1 Oct 2020

Aligning Research and Management Priorities for Nitellopsis obtusa (Starry Stonewort)

Abstract: In 2018, the US Army Corps of Engineers and Washington and Waukesha Counties in Wisconsin hosted a workshop on the invasive macroalga starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa). Leading water resource managers (agencies and commercial applicators), researchers, regulators, and other interested parties discussed issues surrounding starry stonewort invasions in the Great Lakes Region (GLR). Technical sessions presented information on current research, invasion monitoring, early detection, rapid-response efforts, and operational management activities. Research summaries included invasion in Lake Ontario, prediction of invasion risk in Minnesota and Wisconsin using water chemistry data, and bulbil efficacy and distribution modeling in New England. In addition, the workshop offered summaries of attempted chemical and mechanical control tactics. Following presentations on previous studies, workshop participants identified research and management priorities. Critical research gaps identified from this workshop include (a) better understanding of the biology, invasion ecology, and management of starry stonewort; a greater understanding of distribution and movement, especially in the Great Lakes basin; enhanced population monitoring, applied research, and management strategies; and increased technical cooperation across government, academia, industry, and nonprofit organizations. Conclusions from this meeting will help prioritize future efforts focused on the adaptive management of starry stonewort in the United States and Canada.

1 Oct 2020

Discover ERDC Support Staff User’s Guide

Abstract: Knowledge management plays a vital role for the successful execution of research projects at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC). Accumulating and building upon knowledge is the cornerstone of the research and development process. Maintaining knowledge and providing access to it is essential to the successful execution of research programs. An initiative to improve access to knowledge and tools available to researchers was begun by the Office of Research and Technology Transfer (ORRT). The result of that initiative is a knowledge portal called Discover ERDC. This document provides a detailed look into how content on the Discover ERDC site is maintained from a Support Staff viewpoint, and how those assigned to manage user accounts can accomplish their duties.

1 Oct 2020

Discover Employees User’s Guide

Abstract: Historically, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has lacked a comprehensive and intuitive system to locate and discover facts about employees within the organization. Employees have traditionally relied on the global address list (GAL) in Microsoft Outlook to locate contact information for another employee. Looking for contact information using this system is very limited in the amount of information available and is not user friendly. This team was tasked with creating a more comprehensive system that would include not only the employee’s contact information, but also a picture of the employee, their biography, skill sets, published papers, educational level, and much more. This type of information is necessary when searching for employees for collaborations or when forming project teams. The Discover Employees system allows users to locate and learn about talent within ERDC like never before.

1 Oct 2020

Evaluating Soil Phosphorus Storage Capacity in Constructed Wetlands: Sampling and Analysis Protocol for Site Selection

Abstract: Soil characteristics determine the capacity of wetlands to sequester phosphorus (P). However, researchers have not yet developed a standard protocol for conducting soil sampling to document the soil phosphorus storage capacity (SPSC) for constructed wetland site selection. In response, the following technical note provides step-by-step instructions for selecting soil sample locations, describing site conditions, conducting soil sampling, and preparing samples for laboratory analysis. This note also includes calculations and interpretation of SPSC.

1 Oct 2020

Biopolymer Production in the Aquifer of a Groundwater Pump-and-Treat System

Abstract: To establish the cause of filter clogging in the groundwater treatment system at Kirtland Air Force Base and assist in possible mitigation approaches.

1 Oct 2020

STE Environmental Manager (STEEM) Demonstration Web Application

Abstract: This report provides a summary of the development of the Synthetic Training Environment (STE) Environmental Manager (STEEM) demonstration web application. The purpose of this web application is twofold: (1) demonstrate a web application that enables non-technical users to prepare, run, and manage the physics-based models used by the STE to simulate realistic environmental conditions and (2) show how technologies developed by the Engineered Resilient Systems (ERS) Research and Development Area can be used to rapidly create applications to support U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) programs like the STE. A full build-out of STEEM would leverage the following ERS-developed technologies: data services, model development environment tools, model coupling/interface API, simulation workflow manager, and scenario generation tools.

