This paper examines the issue of a popularly held negative image of the USDA Forest Service. Examples from a variety of media vehicles are included to support the claim that a negative image is prevalent. There is also considerable anecdotal evidence to suggest that many people have only the vaguest idea of what the Forest Service is all about. <p>The adoption of a marketing perspective is proposed to increase awareness of the agency and its functions. An agency-wide customer service orientation is suggested and a public relations effort is proposed. The goal of a public relations campaign for the Forest Service is to provide an accurate depiction of the agency. <p>Suggestions are offered for implementing a marketing perspective in order to overcome the Forest Service's negative image. These suggestions include adopting a customer service orientation, implementing an internal marketing program, providing more information to the public, and making changes in Forestry education. / Master of Science

The inspection of deep and long, water-filled tunnels at pumped storage hydroelectric stations has posed a challenge to the electric utility industry. Virginia Power and its partner, Allegheny Power System, faced this challenge at its Bath County Pumped Storage Station in western Virginia. <p>Bath County is the largest station of its kind in the world with a combined generating capacity of 2100 megawatts. The station consists of six pump/turbines and three large tunnels, each 28.5 feet in diameter and approximately two miles long, which link the upper and lower reservoirs. <p>After reviewing the alternatives of using divers, manned submersibles and dewatering of the tunnels, the owners decided to use a submersible remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for the inspection task. A study was performed which determined that the owners could save approximately $677,000 by performing the work in-house versus hiring a specialty contractor. <p>An ROV system was developed and equipped specifically for tunnel inspection work. Three video cameras, a stereo photo camera, dye release system, dual head sonar, and a 7000 foot umbilical provided the inspection capabilities. <p>The overall condition of the tunnels was very good, particularly in the upper and lower horizontal sections. The vertical flow shaft of the tunnel had two predominant longitudinal cracks with the east wall crack showing evidence of water egress. <p>The ROV system proved to be a very safe, economical, and reliable means of conducting inspections of this type. The vehicle successfully completed the 6100 foot excursion at a maximum depth of 1350 feet, representing the longest tunnel excursion performed to date. It is probable that inspections of this type will become the norm at hydroelectric stations as well as other facilities with similar tunnel systems requiring inspection. <p>This report will describe the background of the project, discuss the evaluation of inspection alternatives. and provide a complete description of the HYDROVER system and its development. A brief discussion of the results of the inspection of the first of the three tunnels will be presented. Although portions of the remaining two tunnels have now been inspected, these results are not within the scope of this paper. <p>Following the discussion of the system development and inspection results, conclusions will be presented regarding the viability and future role of this advanced underwater technology. / Master of Engineering

Introduction <p> Aviation delays are on the rise as a consequence of disproportionate growth of the air transportation demand. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in fiscal year 1987, u. S. commercial air carriers enplaned a total of 444.3 million passengers. Of this total, 415.0 millon were counted as domestic enplanements and 29.3 millon as international enplanements [FAA, 1988a]. Over the 12-year forecast period, domestic enplanements are forecast to increase by an average annual rate of 4.6 percent...<p> From the economical point of view, current statistics show that approximately three billion dollars are paid by air travelers due to the delay in U.S. alone( Aviation Week & Space Technology, 1989] â ¢ Therefore, proper actions are required to identify and facilitate a reduction in flight delays and prevent their projected growth... / Master of Science

Master of Science

Master of Science

<p>The emergence of fiber optic communication technology as a viable alternative to the prevailing copper based network architectures has made it possible to capitalize on the inherent advantages of fiber which include high bandwidth,long regenerator distances and low cost. The focus of this project is to design a survivable and cost effective fiber optic communication network as a proposal for possible deployment in the city of Yaounde, Cameroon. The network comprises 100 nodes of which five are hubs, two gateways, and fourteen special central offices (COs) . It also has 141 linkS, each of them a candidate for possible fiber deployment. Computer analysis tools are used to generate an optimal topology that meets the specified route diversity constraints as well as the end-to-end DS3 demand requirements. Finally, several candidate architectures are investigated and a proposed model is selected based on how well it meets the design specifications as well as cost and survivability constraints. However, it should be noted that the final cost figures, derived from present US cost figures, will have to be adjusted to accommodate local reality and that the design methodology assumes a desert model (i.e. no pre-existing fiber conduits).</p> / Master of Science

Decreasing defense funds are forcing defense contractors to adhere to tight budgets. In an effort to reduce costs and improve performance, many defense contractors are developing performance management programs for measuring, planning, evaluating, and improving organizational performance. This study examines the Software Engineering and Maintenance organization (SWEM) of General Electric's Military and Data Systems Operations and attempts to initiate a performance management program for SWEM by developing two key tools: a performance measurement plan and a COCOMO model for software maintenance cost and effort estimation. The study includes a detailed systems analysis of SWEM, discussion of performance management concepts, and development of equations, data collection procedures, and worksheets for implementing performance management tools. Both the performance measurement plan and COCOMO model are illustrated through SWEM examples and results used to perform cost and sensitivity analyses. The study concludes with an evaluation of study methodologies and recommendations for future applications of study findings. / Master of Science

The author of this report has long been interested in the process of developing software. Commonly referred to as "software engineering", the definition and standardization of the process has been a subject of concern throughout the software industry. As early as 1972, Frederick P. Brooks likened large system programming efforts to the La Brea Tar Pits; the muck, mire and tar of software development delays and cost overruns eventually defeating even the most skillful and experienced developers. [1] This report is intended to provide another stepping stone through the tar. <p>The author was fortunate to be provided the opportunity to develop two similar software projects, in like hardware environments, using different development approaches. The first project was developed using an Evolutionary Development approach, the later system utilized the current government standard, DOD-STD-2167A. This report outlines the lessons learned in applying these development approaches. <p>This report does not intend to criticize either the Evolutionary Development or DOD-STD-2167A approaches to developing software. Rather this analysis seeks to identify factors and issues which software developers should consider in implementing either of these approaches. / Master of Science

<p>A systems engineering fife-cycle approach is used to evaluate two automated maintenance management systems (AMMS) for the Facilities Service Branch (FSB) of the XYZ company. The two systems are evaluated based on operational performance and life-cycle costs, including acquisition/development costs and operation and maintenance costs. A recommendation is made based on criteria provided by FSB.</p> <p> The Facilities Service Branch is currently using tedious, manual methods to track cost, schedule, and project status data on over 2,500 individual projects performed within the department. In addition, FSB maintains equipment history for over 1,300 systems and their components in hard copy format. An automated system is desired to replace the outdated paperwork methods and reduce the amount of human effort required for the maintenance and dissemination of equipment and project related data. The system requirements are provided by FSB staff and management.</p> <p> The two systems evaluated are an IBM PC based system and a Wang VS100 mainframe based system. The implementation of the PC based system involves the purchase and modification of an off-the-shelf software package and the installation of five desk top personal computers in a networked configuration. The Wang mainframe option involves the development of approximately 40,000 lines of COBOL code and the use of five Wang terminals already in place in the FSB office area.</p> / Master of Science

Master of Science