1.0 Centre of Urban Transportation Research

Assessment PossibilitiesLEED 2009 EBOM Certification for

Center of Urban Transportation ResearchUSF Campus

Group Project Course CGN 6933 Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Communities

Final Report

Submitted to:Dr. Daniel Yeh

Submitted by:Eric R Weaver

Innovative Options, Proposal 3Create an Entrepreneurial Innovation Institute using Green Roof technologies

exploiting the Florida Climate utilizing the Patent and Research Office at USF.

Intention: The third proposal for

Innovation stems from the existing USF Campus Plan which calls for the university to become an Innovation Institute. This commitment is evidenced by the Division for Sponsored Research being renamed to the Office of Research and Innovations, Figure 6.1

New Innovations at the university can begin with the installation of a Rainwater Capture Greenhouse design, which USF is currently pursuing a patent for. Combining USF Patents into an Entrepreneurial Innovation Institute would inspire new products and

developments that combine existing research.

Additional benefit:The Rainwater Capture Greenhouse, Figure 7, was

originally built at a private residence to collect rainwater for irrigating the small herb garden housed inside the structure. Further, by patenting this product the University can develop additional uses for this technology. Building a Green Roof on the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) with this technology can serve as a catalyst and provide the framework for creating further new opportunities and innovations in the campus at large.

This Green Roof will reduce the stormwater runoff from the site by more than 31%, which will improve the flooding conditions at the university outfall, Duck Pond watershed Basin in Tampa, see Table 11, next page.

1 Office of Research and Innovations (visited November 2010) http://www.research.usf.edu

© 2010 eric r weaver 1

Figure 6: USF Office of Research & Innovation

Figure 7: Patent 1

Table 11: 30% Flood Reductions for CUTR

Additionally, USF currently has several patents which are used to monitor chemicals, particles and pollution loadings in water. The Greenhouse can be custom built in sections which will allow for growing different types of vegetation. If we combined another USF Patent with this Greenhouse system we could then track the particulate loading through the system to regulate which waters are directed to which sections of the Greenhouse. The Rainwater Capture Greenhouse is essentially a watertight surface directed to a collection gutter held together by pipes which retain all the collected water.

If different sections are metered and regulated separately, these sections may contain different chemical/particle loadings based on the orientation and vegetative covers. Thus, adding this Particle Profiling and Recording System (Figure 8) will enable users to custom regulate chemical loadings to various sections of vegetation which benefits from such loadings.

However, as the Table 12 below indicates, the Mean-Annual storm of 4.5 inches will result in 45,000 gallons of water, and one hurricane (100-yr storm) could result in over 122,000 gallons of water collected by the Greenhouse facility which is beyond the storage capacity of the structure.

Table 12: Total Rainwater Collections calculationsSWFWMD 24-

HourYear Events

RainfallDepths

(IN)

TOTALOUTFLOW

(CU FT)Gallons

2.33-Year 4.5 6047.9 45241.4

5-Year 5.5 7637 57128.7

10-Year 7 9996 74775.3

25-Year 8 11593 86721.7

50-Year 10 14783 110584.5

100-Year 11 16380 122530.9

© 2010 eric r weaver 2

Sq Ft Acres Rainwater Cu Ft

Greenhouse 19200 6047.9

total Area 110860 2.545 19222

Figure 8: Patent 2

Therefore, a more substantial system for retaining water will be required for use of this patented Greenhouse on such a large commercial structure. An option that could certainly make CUTR a Green Icon would be to install a 1500’ Continuously Moving Sidewalk Pedestrian System (Figure 9) around CUTR and the adjacent Beard Parking Garage (see circular track in Figure 10).

Such an innovative initiative would create a viable use for the excess water to power this patented sidewalk system to move people to all points along the system. Thus, CUTR will utilize all the water resources collected, augment the transportation of pedestrians and also create a Green Icon, which demonstrates advanced technologies where Research and Innovation meet to solve community problems.

Performance metricsMeasure the number of new patents developed after

the initiation of this Entrepreneurial Innovation Institute. Measure the number of new facilities seeking to construct similar modes of transportation. Measure the number of people using this facility daily, weekly, monthly and determine rates-of-increase.

