International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 26-29, 1998 / Town & Country Resort Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / Airborne instrumentation used during flight tests is being installed and maintained in a unique way by operational bomber testers from the Air Force’s 53d Wing. The ability of the flight test community to test on operational aircraft has always been somewhat curtailed by the need for advanced forms of instrumentation. Operational fighter flight test squadrons have aircraft assigned to them, which they modify on as needed basis, much the same as developmental testers. However, bomber operational test units must use operational aircraft to accomplish their mission as there are no bombers in the Air Force’s Air Combat Command (ACC) specifically set aside for operational tests. During test missions, these units borrow aircraft from operational bomb wings, and then return them to service with the bomb wing after testing is complete. Yet, the requirement for instrumentation on these test missions is not much different than that of developmental testers. The weapon system engineer’s typically require Mil-Std-1553, video, telemetry, and Global Positioning System (GPS) Time-Space-Position-Information airborne receiver recordings. In addition, this data must be synchronized with an IRIG-B time code source, and recorded with the same precision as the data gathered during development test and evaluation (DT&E). As a result, several techniques have been developed, and instrumentation systems designed for these operational test units to incorporate instrumentation on operational aircraft. Several factors hamper the usual modification process in place at bases such as Edwards AFB and Eglin AFB. Primary among these is the requirement to maintain the aircraft in an operational configuration, and still meet all of the modification design safety criteria placed on the design team by the aircraft’s single manager. Secondary to the list of restrictions is modification time. Aircraft resources are stretched quite thin when one considers all of the bomb wing’s operational commitments. When they must release an aircraft for test missions, the testers must insure that schedule impacts are minimal. Therefore, these systems must install and de-install within one to two days and be completely portable. Placing holes in existing structures or adding new permanent structure is unacceptable. In addition, these aircraft must be capable of returning to combat ready status at any time. This paper centers on the B-52 bomber, and the active aircraft temporary modifications under control of the 49th Test Squadron (49 TESTS) at Barksdale AFB in Louisiana. The B-52 presents unique design challenges all its own, in addition to the general restrictions already mentioned. This paper will present the options that the 49 TESTS has successfully used to overcome the aforementioned restrictions, and provide an appropriate level of specialized instrumentation for its data collection requirements.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 22-25, 2001 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The CENTS Program is a Central Test and Evaluation Investment Program (CTEIP) effort conducted by the 46th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. This project uses advanced internetworking technology to collect data unobtrusively from multiple Line Replaceable Units (LRU's) within an aircraft without the expense of running new wiring. The data is transported to a master network controller using the existing aircraft powerlines at a raw data rate of over 10 Mbits/s. Sensors are integrated into the shells of the LRU's data bus connectors to minimize the number of aircraft modifications required for a test. CENTS began in January 2000 as an OSD CTEIP Sponsored Test Technology Development and Demonstration (TTD&D) project and is currently in Phase 2 of the effort. Phase 1 saw the successful demonstration of the use of MIL-STD-704 power busses to establish a virtual network for data transport. This paper reviews the current status and past achievements of the CENTS TTD&D program as well as describing some immediate potential pay- offs for the Test and Evaluation community in the near-term.

