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Using Motion Capture to Determine Marksmanship Shooting Profiles: Teaching Soldiers to Shoot Better Faster
"How can the U.S. Army teach soldiers marksmanship skills faster and sustain those skills between live fire training periods? Virtual marksmanship trainers are currently used to provide the means to teach basic and advanced marksmanship skills, monitor performance progress from novice to expert, and maintain marksmanship skills. Our research was focused on the use of virtual marksmanship trainers to explore various training method enhancements based on recent studies of complex skill acquisition and expertise. The study of marksmanship skill and shooting characteristics benefited from the emergence of highly precise instrumentation for digital recording of the subject's performance. We used motion capture technology to define and to measure rifle shooting postural profiles associated with different levels of marksmanship expertise."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Platte, William "Bill" L.; Powers, Johnny J.
2008-09
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Heuristic Algorithm for U.S. Naval Mission Allocation
"Current military leadership is directing the U.S. Navy to engage in theater security cooperation activities or missions to bolster confidence and build trust relationships with other national military forces. Using ships efficiently by maximizing the value of missions accomplished in any time period is important because these missions affect world security, as well as our own national security. Recent research has developed a mixed-integer programming optimization model called Central-West Africa Resource and Mission Allocation (CARMA) that seeks to efficiently route a single naval vessel embarked with expeditionary partnership teams conducting theater security cooperation missions, to maximize the total mission value. The two current algorithms for solving CARMA require commercial software to solve the associated optimization models. This thesis develops a custom-built, license-free heuristic algorithm that provides decent solutions to CARMA in a fraction of the time of these algorithms. The developed heuristic uses limited enumeration to generate feasible routes and mission schedules for the ship. In the scenarios tested, the solution produced by the heuristic is not only generated in a fraction of the time of the current algorithms, but the total mission value collected is within 5% - 7% of those solution values."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Dwyer, Derek T.
2008-09
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Protection against a Ship as a Weapon
"Stopping a ship commandeered and used as a weapon to attack shore infrastructure in the Strait of Malacca is a challenging problem. The purpose of this thesis is to determine systems that constitute architectures of an SoS to stop oil tanker that is hijacked with the intention of running into the oil terminal on Jurong Island, Singapore. In addition, this research aims at laying a sound systems engineering foundation for addressing this problem. The approach primarily leverages the System of Systems Architecture Development Process (SoSADP) [1]. Systems to stop hijacked merchant vessels or ships used as weapons (SAW) are investigated. This thesis shows that there are means to stop a SAW. These include existing and postulated systems that warrant further consideration and study for inclusion into Singapore's Maritime Domain Protection (MDP) architecture. The results of the research cited in this thesis have potential MDP applications around the world and can serve as tools for decision makers in future SAW and MDP analysis. All products in this thesis can be expanded in the future as part of the iterative systems engineering process."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Epp, Christopher D.
2008-09
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Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Tactical Satellites, High-Altitude Long-Endurance Airships, and High and Medium Altitude Unmanned Aerial Systems for ISR and Communication Missions
"Before 1991, the United States military's demand for additional communications bandwidth and timely intelligence was rising rapidly. Since then, with the advent of the Global War on Terrorism, it has increased substantially. To address this growing need, the Department of Defense has focused its acquisition and procurement efforts on obtaining new communications and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms that can help lessen shortfalls and possibly exploit new, untapped resources. Recently, there has been an increasing focus on new technology, such as tactical satellites or high-altitude long-endurance airships, as a way to increase communications and intelligence collection capacities. Likewise, advances in the capabilities of medium-altitude and high-altitude unmanned aerial systems have resulted in a more prominent role for them on today's battlefield. Each of these vehicles has a unique niche in today's military, but the increasing capabilities of each are beginning to create some overlap in their uses. This study will conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis on these systems for use as a persistent communications and ISR platform. In particular, it will measure the effectiveness of each for comparison, and will offer possibilities to increase the overall effective use of the three together to maximize performance and cost."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Collier, Corey M.; Kacala, Jeffrey C.
