Landsat images are analyzed to investigate the causes of turbidity variations in lower Chesapeake Bay surface water. Visual analysis and image enhancement are used in association with optical film density data obtained along selected Bay transects. The optical density data of all images, inversely related to surface turbidity, are used to produce residual turbidity profiles showing turbidity above and below average conditions. meteorological conditions have Images with similar tidal or their residual optical density data averaged to identify probable causes of above average turbidity levels. Freshwater discharge does not directly contribute suspended sediment to Chesapeake Bay, except from the Potomac River during times of high freshwater flow. Much of the detected surface turbidity is associated with resuspension by tidal currents. Flood currents cause higher surface turbidity along the Eastern Shore frorn the Bay mouth to off the Rappahannock River mouth. High ebb-related turbidity occurs north of the Rappahannock River and in the western half of Chesapeake Bay south of Wolf Trap Shoals. Currents during spring tide produce higher surface turbidity south of the Rappahannock River than currents during other portions of the lunar cycle. Strong wind causes greater surface turbidity than low wind except when wind direction opposes tidal currents. A large fetch (20 km) parallel to wind direction results in higher surface turbidity downwind. A correlation exists between surface turbidity and water depth. Surface turbidity is lower in deeper water due to the weaker effect of tidal and wind resuspension. Resuspension of bottom sediment affects surface in waters as deep as 40 feet.

Elevated water levels and large waves during storms cause beach erosion, overwash, and coastal flooding, particularly along barrier island coastlines. While predictions of storm tracks have greatly improved over the last decade, predictions of maximum water levels and variations in the extent of damage along a coastline need improvement. In particular, physics based models still cannot explain why some regions along a relatively straight coastline may experience significant erosion and overwash during a storm, while nearby locations remain seemingly unchanged. Correct predictions of both the timing of erosion and variations in the magnitude of erosion along the coast will be useful to both emergency managers and homeowners preparing for an approaching storm. Unfortunately, research on the impact of a storm to the beach has mainly been derived from "pre" and "post" storm surveys of beach topography and nearshore bathymetry during calm conditions. This has created a lack of data during storms from which to ground-truth model predictions and test hypotheses that explain variations in erosion along a coastline. We have developed Coastal Lidar and Radar Imaging System (CLARIS), a mobile system that combines a terrestrial scanning laser and an X-band marine radar system using precise motion and location information. CLARIS can operate during storms, measuring beach topography, nearshore bathymetry (from radar-derived wave speed measurements), surf-zone wave parameters, and maximum water levels remotely. In this dissertation, we present details on the development, design, and testing of CLARIS and then use CLARIS to observe a 10 km section of coastline in Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills on the Outer Banks of North Carolina every 12 hours during a Nor'Easter (peak wave height in 8 m of water depth = 3.4 m). High decadal rates of shoreline change as well as heightened erosion during storms have previously been documented to occur within the field site. In addition, complex bathymetric features that traverse the surf-zone into the nearshore are present along the southern six kilometers of the field site. In addition to the CLARIS observations, we model wave propagation over the complex nearshore bathymetry for the same storm event. Data reveal that the complex nearshore bathymetry is mirrored by kilometer scale undulations in the shoreline, and that both morphologies persist during storms, contrary to common observations of shoreline and surf-zone linearization by large storm waves. We hypothesize that wave refraction over the complex nearshore bathymetry forces flow patterns which may enhance or stabilize the shoreline and surf-zone morphology during storms. In addition, our semi-daily surveys of the beach indicate that spatial and temporal patterns of erosion are strongly correlated to the steepness of the waves. Along more than half the study site, fifty percent or more of the erosion that occurred during the first 12 hours of the storm was recovered within 24 hours of the peak of the storm as waves remained large (>2.5 m), but transitioned to long period swell. In addition, spatial variations in the amount of beach volume change during the building portion of the storm were strongly correlated with observed wave dissipation within the inner surf zone, as opposed to predicted inundation elevations or alongshore variations in wave height.

