Development of a Fiber-Optic Sensor for Nitrate Detection

Not Available Navy Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRSs) provide advanced training to Fleet-bound pilots and aircrew. FRS training operations are complicated by major factors such as different skill levels among individual trainees, the use of scarce equipment (simulators, operational aircraft), and the occurrence of variable training setbacks arising from bad weather, equipment failure, or diversion of squadron resources to support operational Fleet activities. Each FRS generates a Master Training Plan (MTP) as an idealized curriculum schedule to help measure class completion dates, individual student progress, and average time-to-train. Currently, the MTP is a relatively inflexible, paper-based tool that requires significant man-hours to create and maintain. This Phase I SBIR proposes to investigate the feasibility of creating a software tool that could create, update, and maintain the MTP of an FRS while providing more analytical power than current methods. Our effort will research data requirements and sources and the statistical and other analytical modeling requirements needed by such a tool. In addition, we will conduct a Software Requirements Analysis to define the functional needs of the MTP generator and to plan Phase II software development, as well as implementation at a Navy FRS. We also propose a Phase I option to build a prototype MTP database.