UAS Researchers Take First Place at International SPIE Conference

Dr. Tianxing Chu, Geospatial Science professor at A&M Corpus Christi, holds UAS for photo op.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Taking center stage with their recently awarded paper, Islander researchers Dr. Tianxing Chu and Dr. Michael Starek are protecting crops through the research and testing of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to detect lodging, the premature falling of crops due to strong wind events. Taking first place at the International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE)’s April 2017 Autonomous Air and Ground Sensing Systems for Agricultural Optimization and Phenotyping II Conference, the focus of their research could potentially improve the production of the U.S.’s most widely produced grain – corn. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the U.S. is a major player in the world corn trade market with approximately 10 and 20 percent of corn crops exported to other countries.

“The focus of this paper was inspired when communicating with our co-authors, Drs. Michael Brewer and Seth Murray, who are experts in crop science and plant genetics,” said Chu, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. “With lodging being one of the major destructive factors for crop quality and yield, they emphasized a strong need to develop an automated method to detect the lodging of crops on a large scale for assessment of yield and plant performance.”

The field data was collected during the 2016 growing season at Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center in Corpus Christi while different UAS platforms (drones) were flown over corn fields with flight frequency targeted weekly. The research proposal, which took a total of seven months to develop including time for analysis, was submitted to SPIE in December 2016. Their research focused on using UAS platforms to collect imagery over a corn field and then use that imagery to measure the three-dimensional plant structure through Photogrammetry software. This practice helps to observe and analyze the change in plant height due to lodging over time without manually scouting in the field.

Finalizing their analysis in April 2017, after careful development of algorithms and testing, Chu and Starek submitted their research paper along with more than 20 other entries in SPIE’s April 2017 international competition. The paper took first place receiving an award of $1,000 sponsored by the Monsanto Company.

“This is an exceptional honor to us. Being noticed and acknowledged by internationally renowned experts is exciting and fantastic,” said Starek, Assistant Professor of Geospatial Surveying in Engineering and Geospatial Computing Sciences at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. “This award will unquestionably encourage us to further pursue our research into UAS-based remote sensing for agricultural monitoring.”

Looking to the future, both Chu and Starek plan to continue their work by exploring multispectral features of lodging plants, combined with height measures, to make the algorithms they developed adaptive to multiple types of crops. For more information on Chu and Starek’s research, click here, or to find out more about SPIE, visit http://spie.org/.

Island University Maps Showcased at Texas Map Society Meeting

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas Map Society spring meeting showcased the collections of historic maps of the Conrad Blucher Institute and the Mary and Jeff Bell Library and a map digitization project. The meeting, held April 1 and 2, was hosted by Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.

The first day of the meetings included a visit to the Aransas County History Center in Rockport to hear County Surveyor Jerry Brundrett discuss his collection on display there. The group then had a private tour of the Art Museum of South Texas.

The second day’s events included a visit to the Bell Library’s Special Collection and Archives. Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist Ann Hodges and Dr. Rick Smith, Assistant Professor of the College of Science and Engineering and Director of Spatial {Query} Lab, opened the day with the presentation, “A Surveying Dynasty and its Legacy: The Blucher Collection and its Digitization.”  The project they discussed is a partnership between the Conrad Blucher Institute and the Bell Library and is an ambitious undertaking to scan and catalog the library’s collections of thousands of maps.  It will allow the public to have digital access to the collections.  

The meeting was sponsored by Brister Surveying, Inc., the Conrad Blucher Institute and the Mary and Jeff Bell Library.

A&M-CC Students Develop Weather App for Motorists

By Natalia Contreras of the Caller-Times

Dr. Philippe Tissot (right) and his team give a demonstration on the Weather on Wheels app.

Whitney Rutledge of Houston makes the four-hour drive to visit family several times each month.

She knows exactly what time she should leave town to arrive right before rush hour.

But she knows bad weather is a game changer.

Rutledge once had to drive through a severe storm near Refugio, which forced her to make a few stops.

However, since about a year ago, Rutledge's trips to Houston are no longer affected by the weather. She uses Weather on Wheels, an app created by the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, which displays weather forecasts along an entire route.

"I use it every time I travel anywhere now," Rutledge, who is a research assistant at the university, said. "The one time I didn't use the app I hit a downpour and I knew I should have checked the app."

Philippe Tissot, associated director of the surveying institute, said he presented the app idea to Geographic Information Systems and Computer Science students about five years ago. Tissot said the purpose of the app is to improve safety during a road trip.

Tissot said students researched how bad weather affects the rate of traffic accidents and found that there are about 1 million traffic accidents, including fatalities, every year due to weather, according to the Department of Transportation.

