overview of the theory behind the models followed by an inter-comparison using a set of four test cases involving shoreline change in the vicinity of idealized coastal structures and a beach nourishment. GenCade shows good agreement with LITPACK, and both models compare well to the analytical solution for these idealized cases. The GenCade results indicate that the underlying numerical code and basic physical process are consistent with other widely used shoreline modeling systems.
  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Cross-Shore Transport Feature for GenCade

    PURPOSE: The purpose of this Coastal and Hydraulics Engineering Technical Note (CHETN) is to introduce a new cross-shore transport capability in GenCade. The cross-shore transport feature is based on a new empirical algorithm that includes wave velocity skewness to calculate the near-bed sediment flux. Validation of the new algorithm was achieved using shoreline position data collected at the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Field Research Facility (FRF) located in Duck, NC. This CHETN presents the theory behind the new cross-shore transport feature and validation using data collected at the FRF. Comparisons with and without the cross-shore feature are presented to demonstrate the improved GenCade performance. The CHETN concludes information that should be considered when using this new feature.
  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Conspecific Attraction as a Management Tool for Endangered and At-Risk Species on Military Lands

    Abstract: Movements of wildlife species and associated colonization of habitats is often unpredictable, potentially leading to ineffective management and/or interference with military training. Habitat restoration for wildlife management on military lands is a common, yet expensive, response to federal conservation and mitigation mandates, yet viable wildlife populations often fail to become established on restored habitat. Conspecific attraction, using the tendency for individuals of the same species to settle near one another, can be a cost-effective means of attracting animals to newly created or restored habitats. This work demonstrated the use of conspecific attraction as an alternative tool for encouraging colonization of restored habitats by at-risk birds and amphibians. Conspecific attraction was relatively straightforward to employ, but its effectiveness varied among species. We demonstrated clear success in attracting some bird (northern bobwhite; Colinus virginianus) and frog (wood frogs; Lithobates sylvaticus) species into our target areas but other species showed a neutral response. Conspecific attraction presents a cost-effective alternative to current management practices such as translocation or colonization after habitat is created or restored. Only minimal equipment costs (<$300/broad-cast station) and nominal work-hours are required to set up the equipment, and total cost was ~$1,200 per demonstration plot annually.
  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Use of Convolutional Neural Networks for Semantic Image Segmentation Across Different Computing Systems

    ABSTRACT: The advent of powerful computing platforms coupled with deep learning architectures have resulted in novel approaches to tackle many traditional computer vision problems in order to automate the interpretation of large and complex geospatial data. Such tasks are particularly important as data are widely available and UAS are increasingly being used. This document presents a workflow that leverages the use of CNNs and GPUs to automate pixel-wise segmentation of UAS imagery for faster image processing. GPU-based computing and parallelization is explored on multi-core GPUs to reduce development time, mitigate the need for extensive model training, and facilitate exploitation of mission critical information. VGG-16 model training times are compared among different systems (single, virtual, multi-GPUs) to investigate each platform’s capabilities. CNN results show a precision accuracy of 88% when applied to ground truth data. Coupling the VGG-16 model with GPU-accelerated processing and parallelizing across multiple GPUs decreases model training time while preserving accuracy. This signifies that GPU memory and cores available within a system are critical components in terms of preprocessing and processing speed. This workflow can be leveraged for future segmentation efforts, serve as a baseline to benchmark future CNN, and efficiently support critical image processing tasks for the Military.
  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Optimized Low Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C) Payload for Mapping Interiors and Subterranean on an Unmanned Ground Vehicle

    ABSTRACT: Section 3 of the FY15 Force 2025 Maneuvers Annual Report indicates that in Dense Urban Areas (DUA), specifically in a subsurface, surface, or super-surface structure, the ability to identify threats will be diminished. Most commercially available LIght Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) systems are specifically designed for high-resolution aerial imaging and mapping applications. As a result, they tend to be large, heavy, power-hungry, data bandwidth intensive, and expensive. They also employ lasers that are not typically eye-safe, which limits their overall effectiveness in subterranean and the interiors of subsurface or super-surface structures. However, due to recent advances in the automotive industry, there are new generations of Size, Weight, Power, and Cost (SWaP-C) sensors that are eye-safe, making them suitable for use indoors and in subterranean environments. While these tradeoffs limit their effective use to hundreds of meters (compared to kilometers for their more expensive counterparts), they are ideal candidates for use in subterranean and building interiors. While cameras fill this niche to some extent, the volumetric calculations provided by these sensors provide additional intelligence to shape the security of the environment and offer more precision when maneuvering troops. These sensors would provide the warfighter with situational understanding in previously inaccessible locations. Therefore, to aid in the Army’s need to obtain and maintain situational understanding in DUAs, the authors propose utilizing low size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) sensors, on a robot platform, for surveying and mapping underground structures and building interiors. Rapid/near real-time data processing is possible by utilizing open-source software and commercial off the shelf (COTS) components. Using the preferred sensor payload autonomously was also explored.

Mississippi Valley Division

Institute for Water Resources

South Pacific Division

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