Sky high and back again : the evolution of simulation-based design from aerospace to construction

Emerging from the challenge to reduce energy consumption in buildings is a need for research and development into the more effective use of simulation as a decision-support tool. Despite significant research, persistent limitations in process and software inhibit the integration of energy simulation in early architectural design. This paper presents a green star case study to highlight the obstacles commonly encountered with current integration strategies. It then examines simulation-based design in the aerospace industry, which has overcome similar limitations. Finally, it proposes a design system based on this contrasting approach, coupling parametric modelling and energy simulation software for rapid and iterative performance assessment of early design options.

Characterization of sky-region morphological-temporal airborne collision detection

Automated airborne collision-detection systems are a key enabling technology for facilitat- ing the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into the national airspace. These safety-critical systems must be sensitive enough to provide timely warnings of genuine air- borne collision threats, but not so sensitive as to cause excessive false-alarms. Hence, an accurate characterisation of detection and false alarm sensitivity is essential for understand- ing performance trade-offs, and system designers can exploit this characterisation to help achieve a desired balance in system performance. In this paper we experimentally evaluate a sky-region, image based, aircraft collision detection system that is based on morphologi- cal and temporal processing techniques. (Note that the examined detection approaches are not suitable for the detection of potential collision threats against a ground clutter back- ground). A novel collection methodology for collecting realistic airborne collision-course target footage in both head-on and tail-chase engagement geometries is described. Under (hazy) blue sky conditions, our proposed system achieved detection ranges greater than 1540m in 3 flight test cases with no false alarm events in 14.14 hours of non-target data (under cloudy conditions, the system achieved detection ranges greater than 1170m in 4 flight test cases with no false alarm events in 6.63 hours of non-target data). Importantly, this paper is the first documented presentation of detection range versus false alarm curves generated from airborne target and non-target image data.

Can a “Blue Sky” return to Indian megacities?

Deterioration of air quality in Indian megacities (Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata) is much more significant than that observed in the megacities of developed countries. Densely packed high-rise buildings restrict the self-cleaning capabilities of Indian megacities. Also, the ever growing number of on-road vehicles, resuspension of the dust, and anthropogenic activities exacerbate the levels of ambient air pollution, which is in turn breathed by urban dwellers. Pollution levels exceeding the standards on a regular basis often result in a notable increase in morbidity and mortality. This article discusses the challenges faced by Indian megacities in their quest for sustainable growth, without compromising the air quality and urban way of life.

Under this Sky: Logan's Musical Celebration

A creative practice as research, UNDER THIS SKY is the latest investigation in a 12-year study into the “QMF Model”, an application of principles of community and cultural practice that generates large-scale, music spectacle events that derive their narrative and expression from the communities in which they are performed. UNDER THIS SKY is a large-scale musical specially commissioned for the city of Logan (Queensland) as the signature work of the 2015 Queensland Musical Festival. The investigation centres around the capacity of the “QMF Model” to engage with performers and musicians of Logan and then, through community consultation, create a narrative based on idiosyncratic stories and themes that would culminate in a performance event in August 2015. Previous creative projects, Boomtown (Gladstone), Behind the Cane (Bowen) and The Road We’re On (Charleville), were conducted in relatively small communities, Gladstone being the largest. In UNDER THIS SKY, the model is being tested in a large metropolitan city (Logan – 300,000). The core principles of CACD (community arts and cultural development) are being interrogated and adapted to fit this large-scale, whole of community environment. The purpose is to refine and further validate the “QMF Model” as a viable and effective process for community/artistic partnerships. Since February 2014, professional artists and managers have facilitated and shaped the work, up-skilling performers over a periods of 12 months, developing new relationships and creating opportunities for participation at all levels of experience. The research methodology involved creative practice through a continuous cycle of action, reflection, adaptation and application.

Shola habitats on sky islands: status of research on montane forests and grasslands in southern India

The Shola habitat on the high elevation sky islands of the Western Ghats in southern India is a unique habitat. Although this habitat hosts a disproportionately high level of endemism and is threatened by anthropogenic modifications, it has received little research attention. We compiled publications of research conducted in this habitat from scientific databases and the grey literature to examine trends in publication. For a quantitative summary, all publications were classified according to the taxa of research and the broad topic of research. We identified 279 publications from 1964 and found an almost threefold increase in the number of publications and diversity of research topics studied over the last decade. Studies on flora, birds and mammals have been numerous (62% of the studies examined), but certain taxa like fish (1%) have been ignored. Most studies (65%) are descriptive, focusing on diversity, distribution trends and management suggestions, while surprisingly few have concentrated on climate change, ecological restoration and invasive species, all major threats to this landscape. We have identified some key gaps in research and conservation focus that future studies could address. We also suggest that initiatives like edited volumes and special journal sections, along with the use of creative commons licensed data-sharing portals, can be used to usher unpublished work into the public domain.