Salinity represents the major environmental threat to arable land in Western Australia and many other parts of the world. This study was designed to establish criteria for a practical remote sensing system using the visible, reflected and shortwave infrared for the early detection and mapping of salinity. The results are principally from a group of study sites on the CSIROs Yalanbee Experiment Station, and from other significant sites during the agricultural cycles of 1985-7.Analysis of imagery from the Geoscan Multispectral Airborne Scanner showed that best discrimination between study sites affected by salinity, and those not affected, was provided by bands 3 (650-700 nm), 4 (830-870nm) and band 6 (1980-2080nm). The maximum discrimination occurred in a September 1986 flight (spring-flush). Although excellent discrimination was also evident in August and November in 1985, this could not be reproduced in November 1986. The visible and reflected infrared bands 3 and 4 featured prominently, but the significance of the short wave infrared bands was evident especially when vegetative ground cover became a less dominant factor.Field spectra collected over the same period with the Geoscan Portable Field Spectroradiometer (PFS) supported the aircraft data to a certain extent. Detailed analysis of the fine non-correlated structure of narrow constructed bands, from PFS data, indicated that improved discrimination between sites could be provided over a wider time window extending into the summer and autumn. This is when weather-related conditions, i.e. cloud, soil moisture and sun angle, are more conducive to extensive surveys.The importance of at least one narrow band centred near 1985 nm was determined. Laboratory spectra of bare soil from sites measured on an Hitachi Spectrophotometer also provided the importance of the shortwave region adjacent to the 1900 nm water ++ / absorption.The study evaluated the spatial and spectral characteristics of existing satellite systems such as Thematic Mapper and the Multispectral Scanner on the Landsat series and determined that a spatial resolution of about 20-30 metres was most appropriate for detection of salinity at a scale whereby management could be implemented.Ground electromagnetic techniques were evaluated during the study and the EM-38 Ground Conductivity Unit proved valuable for characterizing salinity status of the sites. The Lowtran Computer Code was used to model atmospheric attenuation and results indicated that the positioning of a narrow shortwave infrared waveband, centred at 1985 nm, is possible.

This thesis examines the potential for the use of mobile devices in New Zealand healthcare. Adoption of mobile technology can potentially improve information access at point of care, increase efficiency and patient safety, significantly reduce costs, enhance workflow, and promote evidence-based practice to help make effective decisions. Mobile devices of different size and form such as laptops, tablet PCs, PDAs, smart phones, mobile phones, and RFID offer portability, remote access to clinical data, traceability, convergence, and connectivity which traditional computers cannot emulate. The pervasiveness of mobile devices is increasing both globally and within New Zealand. The potential of mobile technology in healthcare has been recognized by many developed countries; there is adequate evidence for improving productivity, efficiency, and patient engagement. The study focuses on the three prominent healthcare sectors in New Zealand: Primary, Secondary, and Community. As mobile technology is still an underdeveloped area within New Zealand’s healthcare industry, the use of a qualitative research approach involving surveys and interviews helps to determine which m-health applications are most appropriate to adopt here. The sample surveyed consists of health providers, health strategists, and technology vendors. The potential of mobile devices that were identified from the interviews included real-time access to information such as clinical data, drug database, and medical references. the use of SMS reminders and alerts, use of RFID to reduce medical errors, manage patients and assets, and for identification of medical equipment and drug identification. Over 80 percent of the participants considered privacy, confidentiality, and security to be very important challenges in the m-health domain. Many challenges and implications were identified, including technical constraints such as form factor of mobile devices, storage space, limited battery life, durability, and reading distance of RFID devices. Privacy, security, and ethical issues were discussed including the sensitivity of personal data, sending and receiving of clinical data, RFID tracking ability, security, and encryption standards, authentication barriers, and cultural barriers.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-128).

Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Xinyan Deng, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Includes bibliographical references.

Ice clouds occur quite frequently, yet so much about these clouds is unknown. In recent years, numerous investigations and field campaigns have been focused on the study of ice clouds, all with the ultimate goal of gaining a better understanding of microphysical and optical properties, as well as determining the radiative impact. Perhaps one of the most recognized instruments used for such research is the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), carried aboard the NASA EOS satellites Terra and Aqua. The present research aims to support ongoing efforts in the field of ice cloud research by use of observations obtained from Terra and Aqua MODIS. First, a technique is developed to infer ice cloud optical depth from the MODIS cirrus reflectance parameter. This technique is based on a previous method developed by Meyer et al. (2004). The applicability of the algorithm is demonstrated with retrievals from level-2 and -3 MODIS data. The technique is also evaluated with the operational MODIS cloud retrieval product and a method based on airborne ice cloud observations. From this technique, an archive of daily optical depth retrievals is constructed. Using simple statistics, the global spatial and temporal distributions of ice clouds are determined. Research has found that Aqua MODIS observes more frequent ice clouds and larger optical depths and ice water paths than does Terra MODIS. Finally, an analysis of the time series of daily optical depth values revealed that ice clouds at high latitudes, which are most likely associated with synoptic scale weather sytems, persist long enough to move with the upper level winds. Tropical ice clouds, however, dissipate more rapidly, and are in all likelihood associated with deep convective cells.