Thesis (PhD (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Passive millimetre-wave (PMMW) imaging is a technique that uses radiometers to detect thermal radiation emitted and reflected by metallic and non-metallic objects. While visual and infra-red emissions are attenuated by atmospheric constituents, PMMW emissions are transmitted, resulting in consistent contrast between different objects from day to night in clear weather and in low-visibility conditions to form images for a range of security and inclement weather applications. The use of a PMMW imaging system on a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) offers extremely attractive possibilities for applications such as airborne surveillance for search and rescue operations, which are often hindered by inclement weather making visibility poor and endangering the rescuers as the search vehicle flies through the bad weather zone. The UAV would fly above the bad weather zone, with the PMMW imaging system detecting the thermal radiation emitted and reflected by objects in the MMW spectrum through the inclement weather. The 35GHz propagation window is chosen for the greater transmission through atmospheric constituents. The design of the PMMW imaging system is severely limited by the size of the UAV, particularly in the inability to incorporate any form of optical or mechanical scanning antenna. A possible solution is a long, thin antenna array fitted under the wings of the UAV. Such an antenna has a narrow, high gain, frequency-scanned beam along the plane perpendicular to the flight path, but a very broad beam along the plane of the flight path blurs the image, making it difficult to accurately determine the position of an object or to differentiate between objects situated along the plane of the flight path. This dissertation proposes a technique of image reconstruction based on the Kalman filter, a recursive filter that uses feedback control to estimate the state of a partially observed non-stationary stochastic process, to reconstruct an accurate image of the target area from such a detected signal. It is shown that given a simulated target area, populated with an arbitrary number of objects, the Kalman filter is able to successfully reconstruct the image using the measured antenna pattern to model the scanning process and reverse the blurring effect / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Passiewe millimetergolf (PMMG) beeldvorming is ’n tegniek wat van radiometers gebruik maak om termiese straling waar te neem vanaf beide metaal en nie-metaal voorwerpe. Waar optiese en infra-rooi straling attenueer word deur atmosferiese bestanddele, plant PMMG strale ongehinderd voort. Dit lei tot konstante kontras tussen verskillende voorwerpe in daglig of snags, mooi of bewolkte weer, en in ander lae-sigbaarheid toestande om beelde te vorm vir ’n wye reeks sekuriteits- of weertoepassings. Die gebruik van PMMG beeldvorming op ’n klein onbemande lugtuig (OLT) bied aantreklike moontlikhede vir toepassings in observasie en reddingsoperasies, wat dikwels verhinder word deur bewolke weer wat reddingswerkers in gevaar stel as hul moet vlieg in toestande van lae sigbaarheid. Die OLT kan bokant die onweer vlieg, met die PMMG beeldvormer wat termiese straling in die millimetergolf spektrum vanaf voorwerpe kan waarneem in swaks weerstoestande. Vir verbeterde golfvoortplanting deur atmosferiese bestanddele, word die 35GHz band gekies. Die ontwerp van die PMMG stelsel word geweldig beperk deur die grootte van die OLT, spesifiek deur die tuig se onvermoë om ’n antenne te huisves wat opties of meganies kan skandeer. ’n Moontlike oplossing is om gebruik te maak van ’n lang, dun antenne samestelling wat onder die OLT se vlerke geplaas word. So ’n antenne het ’n nou, hoë-aanwins bundel wat met frekwensie skandeer langs ’n vlak loodreg tot die vlugtrajek. So ’n antenne het egter ’n baie wye bundel langs die vlugtrajek, wat beeldkwaliteit verlaag en dit moeilik maak om die posisie van ’n voorwerp langs die vlugtrajek te bepaal, of om tussen veelvuldige voorwerpe te onderskei. Hierdie proefskrif bied ’n tegniek van beeldherwinning gebaseer op die Kalman filter, ’n rekursiewe filter wat terugvoerbeheer gebruik om die toestand van ’n nie-stasionêre stochastiese proses af te skat wat slegs gedeeltelik waargeneem is, om soedoende ’n akkurate beeld van die teikenarea te herkonstrueer vanuit ’n verwronge beeld. Dit word getoon dat, gegewe ’n gesimuleerde teikenomgewing met ’n arbitrêre hoeveelheid voorwerpe, die Kalman filter suksesvol ’n beeld kan herkonstrueer deur gebruik te maak van die antenne se gemete stralingspatroon om die skanderingsproses na te boots, om sodoende die beeldkwaliteit te verhoog

