Traditionally, teleoperation has been an expensive and lengthy process. This thesis shows that by incorporating off-the-shelf technology into a modular design, teleoperation can be developed rapidly and inexpensively. Within six months and a hardware cost of $20k, a group of Virginia Tech students and faculty converted a Case CX-160 excavator to teleoperated control. With full wireless functionality of the excavator's six degrees-of-freedom, ignition, and remote cameras at 3000 ft., the teleoperated design meets or exceeds customer demands. For over a year, the teleoperated excavator has demonstrated effectiveness, robustness, and durability in multiple unexploded ordnance (UXO) site remediation projects. / Master of Science

This study examined the influence of factors on transfer of training and was based on the work of Broad and Newstrom (1992). For the purpose of this study the Broad and Newstrom (1992) transfer of training barriers are rephrased into positive statements. The nine transfer of training factors are: (1) reinforcement on the job; (2) little interference from immediate (work) environment; (3) supportive organizational culture; (4) trainees' perception of training programs being practical; (5) trainees' perception of relevant training content; (6) trainees' being comfortable with change and associated effort; (7) trainer being supportive and inspiring; (8) trainees' perception of training being well designed/delivered, and (9) peer support. This study explored the degree to which these factors influenced transfer of training in terms of on-the-job application. The study found supportive organizational culture to be the strongest predictor of transfer of training to on-the-job application. In addition, the degree of influence of Broad and Newstrom's (1992) nine factors varied with the thirteen locations. The study also found perception gaps between fire fighter trainees and their supervisor on factors influencing transfer of training. They differed on four factors: Supportive organizational culture, Perception of training programs being practical, Trainer being supportive and inspiring, and Perception of training being well designed/delivered.

