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Daily Archives: May 11, 2016

Anacostia Tributary Trail System

“D.C. area residents and visitors can preview nearly 63 miles of the Anacostia Tributary Trail System (ATTS) from a computer or hand held device before setting out to hike or bike, thanks to a new interactive digital map that features 360-degree Panoramic views of the system’s trails. The ATTS is a system of trails located throughout the Anacostia Watershed in the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland. Maintained by Prince George County Department of Parks and Recreation, Montgomery County Department of Parks, and the National Park Service, among others. The interactive map is a project of the Anacostia Watershed Restoration Partnership (AWRP), a regional effort supported by the District of Columbia, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, state and federal partners, and led by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments to coordinate the restoration and protection of Anacostia River. Eleven trails are available for digital viewing, including The Anacostia Riverwalk Trail (District of Columbia), Rachel Carson Greenway Trail (Montgomery County) and Indian Creek Trail (Prince George’s County). In addition to the panoramic images, information on the length of each trail, elevation, temperature, and wind speed is also provided. The map also identifies points of interest along each trail, such as Wheaton Regional Park, Bladensburg Waterfront Park, and the U.S.S. Barry. Bike Share docking stations are pinpointed, and trailgoers can also tell when a part of the system is under construction. “As the National Park Service enters its centennial year, one of our goals is to connect more people with incredible places right in their communities,” Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail said. “We’re excited to help launch this new, interactive map to inspire more District residents and visitors to find their park in Anacostia Park.” The panoramic images were captured by Terrain360 using cameras mounted on a backpack and bikes. Terrain360 has created virtual tours of other trails, waterways, and landscapes—such as the Shenandoah Valley and the James River. Additional imagery will be added when the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail is complete in October 2016. This will make the ATTS and linking trails one of the largest urban trails systems in the country.” [emphasis added]

Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, July–December 2015

Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, July–December 2015. Stephen J. Blumberg, Ph.D., and Julian V. Luke, Division of Health Interview Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics. Released May 2016. “Preliminary results from the July–December 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) indicate that the number of American homes with only… Continue Reading

Transportation Security: Issues for the 114th Congress

CRS report – Transportation Security: Issues for the 114th Congress. Bart Elias, Specialist in Aviation Policy; David Randall Peterman, Analyst in Transportation Policy; John Frittelli, Specialist in Transportation Policy. May 9, 2016. “The nation’s air, land, and marine transportation systems are designed for accessibility and efficiency, two characteristics that make them highly vulnerable to terrorist… Continue Reading

USAGov’s Five Tips to Get Great Deals from Government Auctions and Sales

USA.gov: “You may have heard that you can buy “stuff” from the government. But how does it work? Can you really get good deals? With these tips from USAGov, you can learn how to be a smart shopper at government auctions and sales and discover the surprising variety of things you can buy: Who sells… Continue Reading

FDA Seeks Comments on Draft 3D Device Printing Guidance

Document issued on May 10, 2016 – “FDA has developed this draft guidance to provide FDA’s initial thinking on technical considerations specific to devices using additive manufacturing, the broad category of manufacturing encompassing 3-dimensional (3D) printing. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a process that builds an object by iteratively building 2-dimensional (2D) layers and joining each… Continue Reading

Treasury Department Issues White Paper on Online Marketplace Lending Industry

“The U.S. Treasury Department today issued a white paper regarding its review of the online marketplace lending industry. The white paper titled, “Opportunities and Challenges in Online Marketplace Lending,” provides an overview of what the Treasury Department heard in response to its Request for Information, and it contains research on and recommendations for the industry.… Continue Reading

NASA’s Kepler Mission Announces Largest Collection of Planets Ever Discovered

“NASA’s Kepler mission has verified 1,284 new planets – the single largest finding of planets to date. “This announcement more than doubles the number of confirmed planets from Kepler,” said Ellen Stofan, chief scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This gives us hope that somewhere out there, around a star much like ours, we can… Continue Reading

DOT proposes increased use of the zipper merge

Minnesota Department of Transportation: “When a lane is closed in a construction zone, a zipper merge occurs when motorists use both lanes of traffic until reaching the defined merge area, and then alternate in “zipper” fashion into the open lane. Benefits Reduces differences in speeds between two lanes Reduces the overall length of traffic backup… Continue Reading

National Defense Authorization Act for FY2017 and Low Energy Nuclear Reactions

Via the New Energy Times, Excerpt from May 4, 2016, Report of the Committee on Armed Services House of Representatives on HR 4909 Together With Additional Views see Congress Directs Secretary of Defense to Provide LENR Briefing as follows: “The committee is aware of recent positive developments in developing low-energy nuclear reactions (LENR), which produce… Continue Reading