2013-2014 Assessment of the Army Research Laboratory (2015) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
4 Information Sciences
4 Information Sciences
Pages 87-114
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 87... ...
, and network sciences. The panel reviewed the ARL work in autonomous systems at Adelphi, Maryland, on August 13-15, 2013; the work in high-performance computing at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, on June 23, 2014; and the work in atmospheric sciences, computational sciences, and network sciences at Adelphi, Maryland, on June 24-25, 2014.
|
From page 88... ...
Atmospheric Sciences, Computational Sciences, and Network Sciences The Army Research Laboratory Technical Assessment Board (ARLTAB) was tasked with evaluating the quality and impact of the ARL research program.
|
From page 89... ...
In network sciences, there has been significant improvement in the quality of the research and the presentations and in the morale of the team. Almost all presenters did an excellent job in articulating connections to Army operations, although some presentations lacked clear problem definitions.
|
From page 90... ...
The current research plan is focused on three critical areas: perception on constrained platforms, robotic intelligence, and human–robot interaction. As for sensing and perception on constrained platforms, the scale and size of the platforms being explored in the autonomous systems enterprise pose technical challenges in sensor design.
|
From page 91... ...
The research draws on a large body of experimental work related to evaluating the effectiveness of autono
|
From page 92... ...
Army faces many challenges to its future dominance on the battlefield, including environmental impacts on operations, which are chiefly concentrated in the atmospheric boundary layer. The research portfolio for the BED includes a range of unique atmospheric science problems of vital importance to the Army that are not addressed elsewhere in the Department of Defense (DoD)
|
From page 93... ...
The research team is well qualified and adequately supported. Advanced Artillery Meteorology for Army and Marines The advanced artillery meteorology system represents a mature BED project in model development and adaptation that harvests and exploits research emerging from within ARL and from the wider research community in mesoscale modeling, data assimilation, and observation sciences.
|
From page 94... ...
The use of actual ambient air likely resulted in additional chemistry that may not have been well represented in the laboratory experiments. Data Assimilation Advances Supporting Nowcast Modeling This effort focuses on developing strategies for integrating atmospheric data into existing and future ARL atmospheric models.
|
From page 95... ...
Meteorological Sensor Array at White Sands Missile Range This development project is designed to establish, in a phased deployment approach and in response to previous ARLTAB recommendations, multiple regular arrays of instrumented meteorological towers, initially in and near the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) complex.
|
From page 96... ...
of a native model grid, as is typically used by WRE-N. Additionally, the sensor array will provide a persistent framework for studying the atmospheric boundary layer in semiarid, complex terrain.
|
From page 97... ...
The software system would be complete, with all the observational data and gridded model input fields the user needs to run the software on the laptop/tablet in order to generate meteorological fields and automated decision assistance products within 30 minutes. The Nowcast modeling project is one of several observational- and modeling-based projects that constitute a comprehensive model development, adaptation, testing, and verification program.
|
From page 98... ...
This is a commendable approach, and CSD could consider the development of similar approaches to advance its research projects in traditional HPC and physics-based modeling. Projects were presented along five themes: programming models for distributed processing on heterogeneous architectures, tactical HPC, multiscale materials modeling around dislocation dynamics and defects, modeling mobile networks, and emerging areas.
|
From page 99... ...
The work has the potential of making a significant impact. Multiscale Materials Modeling CSD has made significant progress in work related to multiscale modeling and simulation techniques, and has applied these methods to modeling materials dislocations in microstructured crystals and multiscale computation of electron transport.
|
From page 100... ...
Strong work is being performed in tactical communications, robotics, language technologies, and E-field measures in standoff power sensors. Almost all presenters did an excellent job of articulating connections to Army operations.
|
From page 101... ...
and optical communications, as well as communications-enabled measurements that are used to control robots in new tactical environments. This exemplary body of work puts ARL at the cutting edge of tactical communications research.
|
From page 102... ...