1 Oct 2020

Evaluation of Solid-Polymer-Modified Asphalt Mixtures Phase 1: Construction and Performance Testing of Field Pavement Sections

ABSTRACT:  The durability of flexible pavements in cold regions is a challenge due to the impact of environmental conditions and seasonal variations. Other studies have investigated several modifiers as potential solutions to ad-dress cold climate durability of asphalt mixtures. Among these modifiers, polymer modification has shown promise. This study investigated the addition of solid polymer to asphalt mixtures to improve the performance and structural capacity of the material. Four test sections were constructed with different solid-polymer dosage rates: unmodified control, 2.5% polymer, 5% polymer, and 7.5% polymer by weight of binder. Falling weight deflectometer (FWD) testing was con-ducted at each test section to evaluate the structural capacity and to identify the performance benefits of the solid-polymer-modified mixtures. This study conducted a comprehensive analysis, including maximum pavement deflection, deflection bowl parameters, backcalculation analysis, structural number, and impulse stiffness modulus. The field investigation results revealed structural benefits in test sections with the solid-polymer-modified mixture (7%–30% increase in stiffness, depending on the dosage rate). Results suggest that solid-polymer modification could be useful in improving the stiffness of asphalt pavements without compromising durability. Therefore, further investigations should evaluate the durability of the solid-polymer-modified asphalt pavements under different environmental conditions.

1 Oct 2020

Mindbreeze InSpire Search Appliance Implementation and Lessons Learned

Abstract: The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Knowledge Management relies on enterprise search technology to index and search ERDC’s accumulation of knowledge stored on various web connected systems. In 2016, Google announced the discontinuation of their search product, the Google Search Appliance (GSA), at the end of March 2019. After conducting extensive market research and identifying a suitable replacement that met all ERDC requirements, a competing product called Mindbreeze InSpire was chosen. This product provides a simple-to-use interface that facilitates quick location and retrieval of ERDC knowledge located on ERDC’s internal and extranet websites, and is designed for simple and intuitive installation and configuration. This document investigates and details the acquisition, installation, and configuration of the Mindbreeze InSpire enterprise search appliance, and the lessons learned throughout the entire implementation process.

1 Oct 2020

USACE BIM Object Library user guide: Release 1.0

Abstract: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is in need of a centralized repository of standardized Building Information Modeling (BIM) Objects. This repository is needed to serve as the BIM Object Library to be utilized by architects and engineers on architectural and engineering federal design projects. The U.S. has more than 109,000 registered architects and 820,000 licensed professional engineers that could potentially have access to this BIM Object Library. The CAD/BIM Technology Center has currently harvested more than 8,500 BIM Objects from USACE districts. It is expected that the USACE BIM Object Library will grow to more than 35,000 BIM Objects based on the existing content being managed by each individual USACE district. The CAD/BIM Technology Center’s research shows that the content management system solution needs to provide BIM objects that contain all the information required to design, find, locate, specify, interrogate, and analyze the represented product. The study also shows the solution should provide an intuitive interface which allows users to easily retrieve the BIM objects that meet a set of user defined criteria. Furthermore, the solution should verify the BIM Objects selected for inclusion into the USACE BIM Object Library comply with the advanced modeling object standard. Finally, the study shows that the solution should be capable of efficiently and effectively managing and querying at least 5 million parameters and associated values.

1 Oct 2020

Electronic Railroad Inspection Database System for Military Facilities

Abstract: The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) executes inspection programs as part of the U.S. Army Transportation Infrastructure Inspection Program (ATIIP). These inspections, monitoring, and assessment programs include airfields, bridges, dams, railroads, waterfront facilities, and ranges. To date, the process for these inspection programs has been manually intensive, time consuming, and difficult to scale. The ERDC is bringing digital business and spatial data collection methods to its inspection program for the military’s railroad infrastructure. By combining GPS and GIS technologies into a mobile data collection solution, added efficiency and data quality have been brought to the field inspection workflow. This modernization effort also results in streamlined data processing and reporting. These improved processes will lead to higher quality data, better analysis of the new richer data content, and better decisions made by the end-users and stakeholders.