ConclusionCUTR would have to be committed to becoming a

Green Icon before pursuing this. However, the Center of Urban Transportation Research would be the ideal place to develop the patents discussed. Such innovative initiatives would become forces for urban change and renewal. Creating a Green Sidewalk which links the various USF Patents for using storm water runoff as a community resource to move people and grow vegetation could serve as a new Entrepreneurial Innovation Institute. CUTR would encourage innovative solutions to the large scale global issues of peak oil and climate change. There are several local companies who could complete this as well as other companies who would fill it with vegetation. Included in this might be Clear Choice Greenhouses LLC of Florida http://wishfarms.com/our-produce/organic which would bring CUTR closer to becoming a Green Icon.2

2 Assessment Possibilities LEED 2009 EBOM Certification for Center of Urban Transportation Research USF Campus; Group Project, USF CGN 6933 Course: Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Communities. Instructor: Dr. Daniel Yeh. December 2010. P 74

© 2010 eric r weaver 3

Figure 9 Patent 3

Figure 10 1500’ around CUTR and Beard Parking Garage

R esearchers at the University of South Florida have developed a built-in method for capturing rainwater in greenhouses.

It has been observed that the gaps between water supplies and demands have been increasing in recent times. Environmental and natural events impact water supplies. For instance, the replacement of Florida natural wetlands with concrete and subdivisions has altered rainfall patterns contributing to the drought and water restrictions that have been seasonally imposed. Although hurricanes bring rain storms, the natural water supply is largely wasted because constructed surfaces are designed to run-off the rainwater. The typical Tampa household consisting of a 1/4 acre lot receives 4.4 feet of annual rain; experts concluded that the stormwater runoff could be as much as 275,190 gallons/year. This is an equivalence of 754 gallons/day or enough water for a family of six people to live in Tampa where typical consumption is 110 gallons/day. USF scientists designed and constructed a greenhouse with a roof that captures water which then is collected in the pipe structure of the greenhouse itself. This retained rainwater from within the pipe structure can later be used for irrigation and other purposes.

Advantages: Conserves water for irrigation and other

domestic needs.

Helps to minimize flood risks and other potential environmental damages from run-offs.

Minimizes the pressure to impose water restrictions during drought because there is less water demands on the county.

contact University of South Florida | Division of Patents and Licensing

3802 Spectrum Blvd., Suite 100, Tampa, Florida 33612-9220 813.974.0994 (office) | 813.974.8490 (fax)

patents@research.usf.edu | http://www.research.usf.edu/pl/ Copyright © 2010, University of South Florida

Tech ID #09B095

Division of Patents & Licensing Research Office

seeks partners to license...

Rainwater Capture GreenhouseRainwater Capture Greenhouse

Water Supply for Irrigation and Other Purposes

Technological Advantages • Evaluation in a natural or man-made

environment

The device can be either towed or deployed on an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)

• Uses faster more accurate digital line scan cameras

With these cameras each section of the sampling volume is imaged only once. The camera’s high speed allows for rapid data acquisition which permits analysis of large volumes of water.

• Continuous imaging/recording of digital images without any analog steps

The cameras provide high resolution digital data which can be sent directly to a digital storing device.

• Minimized digital data levels during processing

A real-time threshold on image data is performed

The equipment is towed or deployed in an AUV where particles contained within a fluid are passed through a sampling tube enclosing a light sheet. The imaging apparatus is shown to the left along with an actual digital image taken from a previous measurement. The particles are viewed from two directions to permit maximal characterization. Once the image is passed through the light sheet, FPGA-based processing hardware, which sets the average pixel value or threshold, interprets the data. Pixels darker than the threshold are marked black and lighter pixels are marked white. This allows for a reduction in the required data since the gray scale information is reduced from 256 digital levels down to 8. After the parallel data from the two cameras is processed it is stored in a digital data recorder (DDR) waiting to be downloaded through an Ethernet link. The system also contains specifically designed software that allows immediate viewing of the data and generates a particle list.

P articulate matter in fluid is derived from multiple sources and contains vital information about the environment. For example, in the ocean most “flake-

like” particles dominate what is known as marine snow. Hidden among the assortment of marine snow particles are living zooplankton chains and other related biological material. There is a need to unravel the intricacy of interaction between biological, chemical, and physical processes in the ocean or other fluid environment. In order to gain valuable information accurately — quantification, qualification, and an understanding of distributions of particles, as well as successful development of models of those environments, are in demand. Previous imaging systems have relied on analog video or film recording methods to capture images. These types of recording methods can introduce noise in the data, have missed or repeated particles, require time-consuming post-processing, and the images are mainly low resolution. Now, a new system has been developed based on high-speed digital line scan cameras to address the above shortcomings.