2008-09
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Logistically Constrained Asset Scheduling in Maritime Security Operations
"Operational commanders and planners are challenged with maintaining fleet presence in many environments with limited resources. To add to this challenge, there are further constraints placed upon assets allocated to a given operational commander such as replenishments at sea, multinational exercises, diplomatic port visits, and predetermined in-chop and out-chop dates. In the case of the Combined Maritime Force (CMF), which operates in the FIFTH FLEET Area of Responsibility, these constraints are further magnified by the fact that ships under his or her operational command are from as many as ten different coalition nations at any given time. Furthermore, command of the CMF rotates between these coalition nations, increasing the propensity for inconsistent and sub-optimal resource allocation. This thesis develops a scheduling tool, Coalition Resource Allocation for Maritime Security (C-RAMS), that is capable of quickly producing a schedule that optimizes a given measure of effectiveness for assets assigned to the CMF. This C-RAMS tool accounts for logistics requirements and allows a commander to set priorities within various sub-regions, types of assets, and specific time periods. We illustrate how C-RAMS provides such an optimal schedule and also provides insights into interactions between different priorities and ship types, including those which may be interpolated for future force configurations, through the use of Visual Basic with an Excel 2003 user interface."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Clem, Doyne Damian
2008-09
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Development of a Distributed Digital Array Radar (DDAR)
"Distributed digital arrays have many potential applications in radar and communication systems. The objective of this thesis is to re-examine previous research on distributed digital array radar (DDAR) and evaluate several critical aspects of a proposed wireless architecture. Self-standing transmit/receive (T/R) modules are synchronized wirelessly. An important issue addressed in this thesis is whether a simple low-cost synchronization circuit would perform adequately. To this end two breadboard T/R modules were built to support test and evaluation. Both measurements and simulations were performed. Other issues addressed in the research include a comprehensive investigation of the demodulator performance, and the development of Controller and processing software in LabVIEW."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Djerf, Pontus R.; Tornazakis, Ioannis
2008-09
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Validation of High Frequency Radar used in Ocean Surface Current Mapping via in-Situ Drifting Buoys
"High frequency (HF) radar and its application to mapping ocean surface currents is a relatively new field of study in oceanography. Nevertheless, this scientific field produces real, tangible, accurate real-time results readily available to the military operational planner. The information gained through this process aids in the planning and execution of littoral operations via the development of the battle-space environment. Additionally, commercial use of this information can aide in the containment of coastal oil spills, efforts in search and rescue, and the execution of coastal engineering projects. Indeed, the utilization of High Frequency radar in the ocean environment has many beneficial qualities used by a wide variety of organizations. This study focuses on the validation aspects of High Frequency radar through the use of four drifters placed in-situ from 23-27 January 2008 on the Central California Coast from Monterey to San Francisco. A second experiment was conducted from 01-10 April 2008 involving 32 drifters placed west of the San Francisco Bay. Various statistical comparisons of radial current velocity data from 12 CODAR (Coastal Ocean Dynamics Application Radar) stations to the radial velocity data of each of the drifters will be analyzed."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Wright, George
2008-09
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VoIP Quality Measurements in a Multilevel Secure (MLS) Environment
"Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is growing in popularity in the civilian and military communities due to its low cost and the management advantages it offers over traditional Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN) phone systems. Many military commands do not have the infrastructure or funding that is required to support the rapid expansion of multiple phone services at various locations throughout the world. VoIP offers a rapidly deployable alternative. A subjective study was designed to test the quality of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) signals in a controlled and isolated multilevel secure network to which single level networks were attached. The experiment provided useful insights regarding VoIP testing with human subjects and its procedures can be repeated as the Monterey Security Architecture (MYSEA) project moves forward with the implementation and deployment of VoIP services in its multilevel testbed."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Adams, Coy M.
2008-03
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Framing Cultural Attributes for Human Representation in Military Training and Simulations
"This thesis provides insight to improve training of personnel that will support United States Security, Stability, Transformation and Reconstruction (SSTR) operations in the social and cultural context of the Middle East. SSTR operations require competencies far beyond conventional fighting skills. Necessary skills include rounded knowledge about the history and culture, and language, of the indigenous people in the operational area. Through personal interviews, social science research, and historical literature reviews, this thesis provides a framework for training military personnel on culture and social interactions using modeling and simulation. I propose the use of computer agents, bots or avatars with the cultural/social attributes explained within to be a solution to the lack of training in this field. These enhanced interaction skills will further support regional stability, increase cooperative engagements, and decrease insurgent activities."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Fears, Tellis A.
