Abstract 2011-2012
Integration with a Web Applicationto Create Navigational Instructions for Locations on the Campus of ECSU
http://nia.ecsu.edu/ur/1112/teams/mobile/index.html

Mashups are an exciting genre of interactive Web applications that draw upon content retrieved from external data sources to create entirely new and innovative services. The purpose of the Mobile Applications Research Team was to create an interface mashup in which geographic information and meta data from buildings located on the campus of Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) can be presented to users via mobile platforms. The project includes HTML5 programming which referenced a database that housed information such as location, building establishment date, academic departments, and academic programs. The information was then compiled using a PHP Hypertext Processor (PHP) form to populate a MySQL database. HTML5 coupled with PHP programming was then used to render a mobile web page with both map and database information.

Using Google Map Maker paths, streets, and buildings were created in appropriate geographic locations on the ECSU campus. The Google Maps Application Programming Interface was then used to generate Uniform Resource Locator's to both retrieve user Global Positioning System coordinates and create walking directions to selected locations. The user then had the ability to generate walking directions to locations on the university's campus.

Abstract 2010-2011
Using Open Source Software to Process LandSat Imagery
http://nia.ecsu.edu/ur/1011/teams/gis/index.html

Remote Sensing and GIS has been regarded as an art or science of making measurements of the earth using sensors on airplanes or satellites. But with technology advances made today, this information is not only made available to cartographers, computer scientists, or other skilled scientists. Satellite imagery and open source software is made readily available to the public, making it possible for the "average user" to easily explore this field. The purpose of this research is to investigate these online software tools that offer an alternative to commercial products that are expensive. We accomplished this by downloading LandSat etm satellite imagery, ILWIS 3.6, MapWindow, Google Earth, kml2shapefile. Then using this geographic data and software, we attempted to manipulate the data and assessed the functions of the software.

Abstract 2010 summer
The Spectral Reflectance of Ship wakes between 400 and 900 nm
Poster

The objective of this research is to define the spectral reflectance characteristics of ship wakes at high spatial and spectral resolution, for the purposes of identifying maritime traffic using optical remote sensing data. The Hyperspectral Imager of the Coastal Ocean (HICO) was flown over the Hawaiian coast in April 2010. Hyperspectral images of the wake produced by the United States Coast Guard vessel, Kittiwake, traveling at speeds of 7, 14, and 21 knots were acquired. Analysis of the spectral reflectance data reveals a) that the spectral reflectance of the wake is distinct from that of background (i.e. deep ocean and sun-glint), and b) that systematic differences in the spectral reflectance properties of the wake, both along and across its long axis, as a function of vessel speed. Statistical analysis of the data indicate that the reflectance properties of the wake are significantly different to the ambient background but that the degree of difference decreases exponentially as spatial resolution increases. These results provides insights into how similar instruments operating from low Earth orbit can be expected successfully detect the presence of ships on the basis of the wake they produce.

Abstract 2009-2010
Creating a Program in Mat Lab to Classify CRISM Data
http://nia.ecsu.edu/ur/0910/teams/crism/index.html

Creating a Program in Mat Lab to Classify CRISM Data For years many people have had questions concerning Mars atmosphere climate, and surface. If water had ever existed on Mars and if so where and when did the water occur? Is Mars suitable for life? Can there be human exploration and colonization on Mars? NASA uses it's high tech seeking instrument known as CRISM (The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars) to trace the past and present water on Martian Mars to try and answer these questions that have yet to be fully answered. The CRISM instrument is sent to Mars to take images of Mars surface in search for minerals that may indicate that water is present.

The 2009-2010 undergrad Research team primary focus was to create a program using map lab that will classify CRISM data in a shorter time frame than what it will take to classify by hand. The CRISM research consisted of manually classifying images from Mars and placing them into excel's data base, downloading images and storing them into Kitoto's server so that the program can read and return results of the overall images and mineral images. These images can be classified as excellent, fair, poor, and absent. The classification of each image will show whether there is a lot, little, or no water in each kind of mineral. The five minerals are oxidized iron minerals, mafic mineralogy, hydroxylated silicates, bound water and CO2 water. The images that show the most signs of water in certain areas on Martian will be examined more closely. Currently, the CRISM team working is on creating this program in Mat Lab.