TechID 02B066 Figure 1

How this New System Works

University of South Florida • Division of Patents and Licensing 4202 East Fowler Avenue, FAO126, Tampa, Florida 33620

813.974.0994 (office) 813.974.8490 (fax) patents@research.usf.edu Copyright © 2003, University of South Florida

LICENSING OPPORTUNITYLICENSING OPPORTUNITYLICENSING OPPORTUNITY

NEW

patents & licensing O f f i c e o f R e s e a r c h

Particle Profiling and Recording System

Green Infrastructure For Sustainable Communities Course ID: CGN 6933 Professor: Daniel Yeh

94

ERIC R. WEAVER eweaver@mail.usf.edu 813-679-5195 EDUCATION

• Enrolled: Dual Doctorate Engineering and Public Health, due 2020 • Master of Science in Management: Leadership and Organizational

Effectiveness; USF, 2009. • Master of Business Administration, - USF, 2009.

o Graduate Certificate in Building Sustainable Enterprise, 2009. o Graduate Certificate in Management, 2009. o Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship, 2007.

• Bachelor of Science - Civil Engineering, USF, 1997 • Bachelor of Science - Engineering, USF, 1988.

PROFESSIONAL CAREER 1999 – pres Sole Proprietor, independent consulting contractor - Tampa's

local SWMM Expert. 2006 – pres Editorial Assistant, Organization & Environment, USF Tampa FL. 2008 – pres Research Assistant, Health Policy Mgmt, COPH USF, Tampa FL. 2006 Research Assistant, College of Nursing, USF, Tampa FL. 1992 – 1999 Engineer II, Hillsborough County Administration, Tampa, FL. 1991 Project Engineer, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc. Tampa, FL. 1990 Model Engineer, Dames & Moore, Inc. Tampa, FL. 1989 Model Engineer, Dyer, Riddle, Mills & Precourt, Inc. Tampa, FL 1988 Staff Engineer, Delta Corporation, Tampa FL 1984 – pres Project Director, STARS USA Inc. REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS

• Multiple Storm Water Management Model (SWMM) studies completed for litigation in water rights, and land use disputes throughout Florida.

• Hillsborough River - Developed proposed conditions of SWMM basin study for Central River Systems were completed under contract with Ayers & Associates Inc. for Hillsborough County.

• Alafia River - Created existing SWMM basin study for North Prong, South Prong and English Creek was completed under contract with Florida Engineering and Environmental Services Inc. for Hillsborough County.

Green Infrastructure For Sustainable Communities Course ID: CGN 6933 Professor: Daniel Yeh

95

ERIC R. WEAVER (CONT) eweaver@mail.usf.edu 813-679-5195 REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS

• Falkenberg Road - Updated County Delenay Creek SWMM Program to develop interconnected pond system and creek realignment for roadway under contract with Sprinkle Consulting, Inc. for Hillsborough County.

• Automation Plan 95-97 - Hillsborough County's Planning; Growth Management Department's plan was developed and revised to increase equipment budgets by over 41%. This included systems to directly transfer digital data to the County GIS, modeling and inventory systems. Technology and procedures were developed for CAD disk submittal for review and permitting construction in 1072 square mile county jurisdiction.

• Hillsborough County Stormwater Management Manual - was recompiled with new requirements developed from Florida State guidelines, other local cities and negotiations with engineers developing in the region.

• Allen's Creek Watershed Management Plan - EPA SWMM and Water Quality Analysis Program (WASP4) was linked to complete Florida's first linked watershed/waterbody Model using an ArcInfo GIS database.

• Mannengon Hills - A resort community in the Territory of Guam - $1.5 billion 1300-acre residential hillside development which included 10 million cy earthwork, 100 retaining walls, 35 bridges, 15 miles of roadway & 45 holes of gulf.

• Gardinier Phosphate Plant - Engineered design, construction plans and EPA SWMM Study for complete new site drainage system to resolve EPA Suit following 1988 phosphate spill in Alafia River.

PATENTS

• Rainwater Capture Greenhouse - US Patent Application No. 61/304,679 • Method For Converting Internet Messages For Publishing - US Patent No.

7,421,476. • Bicycle Rack Mounted To A Vehicle Trailer Hitch Sleeve - US Patent No.

6,460,745. BUSINESS WEBSITES

• SWMM Expert: http://www.starsusa.org/resume/professional.htm • Project Director 501c3 Corporation: http://www.starsusa.org • Editorial Assistant: http://www.coba.usf.edu/jermier/journal.htm • Patent FL S-Corp: http://www.starsusa.org/resume/patents.html