台灣地區地層下陷問題肇始於六十年代迄今已逾三十餘載，持續下陷面積已達1,194平方公里，最大累積下陷量達到三公尺以上。而目前地層下陷地表監測所採用的傳統水準測量耗費人力、時間較多，且不易獲得連續和全面性之地層下陷資料，目前國內水利單位限於人力時間，無法針對所有監測區域每年皆施測一次。近年來由於空載光達測量技術興起，其具有短時間內獲取大區域高密度、高精度高程資料的特性，因此本研究之目的在探討如何利用空載光達測量技術快速獲取高精度之三維點雲資訊，進行大區域的地層下陷監測及其成效。 研究方法係首先將監測區內掃瞄的光達點雲資料進行網格化分群；接著，計算網格區域內所有光達點擬合平面的中心高程；然後，以人工或自動方法萃取出平坦、穩固的網格區域做為監測面；最後，進行不同時期網格監測面高程差異之統計測試分析，以求出地層下陷量。 實驗結果顯示改善點雲高程精度至5公分以內後，經由網格監測面的精度、坡度、坡向、反射強度、道路範圍等為門檻值，可萃取出80%以上正確率的穩固監測面，且其高差成果與長期監測成果的平均值差異在1.3公分至2.9公分之間，由此成果可以說明本研究成果對建立一套省時省力的監測模式，進而達到地層下陷監測自動化的目的有相當幫助。 / The issue of land subsidence in Taiwan has been concerned for over 30 years since 1970. Land subsidence area has been already over 1194 km2, the maximum amount of accumulative subsidence is more than 3 meters. The conventional leveling for the land subsidence monitoring is labor-intensive and time-consuming, so that the Water Resources Agency could not monitor all the subsidence area every year. Airborne LIDAR technology was developed in recent years, it has the characteristics of collecting 3-D point data at the high density and high elevation accuracy in short time. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to discuss how to utilize the airborne LIDAR technology to monitor the land subsidence. The proposed approach, therefore, is first to divide the collecting DSM points in the monitor area into regular grids. Secondly, all the points in the regular grids are fitted to one set planar parameters by least squares principle and the centric elevation of each grid is calculated. Third, the flatness and well-defined planar grids are selected as the monitoring surfaces with the manual or automatic method. Finally, the difference of centric elevation in each monitoring surfaces at different period is calculated and analyzed with statistical approach. This study shows that after refining the elevation accuracy of point clouds within 5 cm, our approach can extract stable monitoring surfaces by limiting planar fitting accuracy, flatness, slope, intensity, or by using road information. The extracted correct rate can be more than 80%. The discrepancy of elevation difference between this study and long-term monitoring result is between 1.3 cm and 2.9 cm. It proves the proposed approach is helpful on constructing the monitoring model in timesaving and efficient way, and our proposed approach has the potential for developing automatic land subsidence monitoring method.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / This research involves the development of a human-body motion tracking system constructed with the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) compo-nents. The problem to be solved is that the data from the motion tracking sensors must be transmitted wirelessly in real time from a microcontroller to a server computer. Due to the fact that the microcontroller does not support a standard OS, widely used PCMCIA cards or USB wireless modules cannot be used. The wireless communication module chosen for this purpose is the DPAC airborne, a highly integrated 802.11b module that can be easily integrated with the microcon-troller. The evaluation of the module was completed in four stages. The first part was to initiate communication with the DPAC module. The second part was to establish communication between the DPAC module and a TCP server. The third part was to establish communication between the microcontroller and the DPAC module. The fourth part was to increase the baud-rate to the desired high value of 230,400 bps. The evaluation result indicates that the DPAC airborne module meets the wireless communication requirements of the motion tracking system. / Lieutenant, Hellenic Navy

Analysis of forest canopy density based on textural features of high resolution imagery and airborne laser scanning data Abstract The objective of this thesis is to assess the forest canopy density in the Šumava Mountains, Czech Republic. The spruce forests in this area have been suffering from the bark beetle outbreak for almost 20 years resulting in a mixture of dead and young trees, mature forest stands and peat bogs. The canopy density was evaluated using a very high spatial resolution panchromatic imagery and low point density LiDAR, combined with an object oriented approach. The classification based on three GLCM texture measures (contrast, entropy and correlation), which were derived from the image objects, resulted in a kappa index of accuracy of 0.45. Adding the information from the LiDAR data, the accuracy of the classification improved up to 0.95.