För att lyckas driva en butik som är belägen långt från närmsta tätort så är det viktigt att ha kännedom om vad det är som driver kunder till att åka långa sträckor på ofta dåliga vägar för att ta sig ut till butikerna i fråga. Vid öppnandet av en avlägsen butik är denna kunskap viktig att besitta då det är ett faktum att kunderna utgör butikens livskraft. Utan kännedom om vad som lockar kunderna finns risken att butiken öppnar på helt fel plats eller nischar in sig helt fel och fokuserar på fel faktorer. Denna rapport har som syfte att ta reda på vilka faktorer det är som gör att kunder väljer att åka till dessa avlägsna butiker. Kundens perspektiv är i fokus där deras åsikter kom fram genom enkäter. Butikschefer för två avlägsna butiker har också intervjuats för att få deras syn på saken. Den ena av butikerna ingår i en kedja men är ändå ett fristående företag, den andra butiken är helt fristående. Undersökningen har visat att både kunderna och butikscheferna är överens om att det viktigaste för en avlägsen butiks attraktion är den extra upplevelsen kunderna får när de kommer dit. Dessa butiker måste ge kunden ett mervärde i form av exempelvis en vacker och avslappnande miljö. Något som inte går att frånse är att kunderna inte skulle åka till dessa butiker ifall det inte vore god kvalitet på produkterna som säljs. De tillfrågade butikscheferna lägger stor vikt vid att kvalitet är viktigt för att få återkommande kunder. Butikscheferna hävdar även att det inte räcker med en enda produktgrupp för att skapa lönsamhet, istället krävs det minst två olika produktkategorier som exempelvis, i detta fall, kläder och ost. Det som har minst påverkan på kunder i dessa butiker är priset är något högre än i en vanlig butik belägen i en tätort. / In order to be able to run a store situated remotely it is important to have knowledge of what drives customers to travel far on roads that are often in poor condition in order to get out to the stores in question. When opening a remote store this knowledge is important to possess since it is a fact that the customers are what a store survives on. Without knowledge of what it is that attract customers there is a risk that the store opens in an entirely wrong location or that it focuses on the wrong factors. The purpose of this report is to find out what factors it is that makes customers choose remote stores instead of stores that are close by. This report focuses on the customers’ perspective through a survey. Two managers of remote stores have also been interviewed to get their opinion on how to run a remote store. One of the stores is part of a chain but is still an independent business, while the other completely independent. This survey has shown that both the customers and the managers agree that the most important part about the attraction of a remote store is the experience customers get when they enter the store. These stores need to have some extra value to offer, for instance a beautiful and relaxing environment. Something that can’t be disregarded is that the customers would not go to these stores if the quality of the products where bad. Both of the managers who were interviewed say that quality is of great importance in order to get returning customers. The managers claim that selling only one product category is not enough in order to create profit. Instead it takes at least two different product categories for instance, as in this case, clothes and cheese. The factor that affects the customers the least in this kind of store is the price since the stores that have been researched are more expensive than a normal store situated in an urban area.

This graduate study was assigned by Unisys Oy Ab. The purpose of this study was to find tools to monitor and manage servers and objects in a hosting environment and to remotely connect to the managed objects. Better solutions for promised services were also researched. Unisys provides a ServerHotel service to other businesses which do not have time or resources to manage their own network, servers or applications. Contracts are based on a Service Level Agreement where service level is agreed upon according to the customer's needs. These needs have created a demand for management tools. Unisys wanted to find the most appropriate tools for its hosting environment to fulfill the agreed service level with reasonable costs. The theory consists of literary research focusing on general agreements used in the Finnish IT business, different types of monitoring and management tools and the common protocols used inthem. The theory focuses mainly on the central elements of the above mentioned topics and on their positive and negative features. The second part of the study focuses on general hosting agreements and what management tools Unisys has selected for hosting and why. It also gives a more detailed account of the hosting environment and its features in more detail. Because of the results of the study Unisys decided to use Servers Alive to monitor network and MS applications’ services. Cacti was chosen to monitor disk spaces, which gives us an idea of future disk growth. For remote connections the Microsoft’s Remote Desktop tool was the mostappropriate when the connection was tunneled through Secure Shell (SSH). Finding proper tools for the intended purposes with cost-conscious financial resources proved challenging. This study showed that if required, it is possible to build a professional hosting environment.

Ice clouds occur quite frequently, yet so much about these clouds is unknown. In recent years, numerous investigations and field campaigns have been focused on the study of ice clouds, all with the ultimate goal of gaining a better understanding of microphysical and optical properties, as well as determining the radiative impact. Perhaps one of the most recognized instruments used for such research is the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), carried aboard the NASA EOS satellites Terra and Aqua. The present research aims to support ongoing efforts in the field of ice cloud research by use of observations obtained from Terra and Aqua MODIS. First, a technique is developed to infer ice cloud optical depth from the MODIS cirrus reflectance parameter. This technique is based on a previous method developed by Meyer et al. (2004). The applicability of the algorithm is demonstrated with retrievals from level-2 and -3 MODIS data. The technique is also evaluated with the operational MODIS cloud retrieval product and a method based on airborne ice cloud observations. From this technique, an archive of daily optical depth retrievals is constructed. Using simple statistics, the global spatial and temporal distributions of ice clouds are determined. Research has found that Aqua MODIS observes more frequent ice clouds and larger optical depths and ice water paths than does Terra MODIS. Finally, an analysis of the time series of daily optical depth values revealed that ice clouds at high latitudes, which are most likely associated with synoptic scale weather sytems, persist long enough to move with the upper level winds. Tropical ice clouds, however, dissipate more rapidly, and are in all likelihood associated with deep convective cells.