2008-09
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Architecting a Net-centric Operations System of Systems for Multi-domain Awareness
"Maritime domain awareness (MDA) entails knowing what is happening in the oceans and waterways that could affect the security or environment of the United States. With a focus on potential attack vessels (PAV) as threats in the maritime domain, a multi-domain SoS is needed to exploit and integrate information from multiple sources, including sensors, databases, and intelligence, to provide reconnaissance, surveillance, and information used in the formulation of a common operational picture (COP), a tool to effect maritime domain awareness. In this thesis the best architecture of net-centric operations (NCO) multidomain system of systems (SoS) for MDA is determined, employing an integrated systems engineering methodology for analyzing and ranking systems of systems architectures. This methodology involves the use of process modeling, modeling of an SoS with the systems modeling language (SysML), and subsequent conversion of the resulting SysML diagrams into an ExtendTM executable simulation model, used in a simulative study carried out to evaluate three multi-domain awareness SoS architecture alternatives in terms of the time to establish a COP and the probability of COP accuracy. Of the three architecture alternatives, a conceptual SoS whose constituting systems are connected in a distributed network with a high degree of connectivity is found to take the least amount of time to establish a COP and to have a high probability of COP accuracy. It can thus be considered to be the best of the three MDA SoS architecture alternatives."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Ruegger, Keith L.
2008-09
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Uses of a Polarimetric Camera
"Research question: Using Polarimetric imaging, what is the capability for the detection of disturbed surfaces (soil, asphalt, other)? In particular, what capabilities are provided by a compact video imaging system currently being acquired by NPS for various research uses? Discussion of topic: Polarimetric imaging is the final domain in optical systems, following along after panchromatic and spectral imaging. This technology is now viable to test for possible phenomenologies and applications of military interest. Since polarization is strongly affected by surface roughness, it is intrinsically sensitive to disturbed surfaces. As such, it should be good for detection of IEDs, and traffic by foot or vehicle. There are some reasons to believe it may help discriminate good and bad landing zones for helicopter activities in desert environments, and may help helicopters to avoid 'brown outs.' Conclusion: There were no significant changes in the area of degree of linear polarization over a fixed amount of time at a fixed target."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Smith, Phillip S.
2008-09
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Surface Combatant Readiness to Confront a Sea Control Navy
"This thesis proposes to correct the shortfalls in the US Surface Combatants ability to counter a Sea-Control Navy. The concept counters this threat using unmanned aerial systems, decoys, and a layered defense. We analyze the performance with a Filtering Model of Salvo Warfare that is an extension of the Hughes Salvo Equations. The model incorporates the diluting effect of decoys upon enemy salvos and accounts for the historical reality of leakers. We conclude that in the absence of air support provided by US Carriers the warships that will have to reestablish sea control will be Arleigh Burke Destroyers based on current force composition. In summary, the thesis illustrates serious combat shortfalls in Surface Warfare of DDGs against a numerically superior Chinese Surface Action Group and proposes a reasonable solution of three key upgrades. The first upgrade is a long range TASM-like missile to correct the current DDG's lack of long range offensive missiles. The next two upgrades are both unmanned aerial systems. The Global Hawk maritime variant would provide offensive targeting data to surface combatants allowing for a successful first strike. The Fire Scout would provide local airborne early warning to allow for timely launches of decoys and defensive missiles."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Wissel, Nicholas E.
2008-09
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Veiled Normalization: The Implications of Japanese Missile Defense
"Japan's development of a missile defense system has been accompanied by the acquisition of potentially offensive military assets, an increased command and control capability, significant restructuring of the collective defense establishment, and doctrinal changes that allow pre-emption should an attack be deemed imminent. Regardless of the long-standing Japanese debate on the constitutionality of the use of force, the introduction of missile defense has institutionalized key structural elements within the defense establishment marking a clear milestone in an ongoing trend towards security normalization. Under the broad rubric of missile defense, Japan has had to re-evaluate its position on the military use of space, the export of weapons technology, collective security, command authority, and the conditions under which pre-emption may be warranted. These changes have manifested themselves in many ways, to include statutory changes, restructuring and elevation of the former Defense Agency, an increased emphasis on joint service interoperability, and the acquisition of a broad range of advanced technologies. It is undeniable that the trend towards security normalization began with the inception of the National Police Reserve in 1950, but it can also be asserted that missile defense has provided an umbrella under which the trend has been significantly advanced."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Clarke, Timothy L.
