Tracking System To Monitor Vehicle Dynamic Properties and Environmental Impacts

Military vehicles operating in a training environment will frequently be used in off-road conditions. Deep ruts created in training exercises by heavy vehicles can contribute to soil erosion and damage native vegetation. We propose to design a low costvehicle monitoring system that will measure vehicle dynamics and position so that potential environmental damage can be assessed and located easily for repair when the exercises are completed. The system will be based on an existing vehicle navigationunit and integrated with a satellite-based data link for near real-time tracking capabilities. Other alternatives for data links using terrestrial radios will be investigated. A new approach to measuring vehicle loss of control and slippage will beevaluated. A unique non-contact soil condition monitoring device will be designed and tested. Data measured may be stored in the vehicle electronics or transmitted over the wireless data link. User interface software will be designed for data reductionand monitoring of vehicle parameters such as position. Resultant data files may be interfaced with industry standard Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programs. Damage to the environment can be assessed as to severity and the geographic positionlocated over areas ranging from a few to hundreds of square miles. The system can also be used by training personnel to monitor mechanized training exercises in near-real time.