Tillage Management and Soil Organic Matter, 2005

Tillage systems play a significant role in agricultural production throughout Iowa and the Midwest. It has been well documented that increased tillage intensities can reduce soil organic matter in the topsoil due to increased microbial activity and carbon (C ) oxidation. The potential loss of soil organic matter due to tillage operations is much higher for high organic matter soils than low organic matter soils. Tillage effects on soil organic matter can be magnified through soil erosion and loss of soil productivity. Soil organic matter is a natural reservoir for nutrients, buffers against soil erosion, and improves the soil environment to sustain soil productivity. Maintaining soil productivity requires an agriculture management system that maintains or improves soil organic matter content. Combining cropping systems and conservation tillage practices, such as no-tillage, strip-tillage, or ridge-tillage, are proven to be very effective in improving soil organic matter and soil quality.

Evaluation of the State Highway System and Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF), 2003

This report was prepared by a committee of city, county and state representatives. The committee met throughout 2002 with the purpose of reviewing and making recommendations to improve the efficiency and operation of Iowa's road and street system. This report is referenced in SF 451 and in Code Section 306.8A.

Review of the Department of Natural Resources Parks Reservation System and the Electronic Licensing System for Iowa for the period July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2011

Review of the Department of Natural Resources Parks Reservation System and the Electronic Licensing System for Iowa for the period July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2011

Report on a review of selected general and application controls over the Iowa Department of Administrative Service’s Human Resource Information System (HRIS), Payroll System and Integrated Information for Iowa System (I/3) for the period March 26, 2012 through April 27, 2012

Report on a review of selected general and application controls over the Iowa Department of Administrative Service’s Human Resource Information System (HRIS), Payroll System and Integrated Information for Iowa System (I/3) for the period March 26, 2012 through April 27, 2012

Report on the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System and schedules of employer allocations and collective pension amounts allocated by employer for the year ended June 30, 2014

Report on the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System and schedules of employer allocations and collective pension amounts allocated by employer for the year ended June 30, 2014

Report on the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System and schedules of employer allocations and collective pension amounts allocated by employer for the year ended June 30, 2013

Report on the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System and schedules of employer allocations and collective pension amounts allocated by employer for the year ended June 30, 2013

Development of a Wireless MEMS Multifunction Sensor System and Field Demonstration of Embedded Sensors for Monitoring Concrete Pavements, TR-637, 2016

Pavements tend to deteriorate with time under repeated traffic and/or environmental loading. By detecting pavement distresses and damage early enough, it is possible for transportation agencies to develop more effective pavement maintenance and rehabilitation programs and thereby achieve significant cost and time savings. The structural health monitoring (SHM) concept can be considered as a systematic method for assessing the structural state of pavement infrastructure systems and documenting their condition. Over the past several years, this process has traditionally been accomplished through the use of wired sensors embedded in bridge and highway pavement. However, the use of wired sensors has limitations for long-term SHM and presents other associated cost and safety concerns. Recently, micro-electromechanical sensors and systems (MEMS) and nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS) have emerged as advanced/smart-sensing technologies with potential for cost-effective and long-term SHM. This two-pronged study evaluated the performance of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) MEMS sensors embedded in concrete pavement (Final Report Volume I) and developed a wireless MEMS multifunctional sensor system for health monitoring of concrete pavement (Final Report Volume II).

Tillage Manure Managemen and Water Quality, April 2005

Tillage and manure application practices significantly impact surface and ground water quality in Iowa and other Midwestern states. Tillage and manure application that incorporates residue and disturbs soil result in higher levels of soil erosion and surface runoff. Phosphorus and sediment loading are closely linked to the increase in soil erosion and surface water runoff. Manure application (i.e., injection or incorporation) reduces surface residue cover, which can worsen soil erosion regardless of the tillage management system being used. An integrated system approach to manure and tillage management is critical to ensure effi cient nutrient use and improvement of soil and water quality. This approach, however, requires changes in manure application technology and tillage system management to ensure the success of an integrated

Web-based Implementation of Winter Maintenance Decision Support System Using GIS and Remote Sensing, May 2005

Winter maintenance, particularly snow removal and the stress of snow removal materials on public structures, is an enormous budgetary burden on municipalities and nongovernmental maintenance organizations in cold climates. Lately, geospatial technologies such as remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and decision support tools are roviding a valuable tool for planning snow removal operations. A few researchers recently used geospatial technologies to develop winter maintenance tools. However, most of these winter maintenance tools, while having the potential to address some of these information needs, are not typically placed in the hands of planners and other interested stakeholders. Most tools are not constructed with a nontechnical user in mind and lack an easyto-use, easily understood interface. A major goal of this project was to implement a web-based Winter Maintenance Decision Support System (WMDSS) that enhances the capacity of stakeholders (city/county planners, resource managers, transportation personnel, citizens, and policy makers) to evaluate different procedures for managing snow removal assets optimally. This was accomplished by integrating geospatial analytical techniques (GIS and remote sensing), the existing snow removal asset management system, and webbased spatial decision support systems. The web-based system was implemented using the ESRI ArcIMS ActiveX Connector and related web technologies, such as Active Server Pages, JavaScript, HTML, and XML. The expert knowledge on snow removal procedures is gathered and integrated into the system in the form of encoded business rules using Visual Rule Studio. The system developed not only manages the resources but also provides expert advice to assist complex decision making, such as routing, optimal resource allocation, and monitoring live weather information. This system was developed in collaboration with Black Hawk County, IA, the city of Columbia, MO, and the Iowa Department of transportation. This product was also demonstrated for these agencies to improve the usability and applicability of the system.

Development and Implementation of an Expert System for Forecasting Fog on US Highway 30 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, HR-357, 1996

Several accidents, some involving fatalities, have occurred on U.S. Highway 30 near the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) Corn Sweeteners plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A contributing factor to many of these accidents has been the large amounts of water (vapor and liquid) emitted from multiple sources at ADM's facility located along the south side of the highway. Weather and road closure data acquired from IDOT have been used to develop a database of meteorological conditions preceding and accompanying closure of Highway 30 in Cedar Rapids. An expert system and a FORTRAN program were developed as aids in decision making with regard to closure of Highway 30 near the plant. The computer programs were used for testing, evaluation, and final deployment. Reports indicate the decision tools have been successfully implemented and were judged to be helpful in forecasting road closures and in reducing costs and personnel time in monitoring the roadway.