Objective:
The use of military vehicles results in soil disturbance and vegetation loss. While the capacity of installation lands to sustain training is a function of both the sensitivity of lands to specific activities and the natural recovery rates of vegetation, it is also a function of vehicle characteristics, the doctrine that establishes how these systems are used, and actual locations where activities are conducted. The objective of this project is to demonstrate and validate a methodology for assessing the impacts of vehicle-based training. The methodology was originally developed under the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) project Improved Units of Measure for Training and Testing Area Carrying Capacity Estimation (SI-1102) and later instrumented under the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) project Enhanced Global Positioning System (GPS)/Inertial Navigation System (INS) Tracking and Vehicle Dynamics Monitoring System.
Technology Description:
The Vehicle Dynamics Monitoring and Tracking System (VDMTS) consists of the following four components: (1) vehicle tracking process, (2) vehicle impact models, (3) vehicle tracking hardware and software, and (4) vehicle tracking data analysis. The vehicle tracking process is an approach to predict impacts associated with vehicle-based training that spatially characterizes short-term, direct impacts resulting from vehicles by monitoring individual vehicle locations and operating characteristics. System hardware tracks vehicle locations and dynamic properties. Vehicle impact models are used to predict the area impacted, vegetation loss, and rut depth based on vehicle operating characteristics and location. Analysis routines are used to summarize vehicle use patterns and the severity of cumulative impacts. Analysis routines include identification of single and multiple pass impacts and trail formation. VDMTS hardware consists of a GPS receiver integrated with inertial sensors. These sensors measure vehicle kinematics, dynamics, and other parameters of interest that enable environmental impacts to be modeled. VDMTS hardware, when embedded in a vehicle, has the capability to record the vehicle dynamics along with position information for post-mission analysis. Process-based vehicle impact models predict site impacts in terms of disturbed area, vegetation loss, and rut depth based on vehicle static properties (e.g., vehicle type, weight, and dimension), vehicle dynamic properties (e.g., turning radius and velocity), and site conditions (e.g., soil strength). Data collected by VDMTS hardware are used with the impact models to predict spatially explicit site impacts. Analysis routines summarize vehicle tracking data in a manner usable within typical installation decision-making processes through spatial displays of estimated vegetation loss and soil rutting, percentage of vegetation lost within management areas, percentage of on- and off-road traffic, and potential trail identification.
Expected Benefits:
The VDMTS streamlines the process of collecting data to assess the impacts of vehicle-based training. Cost savings will be realized in the collection of relevant site impact and condition data, which previously were found to be more advantageous than traditional labor-intensive methods. This approach and tool set will more accurately characterize mission impacts in a manner that supports fielding of new weapon systems and maintenance of installation lands. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2011)
Principal Investigator:
Mr. Daniel Koch
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center
Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
2902 Newmark Drive
Champaign, IL 61822-1076
Telephone: (217) 352-6511, Ext. 7504
Fax: (217) 373-7266
Email: daniel.j.koch@usace.army.mil
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