2008-09
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Study of Navy Enlisted Attrition: Race, Ethnicity, and Type of Occupation
"The primary objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of Navy first-term enlisted attrition among racial/ethnic minorities by comparing attrition rates in technical and non-technical occupations. This study uses a special database developed by the Defense Manpower Data Center in Monterey, CA. that contains the records of 186,938 male recruits who enlisted in the Navy during calendar years 1996 through 2000. These individuals are tracked over a four-year period to determine rates of failure to complete the initial enlistment contract. Cross-tabulation and frequency analysis are first used to examine attrition rates by race, racial/ethnic group, and ethnicity. The attrition behavior of these groups is then investigated using two factors shown to correlate with attrition, Armed Forces Qualification Test category and educational Tier Group. Finally, the attrition behavior of these groups is examined by assigned occupation, grouped by technical and non-technical categories. The study finds that occupational assignment is related to the attrition behavior of first-term enlisted personnel, and that the relationship is different between Whites and most minorities. On average, Non-Hispanic Asians and Non-Hispanic Whites are more likely to attrite when assigned to a non-technical job than to a technical one; in contrast, most minorities are far more likely to attrite when serving in a technical job. Further research is recommended to explore these results and to suggest approaches that might assist in lowering attrition rates among minorities, particularly those assigned to technical occupations."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Carroll, James M.
2008-09
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Littoral Combat Vessels: Analysis and Comparison of Designs
"The introduction of new technologies force navies to adapt and the introduction of surface-to-surface anti-ship cruise missiles from a large number of small coastal combatants created vulnerability in the Navy's force structure of large, expensive, nonexpendable warships. To counter this threat, the adoption by the U.S. Navy of small, inexpensive, missile bearing vessels is recommended. Four alternative candidate vessels are evaluated using a mathematical simulation. The candidates are a Littoral Combat Ship with a surface warfare module, a National Security Cutter augmented with offensive and defensive weaponry, a 'Sea Lance' inshore combat vessel, and a Combat Patrol Craft, a variant of the Cyclone class patrol craft augmented with offensive and defensive weaponry. Equal cost force structures for the four candidate vessels are developed, and then these forces are 'fought' in simulated battles against a missile-firing opponent force of variable strength. Additional roles such as maritime interdiction and theater security cooperation are considered and the candidate vessels are qualitatively compared for their ability to perform in these missions. Sea Lance is demonstrated to be the most effective and lowest cost candidate vessel. The driving force behind this is the large number of vessels the equal-cost Sea Lance squadron makes possible by its low procurement and operating costs, a result predicted by Lanchester and Hughes because in naval combat, numerical superiority is the single most important factor in determining the outcome of a battle."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Christiansen, Bryan J.
2008-09
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Defining Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) Operations Requirements for Future Department of the Navy Training and Analytical Models and Simulations
"The Department of Defense elevated stability operations to equal importance as combat operations. With 75 percent of the world's population located in the littorals, the Navy-Marine Corps team is poised to be the country's instrument of choice for military support to Stability Operations. This brings the need to train and plan for these non-traditional missions. Furthermore, simulations are force multipliers in both the training and planning arenas, but no current simulation exists that adequately addresses stability operations. This thesis reviews how Navy-Marine Corps leaders plan and train for restoring a civilian population's essential services, via the guidance of The Department of Defense Directive 3000.05 and National Security Presidential Directive 44. The objective for this thesis is to create a documented methodology, define requirements, and provide metrics that will assist analysts and instructors during naval support to Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) operations. In addition, it evaluates the capability gaps in current simulations. Lastly, a conceptual model is proposed using water as a proof of concept essential service, and a prototype framework simulation is presented. This work provides a working foundation to begin developing the next generation of simulations that will support or warfighters into the next era of warfare."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Beris, Jonathan; Whittington, Eric
2008-09
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Investigating the Effects of Higher Spatial Resolution on Benthic Classification Accuracy at Midway Atoll
"Effective monitoring of coral reefs is important for ecological and economic reasons, and satellite remote sensing has been shown to be useful for mapping and monitoring these ecosystems. This thesis will compare 2 multispectral systems and investigate the effects of increased spatial resolution on benthic classifications in the highly heterogeneous coral reef environment of Midway Atoll. It will evaluate the utility of QuickBird's increased spatial resolution compared to IKONOS imagery in the same study area at multiple scales. Previous studies (e.g., Mumby and Edwards, 2002; Capolsini et al., 2003; Wang et al., 2004; Benefeild et al., 2007) comparing various satellite sensors suggest that greater spatial resolution should lead to more accurate classifications, but a direct comparison of QuickBird and IKONOS sensors has not been carried out in marine environments. Light interactions in marine environments are complex and add difficulty to spectral discrimination, producing more variable results in classification accuracy than in terrestrial environments. This research does not find any significant improvements in thematic mapping accuracy of benthic environment from QuickBird's higher spatial resolution satellite imagery. Additionally, a cost benefit analysis did not show a decisive advantage in choosing either imagery type for the application of monitoring the extent, biodiversity, and health of coral reef habitats."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Arledge, Richard K.; Hatcher, Ervin B.