Flying between Sky Islands: The Effect of Naturally Fragmented Habitat on Butterfly Population Structure

High elevation montane areas are called ``sky islands'' when they occur as a series of high mountains separated by lowland valleys. Different climatic conditions at high elevations makes sky islands a specialized type of habitat, rendering them naturally fragmented compared to more continuous habitat at lower elevations. Species in sky islands face unsuitable climate in the intervening valleys when moving from one montane area to another. The high elevation shola-grassland mosaic in the Western Ghats of southern India form one such sky island complex. The fragmented patches make this area ideal to study the effect of the spatial orientation of suitable habitat patches on population genetic structure of species found in these areas. Past studies have suggested that sky islands tend to have genetically structured populations, possibly due to reduced gene flow between montane areas. To test this hypothesis, we adopted the comparative approach. Using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms, we compared population genetic structures of two closely related, similar sized butterfly species: Heteropsis oculus, a high elevation shola-grassland specialist restricted to the southern Western Ghats, and Mycalesis patnia, found more continuously distributed in lower elevations. In all analyses, as per expectation the sky island specialist H. oculus exhibited a greater degree of population genetic structure than M. patnia, implying a difference in geneflow. This difference in geneflow in turn appears to be due to the natural fragmentation of the sky island complexes. Detailed analysis of a subset of H. oculus samples from one sky island complex (the Anamalais) showed a surprising genetic break. A possible reason for this break could be unsuitable conditions of higher temperature and lower rainfall in the intervening valley region. Thus, sky island species are not only restricted by lack of habitat continuity between montane areas, but also by the nature of the intervening habitat.

Exploring the Dynamic Radio Sky: The Search for Slow Transients with the VLA

While synoptic surveys in the optical and at high energies have revealed a rich discovery phase space of slow transients, a similar yield is still awaited in the radio. Majority of the past blind surveys, carried out with radio interferometers, have suffered from a low yield of slow transients, ambiguous transient classifications, and contamination by false positives. The newly-refurbished Karl G. Jansky Array (Jansky VLA) offers wider bandwidths for accurate RFI excision as well as substantially-improved sensitivity and survey speed compared with the old VLA. The Jansky VLA thus eliminates the pitfalls of interferometric transient search by facilitating sensitive, wide-field, and near-real-time radio surveys and enabling a systematic exploration of the dynamic radio sky. This thesis aims at carrying out blind Jansky VLA surveys for characterizing the radio variable and transient sources at frequencies of a few GHz and on timescales between days and years. Through joint radio and optical surveys, the thesis addresses outstanding questions pertaining to the rates of slow radio transients (e.g. radio supernovae, tidal disruption events, binary neutron star mergers, stellar flares, etc.), the false-positive foreground relevant for the radio and optical counterpart searches of gravitational wave sources, and the beaming factor of gamma-ray bursts. The need for rapid processing of the Jansky VLA data and near-real-time radio transient search has enabled the development of state-of-the-art software infrastructure. This thesis has successfully demonstrated the Jansky VLA as a powerful transient search instrument, and it serves as a pathfinder for the transient surveys planned for the SKA-mid pathfinder facilities, viz. ASKAP, MeerKAT, and WSRT/Apertif.

Analysis of sky conditions using 40 year records of solar radiation data in China

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Modeling All-sky Global Solar Radiation Using MODIS Atmospheric Products: A Case Study in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

The surface solar radiation (SSR) is of great importance to bio-chemical cycle and life activities. However, it is impossible to observe SSR directly over large areas especially for rugged surfaces such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This paper presented an improved parameterized model for predicting all-sky global solar radiation on rugged surfaces using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) atmospheric products and Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The global solar radiation was validated using 11 observations within the plateau. The correlation coefficients of daily data vary between 0.67-0.86, while those of the averages of 10-day data are between 0.79-0.97. The model indicates that the attenuation of SSR is mainly caused by cloud under cloudy sky, and terrain is an important factor influencing SSR over rugged surfaces under clear sky. A positive relationship can also be inferred between the SSR and slope. Compared with horizontal surfaces, the south-facing slope receives more radiation, followed by the west- and east-facing slopes with less SSR, and the SSR of the north-facing slope is the least.

Searching the Sky with CONFIGR-STARS

SyNAPSE program of the Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (HRL Laboratories LLC, subcontract #801881-BS under DARPA prime contract HR0011-09-C-0001); CELEST, a National Science Foundation Science of Learning Center (SBE-0354378)

Evaluation of the new ESR network software for the retrieval of direct sun products from cimel ce318 and prede pom01 sun-sky radiometers.

The European Skynet Radiometers network (EuroSkyRad or ESR) has been recently established as a research network of European PREDE sun-sky radiometers. Moreover, ESR is federated with SKYNET, an international network of PREDE sun-sky radiometers mostly present in East Asia. In contrast to SKYNET, the European network also integrates users of the CIMEL CE318 sky–sun photometer. Keeping instrumental duality in mind, a set of open source algorithms has been developed consisting of two modules for (1) the retrieval of direct sun products (aerosol optical depth, wavelength exponent and water vapor) from the sun extinction measurements; and (2) the inversion of the sky radiance to derive other aerosol optical properties such as size distribution, single scattering albedo or refractive index. In this study we evaluate the ESR direct sun products in comparison with the AERosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) products. Specifically, we have applied the ESR algorithm to a CIMEL CE318 and PREDE POM simultaneously for a 4-yr database measured at the Burjassot site (Valencia, Spain), and compared the resultant products with the AERONET direct sun measurements obtained with the same CIMEL CE318 sky–sun photometer. The comparison shows that aerosol optical depth differences are mostly within the nominal uncertainty of 0.003 for a standard calibration instrument, and fall within the nominal AERONET uncertainty of 0.01–0.02 for a field instrument in the spectral range 340 to 1020 nm. In the cases of the Ångström exponent and the columnar water vapor, the differences are lower than 0.02 and 0.15 cm, respectively. Therefore, we present an open source code program that can be used with both CIMEL and PREDE sky radiometers and whose results are equivalent to AERONET and SKYNET retrievals.