This thesis examines the mapping of eighteenth-century Scotland in relation to the British state’s imperatives to know the spaces of the nation. It examines the idea of the ‘military landscape’—that conjunction of forts, roads, and barracks—represented and constructed by the military engineers, surveyors, and draughtsmen of the Board of Ordnance between 1689 and 1815. In total, 940 maps constitute the Board of Ordnance ‘archive’ housed mainly in the National Library of Scotland, the British Library, the National Archives (Kew), and the Royal Library at Windsor. The study of the Board of Ordnance military maps of Scotland is considered in relation to the epistemological foundations of map making in the Enlightenment, particular focus being paid to the relations between government institutions and military cartography. The thesis considers how political and military power was embodied in the engineers’ maps and plans. It explores the extent to which the Scottish landscape—especially the Highlands—was an unknown territory demanding intellectual and material civilisation in cartographic form. In its main chapters on forts, movement, and battles, the thesis is organised to reflect the purpose behind the creation of military maps. It includes representations of military activities that consistently had recourse to mapping—fortifying, intelligence, reconnaissance, marching, encamping, and battle—and explains why military maps were conceived thus and how they were used. Fortification cartography dominates the representation of Scottish military landscapes: 73% of the archive constitutes maps, plans, sections, and views of forts, barracks, and coastal batteries; 22% maps associated with military movement; and 5% battle maps. By examining the different genres of military mapping, the thesis offers an evaluation of the Board’s endeavours to rationalise and to codify military cartography in order to bring it in line with wider European practices. This review of the nature and extent of military mapping of eighteenth-century Scotland reveals the practice to be a result of institutional imperatives to assert territorial control rather than simply a cartographic enterprise. In (re)constructing the military landscape, the thesis extends current knowledge of military mapping in eighteenth-century Scotland and provides for the first time a substantive examination of the Board of Ordnance as an agency of state and cartographic authority.

The U.S. Army and Marine Corps are developing guided munitions for cannon artillery. These munitions provide a significant increase in range and accuracy, but the tactics, techniques, and procedures used to employ them have yet to be developed. This study is intended to assist with that development by providing a method to determine when to use these munitions rather than conventional munitions in order to achieve a tactical-level commander's desired objectives. A combination of multi-attribute utility theory and simulation are used to determine the best ammunition (precision or conventional) to fire under certain battlefield conditions. The simulation, developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, provides results on the full range of artillery effects by varying the different battlefield conditions that have the greatest effect on the accuracy of artillery. The results of simulated artillery fire missions are studied to determine the combination of battlefield conditions that produce the best results for each type of ammunition. A decision model is used to account for a commander's expected preferences based on tactical considerations. The results vary greatly depending on the battlefield conditions and the commander's preferences. One type of projectile does not clearly dominate the other.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (February 26, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S. in Operations Research)--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2005. / Thesis Advisor(s): Alan Washburn. Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-85). Also available online.

Automation of hydraulic earth moving and construction equipment is of prime economic and social importance in today's marketplace. A human operator can be replaced or augmented with a robotic system when the job is too dull, dirty or dangerous. There are a myriad of applications in both Government and Industry that could benefit from augmenting or replacing an operator of hydraulic equipment with an intelligent robotic system. A specific important situation is the removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO). The removal of UXO is a troubling environmental problem that plagues people around the world. This document addresses the danger that UXO pose to military groups in applications such as active range clearance and disposal of unexploded or dud munitions. Disposing of these munitions is a difficult problem, which first begins by determining their location. The process can be aided through the use of teleoperated hydraulic equipment, which allows the operator to be located at a safe distance from these munitions. In the past, converting a large piece of hydraulic construction equipment for teleoperated use has been an expensive task. An important result of this research is demonstrating that through readily available commercial products and existing design methodologies, such robotic tasks can be accomplished at relatively low cost and in a timely, reliable fashion. / Master of Science

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / Tomahawk cruise missiles (TCM) cost over one million dollars and are in short supply. U.S. Navy ships require TCM and other conventional ammunition be loaded in appropriate amounts prior to deploying to sea. A typical deployment lasts for six months and, when completed, any remaining ammunition must be unloaded and made ready for other deploying ships. For ships under Commander, Naval Surface Force U.S. Pacific Fleet (SURFPAC), about 3,500 tons of ammunition must be loaded and unloaded annually; this currently costs 14 million dollars for just pilots, tugboats and fuel. This thesis formulates and solves an integer linear program, Surface Navy Scheduler (SNSKED), to prescribe an ammunition load and unload schedule for San Diego homeported ships. SNSKED seeks a schedule with minimized costs subject to constraints on ships availability, port capabilities and support assets. We test SNSKED on a realistic quarterly scenario consisting of 19 combatant ships, three weapons stations, two ammunition ships, five mission types, two ammunition types, and three ways of loading ammunition. SNSKED provides optimal schedules that reduce costs by over 16 percent. We also use SNSKED to evaluate different operational policies, ammunition port utilization, and ammunition loading times. / Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 233, [8] p. : ill., maps. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 220-228).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Thesis originally issued in electronic format. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 220-228).

High-resolution sonar systems are primarily used for ocean floor surveys and port security operations but produce images of limited resolution. In turn, a sonar-specific methodology is required to detect and classify underwater unexploded ordnance (UXO) using the low-resolution sonar data. After researching and reviewing numerous approaches the Multiple Aspect-Fixed Range Template Matching (MAFR-TM) algorithm was developed. The MAFR-TM algorithm is specifically designed to detect and classify a target of high characteristic impedance in an environment that contains similar shaped objects of low characteristic impedance. MAFR-TM is tested against a tank and field data set collected by the Sound Metrics Corp. DIDSON US300. This thesis document proves the MAFR-TM can detect, classify, orient, and locate a target in the sector-scan sonar images. This paper focuses on the MAFR-TM algorithm and its results. / by Lisa Nicole Brisson. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Within the collections of the Museu de Angra do Heroismo (Terceira Island, Azores, Portugal) are nine cast bronze guns from the 16th century. Most were raised from the seafloor between the 1960s and 1990s, but this study comprises the first in-depth research into their design and manufacture. The importance of this kind of study lies in the fact that ordnance is commonly found on shipwrecks of this time. A greater knowledge of guns will help provide information about the ships from which they came. Careful documentation and study of the Museu de Angra cannon will add greatly to their value as museum exhibits, by allowing museum patrons to better understand where the guns came from, how they were cast, and why they were important. This documentation adds to our knowledge of Western European gunfounding technology during the sixteenth century, as four different countries commissioned the guns: Portugal, Spain, France, and England. With detailed documentation and publication, the Museu de Angra bronze guns can be added to the bibliography of ordnance of this period, which will aid future researchers who encounter similar pieces. The Museu de Angra bronze guns, as symbols of the military and naval power of the countries that commissioned them, were sent aboard ships, into the field, and mounted on fortress walls. Bronze guns of this time period are particularly important, as bronze was an expensive commodity, and the demand for ordnance was increasing rapidly. Countries developed more effective ways to make use of iron for the founding of guns, and the use of bronze became more symbolic of wealth. The information that each gun contains includes both the cutting-edge military technology of the time and the artistic statement of the founder. Some of the finest metalwork of the period was displayed in cast bronze guns, and due to the founding techniques, no two are the same, making each an important piece of history.