Abstract 2009
Artificial Intelligence: Navigating Polygonal Obstacles Using Searching Techniques

The project used artificial intelligence searching techniques to find a path around polygonal obstacles on a plane. The solution was based on both non-informed and informed algorithms. The algorithms are compared and contrasted. Each of these algorithms will work on the problem represented in terms of states and transitions between them. The algorithms then find a path to a goal state by choosing one segment at a time. Java programming was used to implement the algorithms and present the solution in a graphical user interface.

Abstract 2008-2009 Oceanography Team
Spectral absorpation coefficients of living phytoplankton and nonalgal biogenous matter: A comparison between the Peru upwelling area and the Albarmare Sound
http://nia.ecsu.edu/ur/0809/teams/ocean/index.html

The optical properties of seawater can be classified into two categories: apparent and inherent optical properties. While inherent optical properties (IOP) depend only on water, its dissolved and particulate components, apparent optical properties (AOP) depend on both IOP and environmental light field. Consequently, the determination of IOP of aquatic environment is essential for characterizing both seawater components and underwater light fields. Additionally, IOP of seawater determines remote sensing reflectance and it is an important factor for developing and calibration of remote sensing algorithms. Albemarle Sound is a coastal environment with a unique colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and particulates that are poorly documented. Specifically, the spatial variation of the concentrations of CDOM and particulates and their bio-optical properties are poorly known. We have conducted a field sampling and laboratory study of water samples of Albemarle Sound. Specifically, we have: (1). conducted vertical profiles of temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen at selected stations along a transect from Elizabeth City to the Real-Time Albemarle Sound Observing Station; (2). collected surface water samples along the transect for studying the bio-optical properties; (3). determined the absorption spectrum of CDOM and particulate material; (4) compared the absorption spectrums of Albemarle Sound samples to that of from other regions.

Abstract- 2008 Polar Grid Team
Designing and Developing a Portal for the Polar Grid High Performance Computing System
http://nia.ecsu.edu/ureomps2008/team-portal/index.html

Polar Grid is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program funded partnership of Indiana University (IU) and Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) to acquire and deploy the computing infrastructure needed to investigate the urgent problems in glacial melting. The grid will be comprised of ruggedized laptops and computer clusters deployed in the field in the Polar Regions and two large scale computing clusters for detailed analysis in the U.S. – one to be installed at IU, and the other at ECSU. This installation will give ECSU a 5 Teraflop MSI High performance computing system, building on its distance education and undergraduate laboratory infrastructure to create tremendous outreach capabilities.

Accessing this computing cluster will entail the development of a grid portal to provide security, access to data, and the ability to process data along with education and outreach functions. Development of this portal will start with the documentation of terms, processes and software needed to develop a portal and understand what the grid is. The project will then progress to producing XML page structures to display processed data acquired during expeditions in Greenland and Antarctica. Another aspect will be the development of "IGoogle Gadgets" simulating the portal user environment and the process of converting that gadget into an RSS feed.

Abstract – 2007-2008 Multimedia Team
Redesign and Upgrade of the CERSER Website and Digital Image Library
http://nia.ecsu.edu/ur/0708/teams/mmt/index.html

The Center of Excellence in Remote Sensing Education and Research (CERSER) on the campus of Elizabeth City State University is currently tasked with the responsibility of receiving remotely sensed Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Sea Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) data for research projects year round. This data is collected, processed, annotated, and transformed into images in the Tagged Image File Format (tiff). These tiff images are then uploaded to the CERSER archive library server located at http://cerser.ecsu.edu. Once uploaded, they are converted into various resolutions and their information is added to a tracking database maintained with Microsoft Access software. This database provides a searchable means for retrieving satellite image data through various parameters.

The current site and database architecture were developed in 2003 and modified in 2005. New capabilities and site requirements necessitated a redesign of the current site to include a more logical navigation scheme and flexibility to expand as needed. The image database required an update of the over four thousand images, many of which were corrupted or missing information. The database also required the implementation of product categories such as AVHRR color images, SeaWiFS chlorophyll images, and SeaWiFS sea surface temperature, as new satellite licenses have been acquired.