2008-09
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Assessing Accuracy in Varying LIDAR Data Point Densities in Digital Elevation Maps
"This thesis discusses the production of Digital Elevation Maps (DEM) using varying density of data points from a Lidar (Laser or Light Detection And Ranging) collection. Additionally, this thesis contains information on the multiple space missions that use laser altimetry or Lidar to gather data about planet earth, the moon, asteroids, Mars and Mercury. The thesis covers the accuracy of different amounts of data used when generating a DEM in Quick Terrain Modeler software package and the ILAP Bare Earth Extraction Plug-In and discusses the error analysis when comparing the different DEMs built by randomly selecting 90%, 66%, 50%, 30%, 10%, 5%, 3%, 1%, 0.5%, 0.3%, 0.05%, 0.03% and 0.01% of the data from an airborne Lidar collection from Honduras in 2008. Analyzing surface DEMs created in QTM, the results of the point reduction experiment indicate that a collection cloud point density of 60,000 points per square kilometer are required for an accurate surface DEM in this environment."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Anderson, Brian C.
2008-09
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Technology Insertion Considerations for Complex System of Systems Development
"The Future Combat Systems (FCS) is a system of systems, comprised of 14 individual systems, all connected via a common network with the Soldier as the centerpiece. The Army has recognized that evolutionary acquisition enables the rapid fielding of FCS technologies as they mature to meet warfighter requirements. It has implemented the Spin-out plan to leverage FCS R&D efforts to insert new capabilities into the Current Force. Complex system of systems development, however, requires more robust approaches to ensure effective and efficient delivery of new capabilities to the warfighter such that he can immediately take advantage of the full capabilities the new system offers. Integrating a Modular Open Systems Approach to acquisition ensures the seamless insertion of newly acquired systems into existing systems and facilitates insertion of future envisioned systems. The System Structure methodology provides a framework for engineering a system and is used to integrate the evolutionary acquisition process and the modular open systems approach for a tailored framework that addresses the needs and requirements of the FCS program and contribute to Army Modernization Strategy overall. The integration of evolutionary acquisition and MOSA within a sound systems engineering framework results in an insertion strategy that is responsive and flexible with the greatest benefit to the end user of the resulting products."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Aragon, Lasumar R.
2008-09
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Emerging Threats and the War on Terrorism: The Formation of Radical Islamist Movements in Sub-Saharan Africa
"Determining the conditions that lead to the formation of radical Islamist groups will help analysts and policymakers prioritize countries within sub-Saharan Africa that may need monitoring to prevent the onset of indigenous terrorism. This thesis attempts to produce knowledge toward that end by determining causal variables hypothesized to be associated with radical Islamist group formation through inductive analysis. A narrative describing the formation of a known Islamist movement in Nigeria is compared against a narrative describing the conditions in Zanzibar, where radical groups have yet to emerge given different structural conditions. The goal of the thesis is to try and generate an initial understanding of the underlying conditions that cause radical group formation to help tailor U.S. policy goals toward fighting radical Islamist group emergence through prevention."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Calabrese, Maurizio D.
