18 Feb 2025

Birds Not in Flight: Using Camera Traps to Observe Ground Use of Birds at a Wind-Energy Facility

Abstract: Camera trapping is increasingly used to collect information on wildlife occurrence and behaviour remotely. This provides insights into habitat use by species of interest and gathers information on non-target species. We implemented ground-based camera trapping to investigate behaviours of ground-dwelling birds and to monitor activities of Agassiz’s desert tortoises at their self-constructed burrows in a wind-energy facility near Palm Springs, California. While doing so, we collected data on numerous burrow commensals, including birds. Monitoring from late spring to mid-autumn showed regular use of tortoise burrows by 12 species of birds, the most abundant being the rock wren. Birds appeared to use the interior or vicinity of burrows for gathering nesting material, displaying, feeding, dust bathing and other activities. Of the species observed, 10 are known to be occasional casualties of turbine-blade strikes. Using camera traps focused at ground level can be a useful tool in avian conservation effort for measuring bird presence, activity and behaviour in altered habitats. Acquiring data over the long term by using ground-based monitoring with camera traps could add to our understanding of avian behaviour and habitat use in relation to wind-energy infrastructure and operations, and help determine the vulnerability of avifauna utilizing the area.

30 Jan 2025

Investigation of Bioplastic Degradation for Military In-Field Applications Implementation of Sustainable Practices into the US Military for Rapid Biodegrading Polylactic Acid (PLA) Plastic in Compostable Environments

Abstract: The Army Climate Strategy has identified goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reach net-zero Army GHG emissions by 2050. Producing fossil-fuel-based plastics releases GHG emissions and plastic bottles are difficult to dispose, especially in contingency locations. Soldiers prefer hydrating with plastic water bottles, which leads to GHG emissions. This project investigates using bioplastics for water bottles. These bioplastics are produced from natural materials and can break down faster with alternative disposal methods, such as composting. Challenges include finding a material with a stable shelf life and the capability to hold water, but also one that that degrades with ease in the right composting environment. As part of this project, partners at the University of Minnesota are developing a new polylactic acid (PLA) material to fit the material properties needed for this application. Their research is ongoing. Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) researchers tested commercial PLA in calorimeter and incubator studies and with a full-scale demonstration of the commercial composting Sustainable Generation Mobile System. The PLA did not completely degrade, and testing showed mixed results on finished compost quality. Recommendations included continued testing, experimenting with other bioplastics, and changing compost feedstock variables.

28 Jan 2025

“One Grand, Glorious National Cause”: A Cultural Geography of the Veterans Affairs Built Environment

Abstract: The United States government has a long history of providing medical, financial, and burial benefits to American Veterans. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its predecessor agencies constructed much of the built environment that served as a conduit for these benefits. Today, the VA manages and maintains more than 15,000 buildings and structures to serve the Veteran community. To facilitate the transfer of property rights of its vacant and underutilized properties and ensure compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation issued a Program Comment at the request of the VA on 26 October 2018. The Program Comment mitigation requires the VA to produce a readily accessible public-benefit document of interest to a wide audience composed of Veterans and lay people. This book provides that public-benefit document through a cultural geography of the built environment of VA facilities. This book focuses on the sense of place developed by Veterans toward VA facilities and covers three generational periods as defined by the VA: post–Civil War through World War I, World War I through the end of World War II, and post–World War II through 1958.

21 Jan 2025

Moffett Field Naval Chapel (Building 86) and Boiler House (Building 87): Historic Materials Maintenance Manual

Abstract: The Moffett Field Naval Chapel and boiler house are located on the Moffett Federal Airfield, Santa Clara, California. Constructed circa 1945, both buildings are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion A for associations with the post–WWII Moffett Field expansion and under Criterion C as a representative example of Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks chapel construction and as a true representative example of the Spanish colonial revival style in the region. Their period of significance is 1945–1986, before major renovations were completed at the site. All buildings, especially historic ones, require regular planned maintenance and repair. The most notable cause of historic building element failure or decay is not the fact that the historic building is old, but rather it is caused by incorrect or inappropriate repair and basic neglect of the historic building fabric. This document is a maintenance manual compiled with as-is conditions of construction materials of the Moffett Field Naval Chapel. The Secretary of Interior Guidelines on rehabilitation and repair per material are discussed to provide a guide to maintain this historic building. This report satisfies Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 as amended and will help to manage this historic building.

7 Jan 2025

Exploring Lidar Odometry Within the Robot Operating System

Abstract: Here, we explore various lidar odometry approaches (with both 3 and 6 degrees of freedom) in simulation. We modified a virtual model of a TurtleBot3 robot to work with the various odometry approaches and evaluated each method within a gazebo simulation. The gazebo model was configured to generate an absolute ground truth for comparison to the odometry results. We used the evo package to compare the ground truth with the various lidar odometry values. The results for KISS-ICP and laser scan matcher (LSM), including two simultaneous localization and map-ping (SLAM) approaches, Fast Lidar-Inertial Odometry (FAST-LIO), and Direct Lidar Odometry (DLO), are provided and discussed. We also tested one of the approaches on our physical robot.