Ph.D., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / Deep-level gold mining in the Witwatersrand Basin Goldfields (WBG) of central South Africa is characterised by the production of extensive unlined tailings storage facilities (TSFs) comprising large quantities of pulverised rock and water contaminated with salts and a wide range of other inorganic pollutants (Weiersbye et al., 2006). There are more than 200 such TSFs covering a total area of more than 400 km2 (Rosner et al., 2001), and significant contaminated “footprint” areas occur after removal and reprocessing of the original TSFs (Chevrel et al., 2003). It is estimated that the Witwatersrand Basin contains six billion tons of gold and uranium tailings (Chevrel et al., 2003), 430 000 tons of uranium (Council of Geoscience, 1998; Winde, 2004a; b; c) and approximately 30 million tons of sulphur (Witkowski and Weiersbye, 1998a). An estimated 105 million tons of waste per annum is generated by the gold mining industry within the WBG (Department of Tourism, Economic and Environmental Affairs, 2002; Chamber of Mines of South Africa, 2004). A major environmental problem resulting from deep level mining in the WBG is the contaminated water that seeps from TSFs into adjacent lands and groundwater. Van As (1992) reported on the significant environmental hazards resulting from the storage of highly pulverised pyrite rock waste in TSFs (Straker et al., 2007). Adjacent lands become polluted through near-surface seepage, and this is enhanced by the movement of polluted groundwater in shallow aquifers that are commonly 1-30 m below ground (Funke, 1990; Hodgson et al., 2001; Rosner et al., 2001; Naicker et al., 2003). The impact of the mines and the TSFs extends far beyond their localities (Cogho et al., 1990). The Vaal River catchment receives a large proportion of the pollutants from WBG mining activities, with consequent acidification and salinisation of surface and ground waters. Salt discharges to the Vaal River were estimated to be 170 000 t/annum (Best, 1985), whereas discharges from the Free State gold mines south of the Vaal catchment were estimated at 350 000 t/annum of salts (Cogho et al., 1990). Concern also exists over the spread of dangerous contaminants such as uranium, chromium and mercury (Coetzee et al., 2006; Winde, 2009). Engineering solutions to these problems are hindered by the large sizes and great extent of TSFs, the high and indefinite costs involved, and the typically low hydraulic conductivity in affected aquifers, which makes the “pump and treat” option impractical. An alternative phytoremediation strategy is to establish belts or blocks of trees in strategic areas surrounding the TSFs in order to reduce the seepage of contaminated water into adjacent lands and groundwater bodies. The major reasons why trees are likely to have a greater impact on seepage water than the existing grasslands that characterise the area around most TSFs in the WBG, are that some tree species have the potential to develop very deep root systems and to continue transpiring water throughout the year. This is in contrast to seasonally dormant grasslands. In addition, some tree species are known to be tolerant to salts and other pollutants. Trees are thus potentially able to reach deep water tables, take up large quantities of water, and remove some of the pollutants in this water. It is crucial for a successful implementation of this strategy to know on what sites trees are able to access mine seepage water, and consequently maintain a high year-round rate of water use. If this access is limited, then growth and water use will be curtailed during the long winter dry season, and control of seepage will be considerably below potential. A primary aim of this study was to develop methodologies to discriminate between water-stressed and non-water-stressed trees currently growing in three gold mining districts (Welkom, Vaal River, West Wits) within the WBG. This information was required to assess what site types are likely to support adequate tree growth and permit high rates of water use and seepage control. The tree species selected were those most widely occurring in these areas, and include the non-native species Eucalyptus sideroxylon A. Cunningham ex Woolls and Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnhardt, as well as the indigenous species Searsia lancea L.f. Various remote sensing technologies including leaf-level spectroscopy, satellite and airborne remote sensing images were evaluated for their usefulness in detecting levels of winter-time water stress. Four commonly used ground-truthing techniques (predawn leaf water potential, leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment content, and leaf water content) were used for localised measurements of plant water stress and for ground-truthing of