Without such a roadmap, there is very little indication of the connectivity of the research projects, either within the subareas or across the enterprise. The ARL research effort is part of a larger collaborative effort involving external partners.
|
From page 103... ...
Autonomous Systems It was not clear how the individual research projects in each area of the ARL autonomous systems enterprise -- manipulation and mobility, perception, robotic intelligence, and human–robot interaction -- fit within the larger research effort. Without such a roadmap, there is very little indication of the connectivity of the research projects either within the subareas or across the enterprise.
|
From page 104... ...
There is an opportunity for the ARL autonomous systems enterprise to assume the leadership in advancing a highly quantitative and scientific approach to systems engineering as it relates to integration of systems components into the robotics research area. Other general approaches for consideration related to this area of effort may be summarized as follows: • Notionally establish a family of small robots (ground and air)
|
From page 105... ...
In the area of robust control of mobility and communications, it is important to calibrate the performance of the approach against related methodologies in the fields of mobile ad hoc networking and optimization. There could be some important linkages of this work to the network sciences CTA, and that could present opportunities for leveraging.
|
From page 106... ...
Atmospheric Sciences Future Army needs for environmental information and decision aids, particularly in aerosol and optics research -- which is vital for understanding, collecting data within, and predicting the atmospheric boundary layer -- would be significantly compromised unless adequate resources needed to build on the excellent and innovative studies currently under way are provided. The ARL team has developed a laser-based tool for capturing, holding, and analyzing an individual aerosol or dust particle.
|
From page 107... ...
The atmospheric science community has been working with big data sets and extracting information for predictive purposes for many decades. It is important that the atmospheric sciences team has a seat at the table along with the computational and information sciences areas, with each sharing its history and capabilities so as to maximize synergy and rate of progress.
|
From page 108... ...
The project team has already developed a plan to conduct field-based experiments that would allow them to effectively assess the mechanisms of inactivity as a function of atmospheric chemical properties. Data Assimilation Advances Supporting Nowcast Modeling Further testing over a range of weather conditions and over various types of terrain is needed to determine whether a single optimal set of nudging weights and radii of influence is indeed acceptable.
|
From page 109... ...
An enormous range of scientific and technical expertise as well as monetary resources will be required to operate and maintain the network. Multiscale Turbulence in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer More attention needs to be given to identify the specific weaknesses in existing turbulence parameterizations within BED Nowcast models, whether it be those used for all turbulence scales, as in a mesoscale model, or those used for the subgrid-scale closure in LES.
|
From page 110... ...
Such run-time systems already play an integral role in the research related to programming models, distributed heterogeneous architectures, tactical HPC, and characterization of materials properties. This area needs to be considered a core research area so as to bring about a significant enhancement of capabilities and development of enabling technology for various computational and big data problems.
|
From page 111... ...
Network Sciences In general, the quality of the presentations was quite good. It was clear that the presenters were working from a template to provide context about their projects.
|
From page 112... ...
that leadership and responsibility for the area of social networking have been delegated to the Network Sciences CTA, and that ARL has not developed a pool of in-house talent to perform research that complements and leverages the work being done by the CTA. Besides needing additional social networking experts with strong analytical skills, ARL security protocols appear to limit the ability of the researchers to access the appropriate software needed for this work.
|
From page 113... ...
This work positions the ARL at the forefront of the atmospheric chemistry community. In the area of computational sciences, the work related to multiscale modeling of materials, simulation/emulation of mobile networks, portable programing models and run-time systems for heterogeneous architectures, and tactical high-performance computations represents the state of the art.
|
From page 114... ...
Work related to multiscale modeling of materials, simulation/emulation of mobile networks, portable programing models and run-time systems for heterogeneous architectures, and tactical HPCs represents the state of the art in the field. In the area of network sciences, the work related to lightweight intrusion detection in the context of cybersecurity is important.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.