Orientador: Antonio Carlos Zuffo / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T10:00:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Krause_VivianSanches_M.pdf: 8010939 bytes, checksum: 38505fe79226b7a20690b366c3bddc37 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: O risco de acidentes rodoviários com produtos perigosos tem estimulado estudos que possam prever os locais mais críticos a essas ocorrências e seus efeitos em relação à contaminação do solo, da água e suas conseqüências à saúde humana. O mapeamento de risco é uma das formas de obter essas informações, tendo a vantagem de proporcionar uma leitura clara da informação. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo elaborar mapa que represente a potencialidade de risco de contaminação dos recursos hídricos, que poderá ser utilizado como ferramenta para os gestores de bacias nos planos de prevenção de acidentes e sistemas de alerta. Foi escolhida como área de estudo a bacia hidrográfica do rio Cotia em virtude da sua importância para o abastecimento de água da zona oeste da Grande São Paulo, além de ser uma área com grande desenvolvimento industrial no eixo da rodovia Raposo Tavares, que corta a bacia. O mapa foi obtido por meio da utilização da metodologia de Sistemas de Informações Geográficas (IDRISI 3.2), o qual foi produzido com uma visão genérica da problemática, dando maior importância às vias de maior tráfego em relação aos recursos hídricos, a declividade da área e a permeabilidade de solo. O mapa elaborado demonstrou ser capaz de representar a potencialidade ao risco de contaminação de determinada área, podendo ser usado como ferramenta no auxílio da prevenção e remediação de acidentes. Esta metodologia pode ser adaptada para outras bacias, subsidiando os gestores a alocar equipes e recursos para o atendimento emergencial, agilizando o processo de resgate e contenção de produto e também pode ser utilizado no planejamento de outras bacias / Abstract: The highway accidents risk with hazardous materials have been stimulating studies to forecast what are the critical locations that these accidents can occur and how they affect the soil and water contamination, as well as their consequences to human health. One way of getting a clear picture of this information is the risk mapping. This study aims to elaborate a risk map of potential water resources contamination, and can be used by watershed managers in the accident prevention and alert system. Due to its water supply importance to the west of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo and because of its significant industrial development around the Raposo Tavares highway, the Rio Cotia watershed was chosen for this study. The methodology is based on the Geographic Information System (IDRISI 3.2), and the map was elaborated with a generic view of the problem, focusing on roads with heavy traffic near water resources, local slope and soil permeability. The map elaborated represents the contamination risk potential of the studied area, and can be used as a support tool in accident prevention and remediation. This methodology can be adapted to other basins, allowing managers to relocate teams and resources in case of emergency and accelerating the product rescue and restrain. It can also be used for other water basins planning / Mestrado / Recursos Hidricos, Energeticos e Ambientais / Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Hazardous materials are substances that, if not regulated, can pose a threat to human populations and their environmental health, safety or property when transported in commerce. About 1.5 million tons of hazardous material shipments are transported by truck in the US annually, with a steady increase of approximately 5% per year. The objective of this study was to develop a routing tool for hazardous material transport in order to facilitate reduced environmental impacts and less transportation difficulties, yet would also find paths that were still compelling for the shipping carriers as a matter of trucking cost. The study started with identification of inhalation hazard impact zones and explosion protective areas around the location of hypothetical hazardous material releases, considering different parameters (i.e., chemicals characteristics, release quantities, atmospheric condition, etc.). Results showed that depending on the quantity of release, chemical, and atmospheric stability (a function of wind speed, meteorology, sky cover, time and location of accidents, etc.) the consequence of these incidents can differ. The study was extended by selection of other evaluation criteria for further investigation because health risk as an evaluation criterion would not be the only concern in selection of routes. Transportation difficulties (i.e., road blockage and congestion) were incorporated as important factor due to their indirect impact/cost on the users of transportation networks. Trucking costs were also considered as one of the primary criteria in selection of hazardous material paths; otherwise the suggested routes would have not been convincing for the shipping companies. The last but not least criterion was proximity of public places to the routes. The approach evolved from a simple framework to a complicated and efficient GIS-based tool able to investigate transportation networks of any given study area, and capable of generating best routing options for cargos. The suggested tool uses a multi-criteria-decision-making method, which considers the priorities of the decision makers in choosing the cargo routes. Comparison of the routing options based on each criterion and also the overall suitableness of the path in regards to all the criteria (using a multi-criteria-decision-making method) showed that using similar tools as the one proposed by this study can provide decision makers insights in the area of hazardous material transport. This tool shows the probable consequences of considering each path in a very easily understandable way; in the formats of maps and tables, which makes the tradeoffs of costs and risks considerably simpler, as in some cases slightly compromising on trucking cost may drastically decrease the probable health risk and/or traffic difficulties. This will not only be rewarding to the community by making cities safer places to live, but also can be beneficial to shipping companies by allowing them to advertise as environmental friendly conveyors.

This research presents empirical evidence and interpretation about the effects of planning participants and contextual factors on information selection in public organizations. The study addresses important research questions and gaps in the literature about applicability of planning theory to practice, about effects of planning participants and participant diversity on information selection, and about community and organizational factors that influence information selection in the planning process. The research informs emergency planning, practice, and guidance, as well as planning theory and practice in general. The research sample consists of survey data from 183 local emergency planning committees (LEPCs) about their conduct of hazardous materials commodity flow studies (HMCFS), along with data from other secondary sources. HMCFS projects collect information about hazardous materials (HazMat) transport that can be used in a wide range of local emergency planning and community planning applications. This study takes the perspective that socio-cultural frameworks, such as organizational norms and values, influence information behaviors of planning participants. Controlling for organizational and community factors, the participation of community planners in HMCFS projects has a significant positive effect on selection of communicative information sources. Participation of HazMat responders in HMCFS projects does not have a significant negative effect on selection of communicative information sources. The diversity of HMCFS participants has a significant positive effect on information selection diversity. Other organizational and community factors, such as vicarious experience, 'know-how' and direct experience, financial resources, and knowledge/perception of hazards and risks are also important influences on information selection behavior. Results of this study are applicable to planning entities that are likely to use planning information: proactive LEPCs, planning agencies, and planning consortiums. The results are also applicable to community planners in local planning agencies and emergency responders in local emergency response agencies, and public planning organizations in general. In addition to providing evidence about the applicability of communicative rationality in planning practice, this research suggests that institutional/contextual, bounded, instrumental, and political rationalities may also in influence conduct of planning projects. Four corresponding prescriptive recommendations are made for planning theory and practice.