remotely sensed data on 75 sample sites and 15 sample sites. This study provided a unique opportunity to test and compare the use of stress reflectance models derived from different remote sensing data acquired at different spatial and spectral resolutions (i.e. multispectral and hyperspectral) for the same geographical location. The use of remote sensing to examine the spectral responses of vegetation to plant stress has been widely described in the scientific literature. A collation of published spectral reflectance indices provided the basis for investigating the use of hand-held remote sensing technology to detect plant water stress, and was used as a stepping stone to further develop spectral plant water stress relationships for specific tree species in this study. Seventy seven spectral reflectance indices and specific individual spectral wavelengths useful for detecting plant water stress, plant pigment content, the presence of stress related pigments in vegetation, and changes in leaf cellular structure, were investigated using hand-held spectroscopy. Ground-based measurements of plant water stress were taken on 75 sample trees. In this study, the measurement of predawn leaf water potential has been identified as a key methodology for linking remotely sensed assessments of plant water stress to actual plant water stress; a reading of -0.8 MPa was used to separate stressed trees from unstressed trees in the landscape (Cleary and Zaerr, 1984). The results of the predawn leaf water potential measurements ranged from -0.56 to -0.68 MPa at unstressed sites, and from -0.93 to -1.78 MPa at stressed sites. A novel approach of using spectral reflectance indices derived from previous studies was used to identify specific indices which are applicable to South Africa and to the three species investigated in the WGB. Maximal multiple linear regression models were derived for all possible combinations of plant water stress measurements and the 77 spectral reflectance indices extracted from leaf-level spectral reflectance data, and included the interactions of district and species. The results of the multiple linear regression models indicated that the (695/690) index, DATT index (850-710)/(850-680), near infra-red index (710/760) and the water band (900/970) index performed well and accounted for more than 50% of the variance in the data. The stepwise regression model derived between chlorophyll b content and the DATT index was selected as the “best” model, having the highest adjusted R2 of 69.3%. This was shown to be the most robust model in this application, which could be used at different locations for different species to predict chlorophyll content at the leaf-level. Satellite earth observation data were acquired from two data sources for this investigation; the Hyperion hyperspectral sensor (United States Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation Systems) and the Proba Chris pseudo-hyperspectral sensor (European Space Agency). The Hyperion sensor was selected to obtain high spatial and spectral resolution data, whereas the Proba Chris sensor provided high spatial and medium spectral resolution earth observation data. Twelve vegetation indices designed to capture changes in canopy water status, plant pigment content and changes in plant cellular structure, were selected and derived from the satellite remote sensing imagery. Ground-based measurements of plant water stress undertaken during late July 2004 were used for ground-truthing the Hyperion image, while measurements undertaken during July 2005 and August 2005 were used for ground-truthing the Proba Chris images. Predawn leaf water potential measurements undertaken for the three species, ranged from -0.42 to -0.78 MPa at unstressed sites, and -0.95 to -4.66 MPa at stressed sites. Predawn leaf water potentials measured for E. camaldulensis trees sampled in species trials in Vaal River were significantly different between stressed and non stressed trees (t = 3.39, 8df, P = 0.009). In contrast, E. camaldulensis trees sampled near a pan within the Welkom mining district, which had greater access to water but were exposed to higher concentrations of salts and inorganic contaminants, displayed differences in total chlorophyll content (t = -2.20, 8df, P = 0.059), carotenoid content (t = -5.68, 8df, P < 0.001) and predawn leaf water potential (t = 4.25, 8df, P = 0.011) when compared to trees sampled on farmland. E. sideroxylon trees sampled close to a farm dam in the West Wits mining district displayed differences in predawn leaf water potential (t = 69.32, 8df, P < 0.001) and carotenoid content (t = -2.13, 8df, P = 0.066) when compared to stressed trees further upslope away from the water source. Multiple linear regressions revealed that the predawn leaf water potential greenness normalised difference vegetation