Sistema de adquisición, almacenamiento y distribución de datos con sistema ARGOS

Proyecto Fin de Carrera del Área de Redes de Computadores de la titulación de Ingeniería Informática. El proyecto versa sobre el desarrollo de un sistema automático de descarga, distribución de datos y transformación de datos de boyas con el sistema ARGOS, así como una aplicación móvil para el sistema operativo móvil iOS, para su uso en dispositivos móviles iPhone.

A comparison among four different retrieval methods for ice-cloud properties using data from CloudSat, CALIPSO, and MODIS

The A-Train constellation of satellites provides a new capability to measure vertical cloud profiles that leads to more detailed information on ice-cloud microphysical properties than has been possible up to now. A variational radar–lidar ice-cloud retrieval algorithm (VarCloud) takes advantage of the complementary nature of the CloudSat radar and Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) lidar to provide a seamless retrieval of ice water content, effective radius, and extinction coefficient from the thinnest cirrus (seen only by the lidar) to the thickest ice cloud (penetrated only by the radar). In this paper, several versions of the VarCloud retrieval are compared with the CloudSat standard ice-only retrieval of ice water content, two empirical formulas that derive ice water content from radar reflectivity and temperature, and retrievals of vertically integrated properties from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) radiometer. The retrieved variables typically agree to within a factor of 2, on average, and most of the differences can be explained by the different microphysical assumptions. For example, the ice water content comparison illustrates the sensitivity of the retrievals to assumed ice particle shape. If ice particles are modeled as oblate spheroids rather than spheres for radar scattering then the retrieved ice water content is reduced by on average 50% in clouds with a reflectivity factor larger than 0 dBZ. VarCloud retrieves optical depths that are on average a factor-of-2 lower than those from MODIS, which can be explained by the different assumptions on particle mass and area; if VarCloud mimics the MODIS assumptions then better agreement is found in effective radius and optical depth is overestimated. MODIS predicts the mean vertically integrated ice water content to be around a factor-of-3 lower than that from VarCloud for the same retrievals, however, because the MODIS algorithm assumes that its retrieved effective radius (which is mostly representative of cloud top) is constant throughout the depth of the cloud. These comparisons highlight the need to refine microphysical assumptions in all retrieval algorithms and also for future studies to compare not only the mean values but also the full probability density function.

The excitation of ionospheric convection

This review presents recent observations of high-latitude ionospheric plasma convection, obtained using the EISCAT radar in the 'Polar' experiment mode. The paper is divided into two main parts. Firstly, the delay in the response of dayside high-latitude flows to changes in the interplanetary magnetic field is discussed. The results show the importance for the excitation of dayside convection of the transfer of magnetic flux from the dayside into the tail lobe. Consequently, ionospheric convection should be thought of as the sum of two intrinsically time-dependent flow patterns. The first of these patterns is directly driven by solar wind-magnetosphere coupling, dominates ionospheric flows on the dayside, is associated with an expanding polar cap area and is the F-region flow equivalent of the DP-2 E-region current system. The second of the two patterns is driven by the release of energy stored in the geomagnetic tail, dominates ionospheric flows on the nightside, is associated with a contracting polar cap and is equivalent to the DP-1, or substorm, current system. In the second half of the paper, various transient flow bursts observed in the vicinity of the dayside cusp are studied. These radar data, combined with simultaneous optical observations of transient dayside aurorae, strongly suggest that momentum is transferred across the magnetopause and into the ionosphere in a series of bursts, each associated with voltages of 30-80 kV. Similarities between these bursts and flux transfer events observed at the magnetopause are discussed.