"This project is a great experience for the students," Tissot said. "They are part of the decision-making process. They have to look for a solution; they discuss the project in a group and then they make it happen," he said.

Weather on Wheels is a free app, and it is available to download for web, iPhone and Android. It allows people to enter their current location, destination, and choose the date and time of travel. The app then offers routes to choose between and then displays the weather forecast along the chosen route.

Students who helped develop and test the app include Rutledge, Julien Clifford, Darius Stephen, Bradley Koskowich, Carly Stanton and Andrew Frost. The Innovation Center team includes incubator manager David Fonseca, program coordinator Chau Hoang, and research assistants Steven Tran, Selvy Letlora, Laura Pulgarin, Alyssa Garza and Tina Lentz.

"These type of opportunities pushes the students' creativity at a young age," Tissot said. "Developing these skills now is going to be very good for their careers later on."

Institute researcher Jonathan Scott Duff said he wished this type of technology would have been available during a time in the '90s when he had to evacuate town with his family.

"We evacuated for a hurricane and had Weather on Wheels existed back then, we would have been able to see how windy or how rainy it was on the road," Duff said. "If Weather on Wheels would have been around we could have checked before making travel decisions."

LEARN MORE

Weather on Wheels is available online at weatheronwheels.com

To download the app from the App Store for iPhone go to itunes.apple.com/us/app/weather-on-wheels or from the Google Play Store for Android at play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cbiapps.weatheronwheels.

Make Your Road Trip Safer with the Weather on Wheels App, Now Available for iPhone

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Before your next road trip, make sure to download the Weather on Wheels app, now available for iPhone and Android devices. This app displays weather forecasts along your entire route.

More than 600 people have tested the Web app created by the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and several hundred more have downloaded the Android app, which first became available for download in December 2014 to improve driving safety during holiday travel. The leading demographic for the app so far is ages 25-34, representing about 33 percent of the user base, but drivers of all ages and in most states have tested the app.

Weather on Wheels makes it easy and fun to check out weather predictions before travelers hit the road. To begin your route, enter a starting location, destination, and start time and Weather on Wheels will display weather forecasts along your entire route. If there is a bad storm predicted on your route, the app will let you know if the weather conditions improve by changing your start time and/or route.  Starting times may be adjusted to find the best possible conditions for your trip.

Weather on Wheels was developed by students with the assistance of faculty and staff at the Conrad Blucher Institute (CBI) and the Coastal Bend Business Innovation Center, both at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Students in the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Computer Science programs worked together with business and graphic arts students from the Innovation Center. The students worked directly in all phases of the app’s development, including research, technical application, branding and marketing.

The app aims to make long road trips safer for everyone. Storms, snow, icy roads, heavy rain, dense fog, and severe crosswinds can make for extremely hazardous road conditions. These weather events cause more than 1 million crashes every year resulting in about 6,000 fatalities and 500,000 injuries, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Weather on Wheels combines forecasts from the U.S. National Weather Service and route information from Google. The concept of Weather on Wheels is based on prior work at the CBI which included the “Texas Coastal Winds” app and the app “Transit Time,” which was created to plan vessel transit through the Houston/Galveston Ship Channel.

As compared to other available tools, the app is solely focused on the predicted weather along potential routes and should make it easier to plan drives around bad weather.

A&M-Corpus Christi is actively working to bring its innovations to the public and the markets. Its Coastal Bend Business Innovation Center, part of the College of Business, is a hub that has already been highly successful at guiding entrepreneurs and projects of all sizes. The development of this app is one of the first projects originating at A&M-Corpus Christi and is hopefully the first of many, allowing students and researchers to collaborate on enterprises that combine technological innovations with the business aspect of bringing such projects to market.

The technical team is headed by CBI Associate Director Dr. Philippe Tissot and includes CBI researcher Scott Duff and past and present undergraduate research assistants Julien Clifford, Darius Stephen, Bradley Koskowich, Carly Stanton and Andrew Frost. The Innovation Center team includes Incubator Manager David Fonseca, Program Coordinator Chau Hoang, and past and present Research Assistants Steven Tran, Selvy Letlora, Laura Pulgarin, Alyssa Garza and Tina Lentz.

For more information, go to weatheronwheelshome.com.

A Weather (on Wheels) Update

During the summer there are plenty of opportunities for exciting road trips, family reunions or the occasional drive. Drivers typically worry about two things that can hinder these pastimes: directions and the weather. With Weather on Wheels there's one app for both.