index model, and the predawn leaf water potential water band index model were the “best” surrogate measures of plant water stress when using broad band multispectral satellite and narrow-band hyperspectral satellite data respectively. It was concluded from these investigations that vegetation indices designed to capture changes in plant water content/plant water status and spectral changes in the red edge region of the spectrum, performed well when applied to high spectral resolution remote sensing data. The greenness normalised difference vegetation index was considered to be a fairly robust index, which was highly correlated to chlorophyll fluorescence and predawn leaf water potential. It is recommended that this index has the potential to be used to map spatial patterns of winter-time plant stress for different genera/species and in different geographical locations. Airborne remote sensing surveys were conducted to investigate the application of high spatial resolution remote sensing data to detect plant water stress. Multispectral airborne imagery was acquired by Land Resource International (PTY) Ltd, South Africa. Ground-based measurements of plant water stress were carried out during July and August 2005.Four individual spectral bands and two vegetation spectral reflectance indices, which are sensitive to changes in plant pigment content, were derived from the processed multispectral images viz. red, green, blue and near-infrared spectral bands and the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and greenness normalised difference vegetation index (GNDVI).The results of the multispectral airborne study revealed that carotenoid content together with the green spectral waveband resulted in the “best” surrogate measure of plant water stress when using broad-band multispectral airborne data. Airborne remote sensing surveys were conducted by Bar-Kal Systems Engineering Ltd, Israel, to investigate the application of hyperspectral airborne imagery to detect plant water stress. Six vegetation spectral reflectance indices designed to capture changes in plant pigment and plant water status/content, were derived from the processed hyperspectral images. When using airborne hyperspectral data, predawn leaf water potential with the normalized difference water index was selected as the most appropriate model. It was concluded, upon evaluation of the multiple linear regression models, that the airborne hyperspectral data produced several more regression models with higher adjusted R2 values (Ra2 range 6.2 - 76.2%) when compared to the airborne multispectral data (Ra2 range 6 - 50.1). Exploration of relationships between vegetation indices derived from leaf-level, satellite and airborne spectral reflectance data and ground-based measurements used as “surrogate” measures of plant water stress, revealed that several prominent and recurring spectral reflectance indices could be applied to identify species-specific plant water stress within the Welkom, Vaal River and West Wits mining districts. The models recommended for mapping and detecting spatial patterns of plant water stress when using different sources of remote sensing data are as follows: the chlorophyll b DATT spectral reflectance model when derived from leaf-level spectral reflectance data, can be applied across all three mining districts the predawn leaf water potential GNDVI spectral reflectance model and predawn leaf water potential water band index spectral reflectance model when utilising satellite multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing data carotenoid content green band spectral reflectance model can be used for airborne multispectral resolution data predawn leaf water potential NDVI spectral reflectance model is best suited for airborne high spatial and hyperspectral resolution data. These results indicate that measurements of predawn leaf water potential and plant pigment content have been identified as key methodologies for ground-truthing of remotely sensed data and can be used as surrogate measures of plant water stress. Some preliminary research was undertaken to evaluate if wood anatomy characteristics could be used as a non-destructive and rapid low-cost survey approach for identifying trees which are experiencing long-term plant stress. Seventy two wood core samples were extracted and analysed. Predawn leaf water potential measurements were used to classify stressed and unstressed trees. Relative differences in radial vessel diameter, vessel frequency and wood density were examined. Comparison of the radial vessel diameter and vessel frequency measurements revealed significant differences in three of the five comparative sampling sites (p <0.05). The results of the density analyses were significantly different for all five comparative sampling sites (p < 0.01). In general, trees