Corps Gives Final Approval to Columbia River Channel Improvement Project
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today announced that Major General Carl A. Strock, Director of Civil Works, has signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Columbia River Channel Improvement Project. Construction of the navigation improvements and associated ecosystem restoration features may now proceed after a cost-sharing agreement is signed. Issuance of the ROD -- a written public record under the National Environmental Policy Act explaining why the agency has decided upon a particular course of action - clears the way for the Corps' Portland District to begin work improving the federal navigation channel that stretches 103 miles between the Pacific Ocean and Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash.
MACSEA, Electric Boat Sign Development Agreement
MACSEA Ltd, a provider of software agent technology for prognostic machinery health monitoring, has signed a Co-Operative Research and Development Agreement with Electric Boat Corporation (A General Dynamics Company) of Groton, Conn. The goal is to further develop and demonstrate advanced technology for real-time maintenance decision-making in support of a minimum manned, highly automated and networked information infrastructure on future Navy ships. Key technology development areas include wireless sensors, neural network-based diagnostics/prognostics, and intelligent software agents. One outcome of this research will be prognostic agents capable of operating in a wireless environment to satisfy the Navy’s Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) philosophy of the future…
Intelligent Software Agents for Machinery Diagnostics
Machinery plant maintenance represents a major expense for ship operators. In addition to normal maintenance expenditures, unexpected breakdowns have a significant cost impact. Recognizing the importance of preventing equipment failures, companies continue to adopt automation for machinery monitoring at a rapid pace. Continual improvements in the price/performance ratio of automation systems have also fueled their increased use in shipboard machinery plant monitoring. As a result, more ships with automated machinery plants exist today than ever before. However, just as a typical Internet search can easily create "information overload", so too can process automation create a "data overload" situation for the engineering crews responsible for equipment operation and maintenance.