Model predictions of the occurrence of non-Maxwellian plasmas, and analysis of their effects on EISCAT data

The recent identification of non-thermal plasmas using EISCAT data has been made possible by their occurrence during large, short-lived flow bursts. For steady, yet rapid, ion convection the only available signature is the shape of the spectrum, which is unreliable because it is open to distortion by noise and sampling uncertainty and can be mimicked by other phenomena. Nevertheless, spectral shape does give an indication of the presence of non-thermal plasma, and the characteristic shape has been observed for long periods (of the order of an hour or more) in some experiments. To evaluate this type of event properly one needs to compare it to what would be expected theoretically. Predictions have been made using the coupled thermosphere-ionosphere model developed at University College London and the University of Sheffield to show where and when non-Maxwellian plasmas would be expected in the auroral zone. Geometrical and other factors then govern whether these are detectable by radar. The results are applicable to any incoherent scatter radar in this area, but the work presented here concentrates on predictions with regard to experiments on the EISCAT facility.

Integridade no posicionamento RTK e RTK em rede

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Caracterização da dinâmica ambiental da região costeira do município de Galinhos, litoral setentrional do Rio Grande do Norte

This doctorate thesis concerning on the Characterization of the Environmental Dynamics of the Coastal Area of the Municipal district of Galinhos, Septentrional Coast of Rio Grande do Norte State, is located in the influence area of the Guamaré Petroliferous Pole, having as general objective the understanding of the active coastal dynamics in the region of Galinhos, whose specific objectives were: To study the variation of the coast line in the decades of 1954, 1967,1988, 1996, 2000, from remote sensing products; To elucidate the hypothesis of the region of Galinhos to have been an old system of islands barriers, using as basic tool the penetration radar in the soil - GPR; To monitor and to characterize the coastal dynamics of the study area starting from monthly data of beach profiles, sedimentological analysis, hydrodynamic data and environmental characterization data; which were used to feed the database of the N-NE network of Environmental Monitoring of Areas under Influence of the Petroliferous Industry;(REDE05/FINEP/CNPq/CTPETRO/ PETROBRAS). This research is justified, of the environmental point of view, by involving the mangrove ecosystem considered one of the most delicated environments of the State. From the viewpoint of the petroleum exploration, the systems of islands barriers are favorable for hydrocarbons reservoirs and, consequently important targets to the oil and gas industry, becoming this region attractive in comparison with similar lithified environments. With the results of the variability study in the position of the coast line in the Municipal district of Galinhos/RN from the analysis of remote sensing images, it was possible to investigate the changes in the coast line in temporal scale; the use of directional filters allowed to emphasize linings in the direction NE and to identify submerged features such as sandwaves. The use of GPR enabled the confirmation of paleochannels existence and thus confirmed the hypothesis that the Galinhos spit was formed from an old system of islands barriers. The results of the granulometric analyses indicated that in the summer period the sediments in the profiles A and B in the foreshore portion were classified with the granulometry of sand with scattered gravel and in the shoreface were constituted by sand, but in the winter period these same morphologic compartments were constituted by sand with sparse gravel and siltic sand respectively. In the profile C, in the summer and in the winter, the shoreface and foreshore compartments presented predominantly constituted by sand with sparse gravel. The hydrodynamic results showed that the largest wave heights were registered in the month of February (62 cm) and the highest period of 1,00 m/s in the month of May, the sense of the coastal currents was kept among the quadrants SW and NW, and the winds coming from NE were predominant. The analysis of the beach profiles demonstrated that in the profile A, although it had occurred erosion and deposition during the monitored months, the morphology of the referred profile was kept constant. In the profiles B and C, there were abrupt changes in the morphology, during the monitored months, having been identified a cyclic pattern in the features of the foreshore zone sometimes forming longitudinal sandy bars and in other times forming berm. These results evidenced, therefore, that studies of this nature are of fundamental importance for the coastal zoning, aiming subsidies to the organs managers in the closing of decisions as for the implantation of enterprises in the area, and for the industry of the petroleum through generation of information that subsidize the implementation and location of petroliferous structures adequate to this environment

Avaliando o impacto da utilização de renderizações panorâmicas para a navegação em ambientes virtuais

