Development of the ISTVS Resource Initiative

Update from the Editor in Chief of the ISTVS Resource Initiative, Dr. Alex Keen:

If you haven’t yet visited the Resource Initiative wiki on the ISTVS website, we encourage you to have a look:
» www.istvs.org/resourceinitiative

The mainly technical information is being published to support ISTVS members. We seek feedback and content from members to help guide the development of the Resource Initiative and to take it in directions that best support the aims of the ISTVS.

The purpose of the ISTVS Resource Initiative is to develop content that is useful and of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates, researchers, and engineers, particularly those who do not have ready access to resources and tuition.

While in development, this is a technical wiki where ISTVS members can contribute information and updates. Pages are managed by content editors drawn from our professional colleagues and members.

We also expect to publish material of general interest for ISTVS members and those interested in the subject area. The ISTVS Resource Initiative will also provide a legacy of the work in the field going back through to the sixties. The history of this relatively young field will be helpful to those new to terramechanics.

We are at the early stages of establishing useful content. How the wiki develops will depend on the contributions from our editorial gatekeepers, ISTVS members, and colleagues.

We are interested in hearing from you about contributions and suggestions to support the project. Here are several items around recent developments to bring to your attention:

1. Paul Ayers and his colleagues have started a section on the Next Generation of the NATO Reference Mobility Model (NG-NRMM). Documents, references, and videos on recent developments have been uploaded and new items and developments will be added as they become available. Most members will find something of interest in these new pages:
   » Next-Generation NATO Reference Mobility Model (NG NRMM) wiki page

2. A group of colleagues are looking at terrain databases and how much of this data we can make accessible from the ISTVS Resource Initiative. These databases will be of great use to those involved in operations planning, machine evaluation, remote sensing, or using drones (UAVs) and terrain robots to collect data and to evaluate terrain. Is anyone looking to correlate data collected using light drones and field robots with that collected using lab and “traditional” in-situ methods?

3. One aim for the ISTVS Resource Initiative is for members to find out more about terramechanics work being carried out around the world. ISTVS members can write a brief report or review of work being carried out at their institution; include test facilities, publications, photographs, video, and post-grad opportunities. This could include centers of historical significance as well. For example, is there anyone who was linked to IKK, Hamburg, who can give us background to the work carried out that contributed to the development of ORSIS?
   
   The ISTVS Resource Initiative team has developed an online form for you to add institution-specific material to be shared with the ISTVS terramechanics community:
   » ISTVS Resource Laboratories database submission form

4. Many colleagues use simulation software ranging from SIMULINK, Mathematica, and MathCAD to vehicle simulation software such as CARSIM/TRUCKSIM, ADAMS, and a range of FEA/DEM/CAD/CAE design analysis programs. The Modeling and Analysis section of the ISTVS Resource Initiative is where colleagues can demonstrate and exchange models and data files. Most papers are still published in a paper format in journals. Using a live notebook format such as Jupyter Notebook (www.jupyter.org) that contains live code, equations, visualizations, and narrative text is an option that many colleagues may find a useful way of communicating research and ideas. The Modeling and Analysis section allows us to post directly material that isn’t covered by restrictive copyrights and we’ll link to other useful materials.
   » DEM/FEA wiki page
   » Modeling & analysis wiki page

General planned content includes:

• annotated bibliography for books and papers;

• useful websites of information, data, video, papers linked to terramechanics;

• photographs, video, or descriptions of test equipment, wheel testing, demonstrations, vehicles;

• useful YouTube links, preferably with a short intro;

• topics that don’t warrant a full paper but may be useful to share with colleagues through a report or short article;

• information about new standards and test procedures, for example, around acceptable levels of ride vibration; and,

• terramechanics-related ebooks.

Please direct emails for the ISTVS Resource Initiative using ri@istvs.org. We can then direct the correspondence to the appropriate member of the RI team.

Best regards,
The ISTVS Resource Initiative Team