2005-06
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Detection of IED Emplacement in Urban Environments
"This research will be focused on discovering patterns of activity that lead to the emplacement of IEDs by terrorists in urban environments. This research will employ a network in a predictive mode by looking for suspicious activity patterns and raising alerts when a pre-determined level of confidence is achieved in the prediction. The scope of this thesis will be to conduct various experiments using wireless sensor network motes to detect the presence of magnetic material. Using various configurations of the motes, a pattern will be established that best predicts the presence of IEDs in a busy urban environment. The configurations will be designed and tested for reliability and coverage to support detection in various urban settings. The results show that wireless sensor networks in conjunction with other anti-IED methods prove useful for the detection of IED material in urban settings. A wireless sensor network configured with proper equipment provides useful results for detecting IEDs and shows potential for correctly predicting behavior associated personnel carrying IED material."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
O'Hara, Matthew
2008-09
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Identification of Human Factors Concerns in Joint Strike Fighter and Training Recommendations
"Military aviation is the frontier of implementing leading edge technology. The major objectives of advanced technology aircraft are to increase pilot safety and mission efficiency; the Joint Strike Fighter, the most modern fighter aircraft under development, has many technological innovations for just this purpose. A common fact is that technology develops and is used faster than it can be researched thoroughly. This thesis seeks to identify and mitigate potential human factors concerns related to the Joint Strike Fighter, before it is used in the air forces of participating countries. The objective is neither to blame nor defend the design of the aircraft. Two surveys and an interview yielded the following findings: fighter pilots will use automation more in JSF than in their current types, the main LCD management will be key to mission efficiency and safety, the Distributed Aperture System should be addressed very carefully to avoid disorientation issues, and tactical decision-making skills will be more important and demanding. New approaches for better automation training, more focus on data filtering, display management, prioritization skills, establishing robust standard operating procedures for DAS, and addressing the complex decision-making skills in more detail than the current training curriculums are concluded to be the major requirements of JSF pilot training."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Bitik, Arif Batu; Külünk, Bulent
2008-09
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Missile Defense Certification: Examination of the U.S. Navy Aegis Warship and U.S. Army Patriot Crew Certification Process
"The process employed by Naval Surface Forces to capture information during warfare certification is enabled by a computer-based feedback mechanism. The Surface Force Type Commander employs two information management system models in the form of Training and Operational Readiness Information Service (TORIS) and Training Figure of Merit (TFOM) to report progress, capture data, compare trends, and achieve training and certification process efficiency. These systems have advantages that can be recognized and capitalized upon by other elements within the Ballistic Missile Defense community. This thesis examines how two Ballistic Missile Defense elements-Naval Aegis units and Army Patriot units-leverage technology to capture data as part of the certification timeline and the degree of alignment between the certification processes of the elements. It is recommended that an initiative be undertaken to record and retain data associated with certification events down to a granular (unit) level. It is further recommended that the Patriot community in particular consider an information technology solution for the issue of unit-level readiness management."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Biggs, Robert C.
2008-09
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NPS-SCAT (Solar Cell Array Tester), The Construction of NPS' First Prototype CubeSat
"Large, expensive satellites have had failures or degraded missions due to solar cells that had not been tested in the space environment. To address these issues, a solar cell testing CubeSat prototype has been developed as part of the Space Systems Academic Group CubeSat program. This prototype provides a dedicated and responsive solution to testing solar cells in space and, as the first CubeSat built at NPS, it gives valuable experience that will encourage CubeSat projects at NPS in the future. This Master's Thesis describes the NPS-SCAT (solar cell array tester) project, including the author's experience as program manager of the project, responsible for budget, schedule and technical deliverables. This thesis explains in detail the process that was used to develop the prototype and gives recommendations for the flight unit. An important conclusion of this thesis is that CubeSats show great promise for hands-on education and as potential platforms to conduct focused research of national interest."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Bein, Alexander L.
2008-09
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Development of a Human Performance Model as a Baseline for Automatic Change Detection Software Capabilities in Mine Warfare
"This study focused on the development of a human performance model as a baseline performance capability for automatic change detection software for use in mine warfare. Through a series of survey images, operator performance was observed under a variety of sonar image conditions, including increasing clutter levels and changes in image altitude and orientation. While a rough model was developed utilizing only the physical attributes of the images, to obtain a close fit between the model and actual observations, the variability of personal proficiency was included in the final model. The inclusion of this parameter greatly improved model accuracy and highlights the need to better understand differences between operator performances in mine warfare planning."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Barrett, Jason S.
2008-09
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Improved Methodology for Developing Cost Uncertainty Models for Naval Vessels
"The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the probabilistic cost model currently in use by NAVSEA 05C to predict cost uncertainty in naval vessel construction and to develop a method that better predicts the ultimate cost risk. The data used to develop the improved approach is collected from analysis of the CG(X) class ship by NAVSEA 05C. The NAVSEA 05C cost risk factors are reviewed and analyzed to determine if different factors are better cost predictors. The impact of data elicitation, the Money Allocated Is Money Spent (MAIMS) principle, and correlation effects are incorporated into the research and analysis of this thesis. Data quality is directly affected by data elicitation methods and influences the choice of probability distribution used to give the best predictor of cost risk. MAIMS and correlation effects are shown to make a significant impact to the overall cost model. Program managers and analysts can readily implement the enhanced models using commercial Excel add-ins, such as Crystal Ball or @Risk, and integrate them into their current cost risk analysis and management practices to better mitigate risk and control project cost."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Brown, Cinda L.
