1 Oct 2020

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

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.

1 Oct 2020

Microbiological Indicators Reflect Patterns of Life

Abstract:  Resolving patterns of human movement, specifically for actors of interest, in an urban environment is an extremely challenging problem because of the dynamic nature of human movement. This research effort explores a highly unconventional approach, addressing residual or lingering signatures of interest to the Army in an urban operation. Research suggests that unconventional signatures commonly associated with human presence or prior occupation of a space, such as microbes attached to skin cells or in the gut, may linger for an extended amount of time. In this scoping study, our objectives were to detect microbial communities in the built environment, to examine microbial community composition, and to investigate the longevity of a microbial signature. To do so, we conducted a controlled study to obtain a mechanistic understanding of the fidelity of the biological signatures in the built environment, with a particular focus on their longevity and stability.

1 Oct 2020

Barriers to Innovation in USACE

Abstract: The Dredging Operations and Environmental Research Program (DOER) of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) develops new tools and practices to support the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of navigation dredging operations and then implements these new approaches (that is, innovations).We analyzed the innovation process to increase the adoption and implementation of new approaches and techniques. We then created a literature review of innovation diffusion theories and developed a mental model that identifies the actual and perceived barriers to innovation diffusion in USACE through a case study of its Navigation Program. We built the final expert mental model using interviews with 25 subject matter experts familiar with the program’s processes and external stakeholders. Interviewees reported environmental and budgetary constraints, time restrictions, and politics as the most common barriers to dredging innovation, including those based on the perceptions and beliefs of stakeholders rather than hard engineering or policy constraints (herein cognitive barriers). We suggest overcoming these barriers through changes in communication channels and social systems, such as public outreach through social media channels; interpersonal face-to-face meetings with decision makers; internal collaboration between local USACE districts and external collaboration with outside stakeholders, such as contractors and environmental regulators.

1 Oct 2020

Method Selection Framework for the Quantitation of Nanocarbon Scientific Operating Procedure Series (SOP-C-3): Selection of Methods for Release Testing and Quantitation of Solids, Suspensions, and Air Samples for Carbon-Based Nanomaterials

Abstract: There is significant concern regarding the health and safety risk of nanocarbon (for example, nanotubes, graphene, fullerene), and the cur-rent capability gap for accurately determining exposure levels encumbers risk assessment, regulatory decisions, and commercialization. Given the various analytical challenges associated with the detection and quantitation of nanocarbon, it is unlikely that a single method or technique will prove effective for all forms of nanocarbon, all exposure scenarios, or all possible environmental systems. The optimal approach, or series of techniques, will likely depend on the nature of the material being measured, its concentration, and the matrix in which it is contained. In this work, a preliminary decision framework is presented that assists the user in deter-mining which analytical methods are best suited for a given sample.

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

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

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.