experiencing higher plant water stress displayed smaller vessel diameters, compared to less stressed or healthy trees. Sites which were influenced by high levels of contaminated water also displayed smaller vessel diameters, indicating that the uptake of contaminants could affect the wood anatomy of plants. Trees considered to be experiencing higher plant water stress displayed higher vessel frequency. This preliminary study showed that plant stress does influence the wood anatomical characteristics (radial vessel diameter, vessel frequency and wood density) in E. camaldulensis, E. sideroxylon and S. lancea in the three mining districts. Spatial patterns of trees, mapped in the three gold mining districts, Welkom (27º57´S, 26º34´E) in the Free State Province, Vaal River (26º55´S, 26º40´E) located in the North West Province, and West Wits (26º25´S, 27º21´E) located in Gauteng, which were not experiencing winter-time water stress were correlated to site characteristics such as average soil depth, percent clay in the topsoil, groundwater chloride and sulphate concentrations, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity and groundwater water level. The spectral reflectance model derived between predawn leaf water potential and the green normalised difference vegetation index using broad-band multispectral Proba Chris satellite data was used to map spatial patterns of unstressed trees across the three mining districts. Very high resolution (75 cm) multispectral airborne images acquired by LRI in 2005 were used to demarcate and classify vegetation using the maximum likelihood supervised classification technique. Interpolated surfaces of groundwater chloride and sulphate concentrations, total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, pH and groundwater table levels were created using the kriging geostatistical interpolation technique for each mining district. Random sample analyses between stressed and unstressed trees were extracted in order to determine whether site characteristics were significantly different (using t-tests). Site characteristic surfaces which were significantly different from stressed areas were spatially linked to trees which were not experiencing winter-time plant water stress for each tree species investigated in each mining district. This spatial correlation was used to make recommendations and prioritise sites for the establishment of future block plantings. Analysis of the site characteristic data and the geophysical surveys undertaken in the three mining districts which provided detailed information on groundwater saturation and an indication of the salinity conditions, confirmed the presence of relatively shallow and saline groundwater sources. This would imply that tree roots could access the relatively shallow groundwater even during the dry winter season and assist in containing contaminated groundwater seeping into surrounding lands. Keywords : airborne imagery, ground-based measurements of plant water stress, hyperspectral, leaf-level spectroscopy, multispectral, satellite imagery, spatial patterns of unstressed trees, spectral reflectance indices

Les énergies renouvelables représentent aujourd'hui un domaine de développement de plus en plus important, au vu de la consommation énergétique mondiale et de ses conséquences désastreuses sur l'environnement. Les différents accords politiques, notamment l'accord de Paris, ne peuvent à eux seuls apporter une solution définitive au changement climatique actuel. Les contraintes imposées par la réduction des émissions de CO_2 et l’augmentation du prix du pétrole dans l’industrie maritime ont poussé Yves Parlier à lancer le projet « beyond the sea » dans le but de développer des cerfs-volants (kites) dédiés à la propulsion auxiliaire des navires. L'objectif principal de cette étude est donc la modélisation et la commande robuste d'une aile de kite en vol dynamique. Le but à terme étant l'élaboration d'un pilote automatique dédié à la traction d'un navire par kite. Un modèle « point-masse » du kite est proposé afin de comprendre et contrôler sa dynamique. Les différents paramètres du modèle sont estimés à partir de données expérimentales obtenues lors d’essais en conditions réelles. Des simulations en boucle ouverte sont proposées afin de valider la cohérence du modèle. Pour effectuer un vol dynamique, une trajectoire en forme de huit est définie dans la fenêtre de vol. La position, la taille et l’orientation de cette trajectoire sont des paramètres ajustables par l’utilisateur. Un algorithme de suivi de trajectoire est développé permettant ensuite de synthétiser une loi de commande robuste intégrant le modèle du kite. Ce pilote automatique permet donc d’effectuer une grande variété de trajectoires pour toute une gamme de vitesses de vent. Enfin, des simulations en boucle fermée montrant