2008-09
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Detection of Frequency Hopped Signals Timing Information Using the Temporal Correlation Function
"This work extends earlier work derived by Overdyk and investigates the use of wavelet transform and image processing tools to estimate hopping times occurring in frequency hopping schemes. The detection algorithm identifies frequency hopping time locations found in FH schemes from the information provided by the two-dimensional shortterm signal temporal correlation function. Hopping time locations are shown to be provided by indentifying TCF phase discontinuities. The detection scheme has three main stages: 1. Derive the analytic version of the FH signal and compute the resulting TCF function; 2. Enhance discontinuities via the one-dimensional Wavelet transform; 3. Apply morphological image processing operations and the Hough transform to estimate hopping time locations. Results show that for FH signals imbedded in additive White Gaussian noise, reliable detection performance may be obtained for SNR levels above 3 dB and good detection performance for SNR levels above 6dB for 5% to 20% detection accuracy."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Cheng, Yuan-Pin
2008-09
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Exploration of the Use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Along with Other Assets to Enhance Border Protection
"Border protection is a vital national security issue for most countries. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is responsible for protecting the borders of the U.S. from terrorism, human and drug smuggling and illegal migration. The U.S. CBP improves manpower, technology and infrastructure along the border through various projects. In this study, part of the Tucson sector in Arizona is modeled in an agent-based model (MANA) to explore the effects of using a hand-launched, mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (miniUAV) along with other assets, such as Border Patrol (BP) agents, surveillance towers, the Predator B, seismic sensors and communication centers. The results from the runs of different scenarios, created by a Nearly-Orthogonal Latin Hypercube (NOLH) design, are analyzed using comparison tests, linear regression, and regression trees. As a result, the use of miniUAVs is found to be beneficial in capturing the illegal entrants in this analysis and thus could potentially provide more secure borders. Adequate manpower, in this case BP agents, and a reliable communication web to compose a Common Operational Picture (COP) emerge as the most important factors regarding border protection in this analysis."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Yildiz, Bahri
2009-06
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Optimal Transmitter Placement in Wireless Mesh Networks
"Wireless mesh networks are systems of wireless access points interconnected in a mesh to provide digital services to client devices via radio transmission. We consider the challenges of quickly and optimally designing a wireless mesh network. We focus on maximizing client coverage area by choice of access point locations, subject to constraints on network service, quantity and technical capabilities of access points, environmental information, and radio propagation over terrain. We create a nondifferentiable, non-convex, nonlinear optimization problem to quantify the value of a given network, and use a sampling algorithm to quickly find very good solutions. We conduct field tests using commercial equipment in real-world scenarios, and conclude our technique can provide working wireless mesh network topologies. Our techniques and associated decision support tool can be used by humanitarian assistance or disaster relief personnel and combat communications planners to quickly design wireless mesh networks. The decision support tool runs on a laptop computer, accepts map data in a generic file format, creates network topologies for virtually any type of terrain and mesh access point device, and does not require any additional software or solver licenses."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Nicholas, Paul J.
2009-06
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Empirical Evaluation of a Model of Team Collaboration Using Selected Transcripts from September 11, 2001
"The extraordinary events that occurred on the morning of September 11, 2001, left Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controllers in New York, Boston, Washington, and Cleveland and their colleagues at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), without precedent as to how to respond to the hijacking of four American commercial airliners. Despite the chaos and confusion, the two agencies put forth a joint effort in order to decide when and how to scramble fighter aircraft to escort the airliners. The collaboration that occurred between the agencies was recorded in radio transcripts between NORAD and FAA air traffic controllers. The goal of this thesis is to utilize the September 11, 2001, NORAD/FAA channel three transcripts to offer a real-world example of how a team works together on a one-of-a-kind problem. Further, transcript of recorded audio were coded and analyzed in an effort to empirically validate the Office of Naval Research model of team collaboration. The model focuses on individual and team cognitive processes used during team or agency collaboration with the goal of understanding how individuals and teams work together in order to reach a decision."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Place, David S.; Grubbs, Gregory A.
2009-06
