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Engineering |
ERT performs a broad spectrum of engineering services including systems engineering; electrical, mechanical, and radio frequency engineering; mission-oriented software engineering; safety engineering; facility engineering; and geotechnical engineering.
- System Engineering: Our electrical, mechanical and radio frequency engineers support National Weather Service in the development, integration, calibration, testing, operations and maintenance of environmental sensor systems including weather radars, wind profilers, automated surface observing systems, balloon-launched radiosonde tracking systems, and precision digital barometers. We provide engineering support to weather watch, warning and forecast dissemination and public alert systems and we develop and maintain engineering documentation essential to the successful operation and maintenance of such systems.
- Mission-Oriented Software Engineering: ERT provides mission-oriented software engineering including the analysis, design, development, testing, documentation, and maintenance of a variety of software systems used to support EROS projects and mission objectives. For this, ERT staff utilizes high-level software languages and language capabilities inherent in relational database management systems and tools. ERT provides support for scientific system software activities including in-house image processing requirements, geographic information systems applications, and cartographic support systems. We develop functional specifications and perform trade studies and technology assessments. We conduct a wide variety of systems engineering studies and analysis for software systems including GIS databases to support modeling, the analysis of geospatial architectures and engineering studies of metadata standards for Ocean Explorer. We support the analysis of data ingest systems for Earth science-related data sets used in modeling, studies on science metadata associated with database products used by the wider community and the implementation of a wide variety of tools for manipulating spatially-oriented data sets within a common GIS standards environment.We perform operations, maintenance, and enhancement of web-enabled OLAP-based budget formulation and tracking applications, Oracle-based applications, other financial and administrative applications and the Oracle data warehouse for NWS CFO.
- Safety Engineering: Our safety engineers provide safety engineering support to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and NOAA's National Weather Service. We review facility drawings to identify potential safety hazards and to ensure the incorporation of safety and fire protection requirements. We conduct building and laboratory surveys and inspections to ensure compliance with safety standards and criteria, and perform system and sub-system hazard analysis. We assess building code compliance and conduct construction job-site safety surveys and acceptance walk-throughs. We also develop, review, coordinate and deliver general industry and construction safety education classes and awareness programs.
- Facility Engineering: Our civil and mechanical engineers provide facility engineering support to the National Weather Service in construction management, facility design management and oversight, logistics management and depot support. We monitor engineering designs, program schedules and costs.
- Geotechnical
Engineering: Our geotechnical engineers, geologists and geophysicists provide geotechnical engineering support to Marine Corps, Army Corps of Engineers, Maryland Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Transportation, airport authorities, municipalities, and engineering companies. We perform bearing capacity and load test evaluations; conduct analyses for settlement, pavement, foundation, slope stabilization, and seepage; oversee soil drilling, rock coring, and test pitting; conduct geologic studies including fracture trace analysis; and perform geophysical surveys to determine the depth to and rippability of bedrock, and to detect and map underground structures and cavities.