les performances théoriques du système mettent en évidence l’intérêt de la propulsion auxiliaire des navires par kite. / The need in reducing the CO_2 emissions and the increase of oil prices affect all transportation industries and especially the maritime industry. This has led to the search for more energy-saving ship propulsion systems. Taking advantage of wind energy by using tethered wings, or kites, as an alternative propulsion source can be an effective solution. The "beyond the sea" project, led by Yves Parlier, aims to provide ships an alternative green energy source. In most wind conditions, compared to a static flight, a dynamic motion of a tethered wing with an eight-shaped pattern can provide sufficient force through traction to tow a ship. Therefore, the main objective of this study is the modeling and robust control of a tethered kite in dynamic flight. To this end, a point mass model is first used to describe the kite dynamics. The model parameters are estimated from experimental data and the aerodynamic coefficients are identified using data from a quasi-static flight. Open loop simulations are conducted to verify the kite behavior and the overall coherence of the model. To ensure a dynamic flight, an eight-shaped trajectory is defined within the wind window. Its position, size, orientation and direction are all adjustable parameters. A path-following strategy is then developed in order to design a robust control law including the kite model. This allows the system to be used in different trajectories with a wide range of wind speeds. Closed-loop simulations are presented to show the efficiency of the path-following algorithm, and the various theoretical performances obtained shows the efficiency of a kite dedicated to vessels auxiliary propulsion.

Classification of Airborne Laser Scanning Data in Sandstone Landscapes Abstract This work is concerned with the classification of airborne laser scanning data in sandstone landscapes called "rock cities". Standard filters do not work reliably in such a rugged terrain covered with dense vegetation and in the results the rock formations are smoothed or even removed from the terrain. The method of classification suggested in this work is based on the procedure used in manual filtration. When exploring a sufficiently dense point cloud in 3D, one is able to distinguish rock formations from trees even though their shapes are similar. In contrast to trees, rock pillars are modeled only by points reflected off the surface and therefore they make concave elevations in the ground. Because of penetration of trees, there are points reflected off a treetop, branches, leaves and also ground under the tree. The proposed method segments a point cloud according to local minima in approximated surface and classifies these objects into classes rock, tree, and mix by inner point distribution. Objects in classes tree and mix are then filtered by lasground function from LAStools. The method was tested with merged point cloud consisted of data from the standard airborne laser scanning of the Czech Republic and experimental...

Oito blocos transportáveis para calibração foram construídos para serem utilizados como padrões de concentração na calibração de espectrômetros gama portáteis e aerotransportados. Todo o procedimento de construção é descrito em detalhe. Os blocos, com dimensões de 1 m x 1 m x 0,30 m e massas variando entre 593 kg e 673 kg, devem a sua radioatividade à adição de diferentes quantidades de feldspato potássico (ortoclásio), caldasito e areia monazítica à massa de concreto. As concentrações de potássio, urânio e tório variam significativamente de um bloco para outro atingindo valores máximos de 5,7% de K, 45,6 ppm eU e 137 ppm eTh. A distribuição do fluxo de radiação gama proveniente da superfície dos blocos de concreto e a magnitude das heterogeneidades na concentração dos elementos radioativos foi determinada experimentalmente. Como exemplo de aplicação apresenta-se o resultado da calibração de um espectrômetro gama portátil. / Eight transportable calibration pads were built in to be used as concentration standards for portable and airborne gamma spectrometers calibrations. The pads construction procedure is described in full detail. The pads, with dimensions of 1 m x 1 m x 0,30 m and masses between 593 kg and 673 kg were made radioactive by the addition of different amounts of k-feldspar, caldasite and monazitic sand to the concrete masses. The potassium, uranium and thorium concentration vary significantly in the pads, reaching maximum values of 5,7% of K, 45,6 ppm eU and 137 ppm eTh. The distribution of the gamma radiation flux from the pads surfaces and the heterogeneity magnitudes of the radioactive elements concentration were experimentally established. An example of gamma spectrometer calibration is presented.