According to the Caller.com article, "New TAMUCC app to help travelers anticipate inclement weather," "[the app] blend[s] information from the National Weather Service forecast with the directions from Google Maps to give travelers an idea of what the weather holds in store for their trip."

The app has been available on the Web and for Android devices since late 2014. Apple users can now find the app in the App Store, and can start planning their own trips alongside Android users. This new version also includes improvements in weather forecast accuracy and a new safety feature that visually indicates warning zones for extreme weather watches and warnings.

"If there is a bad storm predicted on your route, the app will let you know if weather conditions improve by changing your start time and/ or route," states the tamucc.edu article "Weather on Wheels App Tracks Road Trip Weather."

Travelers who take this information into consideration will be more prepared to make smart decisions concerning their travel plans. While it is impossible to control the weather, the app allows users the ability to plan around or avoid it altogether.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, on average, over 5.8 million vehicles crash each year with 1.3 million being weather related."The Weather on Wheels app has been a collaborative effore between the Coastal Bend Business Innovation Center and the TAMU-CC's Conrad Blucher Instistute for Surveying and Science.

The app is free and can be access through Google Play, the Apple App Store or found at weatheronwheels.com.

Hurricane Season Starts June 1: Flooding a Major Threat to the Coastal Bend

Get ready! The 2015 Atlantic hurricane season begins on Monday, June 1. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting a “below normal” Atlantic hurricane season. But be advised, says Dr. Philippe Tissot, Associate Professor in the College of Science and Engineering and Associate Director of the Conrad Blucher Institute at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, just because we are in an El Niño year, which typically leads to fewer storms in the North Atlantic, doesn’t mean we should let our guard down. He says “it only takes one” storm and the 1992 devastating Category 5 Hurricane Andrew landed during an El Niño year in Florida.

As a coastal community, we have to be ready every year for a major hurricane. Eventually, we will be hit again by a major hurricane; although, most years we are not directly hit by a storm. Preparations for smaller storms or large storms landing far away all have an impact on coastal communities. While not catastrophic when compared to a direct hit from a large hurricane, these events can still pose a danger and cumulatively have an economic impact. They also present an opportunity to test our preparation for the big one.

As we enter hurricane season, Tissot says it is important for all residents of the Coastal Bend to stay vigilant and make sure to have a plan in case there is a storm.

“We truly don’t know how well we’re prepared until we have a major storm event,” Tissot said. “One of our main concerns is we haven’t been directly hit in a long time. But the more prepared you are, the less of an impact those big events will have.”

A direct hit happens about every 20 years, and about every 35 years for major hurricanes. The last time a major hurricane made direct landfall in Corpus Christi was Hurricane Celia in 1970. However, the area was affected by Hurricane Ike in 2008, Hurricane Bret in 1999, Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, and Hurricane Allen in 1980, as well as other minor or far away storms.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting a “below normal” Atlantic hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane region includes the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. NOAA predicts a 70 percent likelihood of six to 11 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher). Of those storms, three to six could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including up to two major hurricanes (category 3 or stronger with winds of 111 mph or higher) this season for the Atlantic Basin. However, there is also a 20 percent chance of a near-storm season, and a 10 percent chance of an above-normal season.

Tissot says the northern Texas coast is slowly sinking while global sea levels are rising. As the relative sea level rises, the cumulative impact of small storms will increase significantly in the coming decades. There will be substantial impacts on coastal infrastructure, ecosystems, and flood insurance rates. Tissot recommends that residents take this into account to continuously improve our coastal communities’ resiliency.

As far as what to do ahead of a storm, he strongly advises following local authorities’ advice and directions closely.

“There is a good team with continuous weather updates through our local office of the National Weather Service,” said Tissot. “They follow the situation and will organize evacuation or other measures with the best information on hand.”

The impacts of hurricanes include wind, tornadoes, inland flooding and, for coastal areas, storm surge. Tissot advises coastal residents to consider the dangers of flooding events and storm surge for areas close to water levels including North Beach, Padre Island, Flour Bluff, Laguna Shores, and Oso Creek.

“If you’re told to evacuate, do it,” he said. “If you’re prepared ahead of time and have your plan together, it’s a lot easier to leave town. It’s a good idea for all of us to encourage each other in the community. If we get ready in advance, it will help save lives and limit the impacts.”

To learn more about area flooding, go to http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/?n=stormsurge  and http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/surge/CRP_mom5h.png.

To learn more about hurricane preparedness, go to http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/hurricane_preparedness.html#.VWdFEUYYGAD.