Panoramic rendering is the visualization of three-dimensional objects in a virtual environment through a wide viewing angle. This work investigated if the use of panoramas is able to promote faster searches in a virtual environment. Panoramas allow the presentation of space through less need to change the orientation of the camera, especially for the case of projections spanning 360º surrounding the user, which can benefit searching. However, the larger the angle, more distorted is the visualization of the environment, causing confusion in navigation. The distortion is even bigger when the user changes the pitch of the camera, by looking up or down. In this work we developed a technique to eliminate specifically the distortions caused by changes in pitch, which was called hemispheric projection. Experiments were done to evaluate the performance of search navigation through perspective, cylindrical and hemispherical projections. The results indicate that navigating with perspective projection is superior than navigating with panoramic projections, possibly due to factors such as (i) lack of experience of the participants in understanding the scenes displayed as panoramas, (ii) the inherent presence of distortion in panoramic projections and (iii) a lower display resolution because the objects are presented in smaller sizes in panoramic projections, making the perception of details more difficult. However, the hemispherical projection was better than the cylindrical, indicating that the developed technique provides benefits for navigation compared to current techniques of panoramic projection. The hemispheric projection also provided the least amount of changes of camera orientation, which is an indication that the hemispheric projections may be particularly useful in situations where there are restrictions on the ease to change the orientation. Future research will investigate the performance of cameras interactions on slower devices, such as using only keyboard, or brain-machine interfaces

Orientação espacial em adultos com deficiência visual: efeitos de um treinamento de navegação

O objetivo deste estudo foi demonstrar se um programa de navegação pode ajudar indivíduos com deficiência visual a melhorar a acurácia na orientação dinâmica. Nove participantes com deficiência visual retornaram a um ponto de partida após percorrer rotas em linha reta e triangular. Pré e pós-avaliações foram feitas entre um período de 4 meses, durante o qual o treinamento com navegação foi realizado. Entre pré e pós-teste, erros relativos de desvios angulares (ERDA) foram diferentes apenas na tarefa em linha reta. O valor de ERDA foi maior na tarefa em linha reta possivelmente por causa da magnitude do giro inicial antes de retornar ao ponto de partida (i.e., 180º) em contraste com a tarefa triângulo (i.e., 45º). Conclui-se que, em tarefas de orientação, os erros no desvio angular dependem da amplitude do giro inicial ao retornar para o ponto de partida. Ainda, a acurácia na manutenção da direção é influenciada por um treinamento específico com navegação.

Zoneamento geoambiental da reserva biológica do Jaru e zona de amortecimento - RO, como subsídio ao seu plano de manejo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estudo dos mixozoários (Myxozoa : Myxosporea) parasitos dos peixes characiformes Acestrorhynchus lacustris (Lütken, 1875) e Steindachnerina insculpta (Fernández-Yépez, 1948) coletados no Rio do Peixe, médio Rio Tietê, SP, Brasil

The São Paulo State has as one of its main rivers the Tietê, which is an extremely important source because of its biodiversity, use in navigation and mainly as direct supplier of water for thousands of people in the region. Currently, the biodiversity of marine and freshwater ecosystems has been threatened, primarily by environmental problems resulting from the degradation of ecosystems, an example is the stretch of the Middle Tietê River, where the Barra Bonita dam (SP) focused virtually the whole load organic effluents from the metropolitan region of São Paulo, leading to eutrophication with the loss of water quality. This basin is located in the Peixe’s River, a tributary of the Barra Bonita whose sources are on the slopes of the Cuesta de Botucatu, presenting an altitudinal gradient in a good state of conservation and water quality. From another perspective, the studies related to parasites and other pathogens of aquatic organisms have considerably increased the relevance, especially those hosts with potential for growing and marketing, given the significant increase these activities in Brazil and worldwide. Among the agents responsible for diseases in fish are the myxosporean, which can cause major economic damage, with high mortality ratios. Based on the above, this study evaluated the biodiversity of myxosporean parasites of two species of fish Acestrorhynchus lacustris and Steindachnerina insculpta. During the period January to November 2012, 40 specimens of Acestrorhynchus lacustris and 33 specimens of Steindachnerina insculpta were collected from the Peoxe’s river at four different points. The necropsies were performed and all organs were analyzed looking for myxosporean. Only the species Steindachnerina insculpta had their gills parasitized by two species of the genus Henneguya