2 Jan 2025

Inventory and Evaluation of 12 Miscellaneous Buildings for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) at Custer Hill Area, Fort Riley, Kansas: Volume 1

Abstract: The US Congress codified the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), the nation’s most effective cultural resources legislation to date, mostly through establishing the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The NHPA requires federal agencies to address their cultural resources, which are defined as any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object. Section 110 of the NHPA requires federal agencies to inventory and evaluate their cultural resources, and Section 106 requires them to determine the effect of federal undertakings on those potentially eligible for the NRHP. This two-volume report documents an architectural survey of 12 miscellaneous buildings and structures constructed from 1960 through 1976 in the Custer Hill area at Fort Riley, Kansas. Volume 1 includes an analysis of the eligibility of these buildings and structures to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and satisfies Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. Volume 2 contains individual building inventory forms, and its access is controlled by Fort Riley for security reasons. During the covered period, Fort Riley’s primary mission was training recruits for deployment to South Vietnam. As a result, the relevant theme developed for determining historical significance for these 12 buildings at Fort Riley is Recruit Training for Ground Combat in Vietnam. Of the facilities inventoried, none achieved significance under this theme for Criterion A. These buildings do not embody a distinctive characteristic of a type, period, or method of construction, do not represent the work of a master, and do not possess high artistic value under Criterion C. Therefore, no buildings were determined to be eligible to the NRHP. This work fulfills Section 110 requirements for these buildings.

20 Dec 2024

Smart Sensors to Reduce Installation Solid Waste

Abstract: Sensors were deployed by the research team in interior waste bins at Army installation buildings to collect data on waste generation at the source. The sensors were designed to provide granular data on waste generation that stakeholders can use to make informed decisions about solid waste man-agement. Each sensor costs about $300 to fabricate, but bulk fabrication may bring costs down. Sensors were deployed at dining facilities, offices, and barracks, which typically had higher waste volumes. Dining facilities were deemed to be the most useful application because at the other build-ings, waste management either varies significantly or much of the waste is carried out directly to exterior waste bins. This technology shows promise but could be improved in areas such as sensor fit, sensor robustness, battery life, data storage, and clock accuracy. The highest return on investment would be found in areas with high costs for waste hauling and landfills. In areas with low waste management costs, this technology may not result in costs savings.

9 Dec 2024

Analysis of Microgrid Performance, Reliability, and Resilience (AMPeRRe) Computational Model Novel Analytical Model to Forecast the Outcomes of Installation Power Grids

Abstract: Federal facilities, industrial areas, academic campuses, and communities are working to incorporate greater renewable energy sources and energy storage in their power infrastructure. While renewable sources of energy can—and do—support several facilities, uncertainty still exists about how reliably these sources of energy can support small and critical power systems with higher reliability standards, such as Army installations, tactical microgrids, remote community grids, and emergency response power systems. Maintaining reliability is already a significant challenge for power grids, and those that have a high proportion of renewable energy face particular challenges due to their intermittent power production. This technical report addresses the uncertainty by presenting a new computational model called Analysis of Microgrid Performance, Reliability, and Resilience (AMPeRRe). The model forecasts the power availability, fuel consumption, specific resilience factors, and excess energy production of proposed grids that include renewable energy sources and energy storage. If proposed grids are forecasted to lose power availability, users can apply this model to find which resources are needed to achieve 100% power availability and optimize resource quantities for ideal performance outcomes. AMPeRRe significantly reduces the uncertainty around renewable energy and energy storage in power grids and informs the critical resource investment decisions needed to yield improved long-term outcomes.

30 Oct 2024

Flood Resilience of Individual Traditional Building Materials

Abstract: The Construction Engineering Research Laboratory of the Engineer Research and Development Center is addressing emergency response and disaster relief capabilities in collaboration with the National Park Service, specifically related to the flood hardening and rehabilitation of historical structures. This report describes efforts to enhance the available data for assessing the resilience of individual historical building materials against flood conditions. In the context of official classification language, the experiments described by this report intended to mimic the effects of moving black water containing mold and sewage but lacking other harmful pollutants. Methods resemble those prescribed by ASTM standards E3075-16 and D7789-12, with minor adjustments to improve variable isolation. Pieces of individual historical building materials were scientifically subjected to simulated floods containing biological surrogates of mold and sewage. Water absorption by the materials and viability of bacteria and mold were measured throughout the experiment. Additional study is required to fully understand flood resilience of historical coatings on a variety of substrates.

17 Oct 2024

Building Control Graphics Criteria Update: Standards and Criteria Project 23T12

Abstract: This US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Standards and Criteria effort recommends updates to the building-graphics-related content in Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 3-470-01 and Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (UFGS) 25 10 10. Building graphics serve as the primary facility interface and are required for any HVAC controls integration project to a base-wide system; however, the current lack of criteria significantly limits their effectiveness and regularly yields inconsistent, low-quality tools for end users. This project developed “Guiding Principles” of good HVAC graphics along with the criteria language to assist the DoD in procuring and implement-ing good graphics. This report includes extensive illustrations to demonstrate good versus poor implementations of the proposed criteria. The intent is not to establish DoD-level graphics standards with these images but give a litmus test to designers and quality assurance staff for what right (and wrong) looks like. Primary recommendations are for graphics drawings designer responsibilities and contractor shop drawing requirements where installation standards are unavailable. Both designer criteria and spec-level functionality are defined using the Guiding Principles developed in this report. Future re-search topics are also described for enhanced trending capabilities, development of standard HVAC system-level performance indicators, and cloud-based connections to ongoing commissioning (OCx) systems.