For a tropical weather outlook including NOAA advisories, go to http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/?n=tropical

For directions on how to prepare for the hurricane season, go to http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/?n=2014hurricaneguide or http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/?n=2014spanishhurricaneguide   (in Spanish).

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CBI to Sign Memorandum of Understanding with the US Army Corps of Engineers-New Orleans District

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science (CBI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)-New Orleans District with a signing on Wednesday, March 18.

The agreement created a formal relationship between the USACE and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Geographic Information Science Program for the purpose of technology transfer, knowledge exchange, personnel development, and student mentoring. The program will help to foster the successful transfer of new innovative ideas, evolving concepts, and advances in the integration of small-scale unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS) and remote sensing and imaging technologies for geospatial and engineering application domains among USACE, CBI, and local geomatics/geospatial service providers.

USACE is also interested in the Unmanned Air System eBee, a professional mapping drone that collects accurate digital aerial mapping, led by Dr. Michael Starek, Assistant Professor of Geographic Information Science and Geospatial Surveying Engineering at A&M-Corpus Christi.

The following individuals were present for the signing:

• Dr. Luis Cifuentes, Vice President for Research, Commercialization and Outreach

• Dr. L.D. Chen, Director of Engineering and Computing Sciences

• Dr. Gary Jeffress, Director of the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying Sciences

• Dr. Michael Starek, Assistant Professor of Geographic Information Science and Geospatial Surveying Engineering

• USACE representatives Ralph Scheid, Deputy Branch Chief Design Services Branch; and Thomas Davis, Land Surveyor.

• Dr. Philip Davis, Professor of Computer Science at Del Mar College

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Galveston representatives Matt Duke, GIS Analyst; and Rick Vera, Enterprise Geospatial Manager.

Students at Island University Help Create a Weather/Travel App

Author: Jonathan Munson

There are about one million weather related crashes every year nation wide.

That's why undergrads and professors at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi worked to create a new app called "Weather on Wheels"

A&M Research Professor Philippe Tissot said, "there are other products,but ours is directly focused on the road trip, it's the only thing that it does we tried to make it fun to use and pretty unique in that sense."

It's an app that tracks the weather as you travel! The app gathers data from Google routes and weather forecasts from the National Weather Service to give you a look at the weather for the time you will reach your destination.

David Fonseca with the Business Innovation Center said, "this is the first time were using an app to be commercialized and what I can tell you is it very interesting to see the business students working with the technology students and each one recognizes the importance of their fields and create something as good as what we have created so far."

The app is free to use and you can try it out by going to weatheronwheels.com

View Original KiiiTV Article

Blucher Institute Receives $2 Million for Coastal Safety Monitoring to Provide Real-Time Data If Hit By Category 4 Hurricane

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science (CBI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Texas General Land Office (TGLO) to install four “Sentinels of the Coast” data collection stations.

These sentinels, which can withstand the effects of a category four hurricane, will collect federally-approved water level and meteorological data. The CBI oversees design, construction, and installation of each structure.  Upon completion, CBI will install equipment and initiate operation and data collection from these new monitoring stations that will be incorporated into the Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON).  

“These new stations will allow us to monitor conditions before, during, and after a hurricane has made landfall,” said James Rizzo, CBI Assistant Director of Operations.  “The data will be used by local National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center personnel for forecasting models. The data will be an invaluable resource to local, state, and other federal agencies during storm events.”

Rizzo says that after the storm, the information will be used by numerous agencies as they assess damage along the coast and to the waterways of the Texas Coast. The stations will provide accurate, real-time water level, wind speed, direction, and gust information, barometric pressure, and temperatures.

“This data will assist scientists and researchers in improving models related to storm conditions,” said Rizzo.  “The accuracy of these forecasts is what saves lives.”

The project should be completed by July 31, 2015. The data collection stations will meet the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services strict scientific guidelines. The new monitoring stations will be located at Surfside (Freeport), Port Aransas, the Matagorda Ship Channel (near Port O'Connor), and South Padre Island, all critical locations along the coast. Each station will include instrumentation located approximately 30 feet above sea level. 

The most recent hurricane to hit the Texas Coast was Hurricane Ike in September 2008. The category two hurricane produced 110 mph winds with storm surges of up to 14 feet in the Galveston and Port Arthur areas. The storm, which caused more than $19 billion in damages, damaged three monitoring stations and destroyed five others. The CBI completed the installation of two identical data collection stations in 2011, which are located at Texas Point on the Sabine River and at the Galveston Entrance Channel North Jetty.

Since 1989, the CBI has provided real-time meteorological information essential for predicting and measuring water levels throughout the TCOON. In all, there are 30 monitoring stations along the Gulf Coast.