Bhavya Lal | STPI - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Bhavya Lal

In January 2008, the U.S. Department of Commerce released a report, Innovation Measurement: Track... more In January 2008, the U.S. Department of Commerce released a report, Innovation Measurement: Tracking the State of Innovation in the American Economy (DOC, 2008), which recommended "a stronger framework for identifying and measuring innovation in the national economy." As part of that work, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) requested that the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) explore the business perspectives of innovation. The resulting report, Measuring Innovation and Intangibles: A Business Perspective (Stone et al., 2008,) created a compendium of the logic and methods businesses use to measure and monetize innovation. It also identified sources for, and gaps in, innovation data and outlined critical areas for future research. This report extends that work and presents two alternative frameworks for measuring innovation. The first framework focuses on measuring innovation activities at the firm/organization level. The second takes a broader macro-le...

IDA Document D-3725 Log: H 09-000081/1 ... INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PO... more IDA Document D-3725 Log: H 09-000081/1 ... INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY POLICY INSTITUTE 1899 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 520 Washington, DC 20006-3602 ... This work was conducted under contract OIA-040-8601, Task OSTP 20-...

Advances in space weather science and small satellite (SmallSat) technology have proceeded in par... more Advances in space weather science and small satellite (SmallSat) technology have proceeded in parallel over the past two decades, but better communication and coordination is needed among the respective worldwide communities contributing to this rapid progress. We identify six areas where improved international coordination is especially desirable, including: (1) orbital debris mitigation; (2) spectrum management; (3) export control regulations; (4) access to timely and low-cost launch opportunities; (5) inclusive data policies; and (6) education. We argue the need for internationally coordinated policies and programs to promote the use of SmallSats for space weather research and forecasting while realizing maximum scientific and technical advances through the integration of these two increasingly important endeavors.

Despite decades of debate on the topic, there is no consensus on what, precisely, constitutes the... more Despite decades of debate on the topic, there is no consensus on what, precisely, constitutes the boundary between airspace and outer space. The topic is mired in legal and political conundrums, and the easy solution to-date has been to not agree on a definition of space. Lack of a definition, some experts claim, has not limited space-based activities, and therefore is not a hurdle that must be overcome. There are increasing calls however in light of increasing (and expectations of increasing) space traffic, both orbital and sub-orbital. This paper summarizes the proposed delimitation of space, the current debate on whether or not the boundary should be defined and internationally accepted, and our assessment on the need to define it based on emerging space traffic management needs. A.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Th is work was conduc ted under con t rac... more Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Th is work was conduc ted under con t rac t O IA-040-8601, Task OSTP 20-0002.37, for the National Science Foundation. The publication

: Over the past few decades, manufacturing has evolved from a more labor-intensive set of mechani... more : Over the past few decades, manufacturing has evolved from a more labor-intensive set of mechanical processes (traditional manufacturing) to a sophisticated set of information-technology-based processes (advanced manufacturing). Given these changes in advanced manufacturing, the National Intelligence Manager for Science and Technology in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence asked the Institute for Defense Analyses to identify emerging global trends in advanced manufacturing and to propose scenarios for advanced manufacturing 10 and 20 years in the future. The study team sought to answer the following questions: What are converging trends in advanced manufacturing across technology areas? What are emerging trends in advanced manufacturing in specific technology areas? What are enabling factors that affect success in creating advanced manufacturing products, processes, and enterprises? What are future scenarios across advanced manufacturing sectors in the technology ar...

Attached is STPI’s, “Analytical Support to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Tec... more Attached is STPI’s, “Analytical Support to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) on the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Program Assessment.” The document comprises seven sections, each one corresponding to a specific analytical question asked by PCAST. Section 1 develops the taxonomy of Networking and Information Technology (NIT), and includes our effort to visually convey the ubiquity of NIT in the economy. Section 2 summarizes Federal investment in NIT, and includes supplemental analyses of DOE and NIH information on NIT R&D. Section 3 summarizes corporate expenditures in NIT R&D, and includes supplemental analyses on research at and publications by IBM and Microsoft. Sections 4 and 5 capture selected market‐related statistics of the NIT producer industry. Section 6 summarizes employment in ICT occupations. Lastly, Section 7 is a summary paragraph on ICT and productivity.

arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, 2020

Nuclear Technology, 2021

Whether to use highly enriched uranium (HEU) or low-enriched uranium (LEU) in space reactors is a... more Whether to use highly enriched uranium (HEU) or low-enriched uranium (LEU) in space reactors is a highly debated topic. Most analyses focus on performance as the principal determinant of use, where HEU has inherent advantages. This paper identifies seven dimensions along which rigorous comparisons must be made to evaluate whether HEU or LEU is an appropriate enrichment level for space nuclear systems. These dimensions are performance, safety, security and nonproliferation, timeliness of a system to come to fruition, fuel availability, cost, and ability to include commercial partners. Our analysis shows that HEU and LEU systems provide different advantages depending on the dimension of interest, and whether the United States continues to use HEU or switches to LEU is ultimately a policy decision, not a technical one.

The underlying concern is that failure to encourage and to support revolutionary ideas will jeo... more The underlying concern is that failure to encourage and to support revolutionary ideas will jeopardize not only our Nation's ability to compete in today's and tomorrow's global economy, but also the progress of science as a whole. This concern is articulated best in ...

Despite decades of debate on the topic, there is no consensus on what, precisely, constitutes the... more Despite decades of debate on the topic, there is no consensus on what, precisely, constitutes the boundary between airspace and outer space. The topic is mired in legal and political conundrums, and the easy solution to-date has been to not agree on a definition of space. Lack of a definition, some experts claim, has not limited space-based activities, and therefore is not a hurdle that must be overcome. There are increasing calls however in light of increasing (and expectations of increasing) space traffic, both orbital and suborbital. This paper summarizes the proposed delimitation of space, the current debate on whether or not the boundary should be defined and internationally accepted, and our assessment on the need to define it based on emerging space traffic management needs. A. Introduction The general notion of “air” and “space” is relatively well understood in terms of how mobility is undertaken in each. Air involves flight by either aerostatics (balloons and airships) or a...

Additive manufacturing (AM), also referred to as three-dimensional printing, is a set of layer-by... more Additive manufacturing (AM), also referred to as three-dimensional printing, is a set of layer-by-layer processes for producing 3D objects directly from a digital model. Since its inception a few decades ago, the AM industry has grown to almost 3billionasof2012,andispoisedtogrowtomorethan3 billion as of 2012, and is poised to grow to more than 3billionasof2012,andispoisedtogrowtomorethan6.5 billion by 2019. While the ﬁeld has great promise for terrestrial applications, its promise in space – reduced dependence on materials transported from earth and the ability to “live off the land” – has the potential to radically transform the space enterprise. There are a number of studies underway, both supported by the government and the private sector, that examine the technical feasibility and application of AM in outer space. Most recently, the U.S. National Academy of Science (NAS) published a report that explored the implications of space-based AM technologies for space operations and the manufacture of space hardware. The NAS report focused on technological and institutio...

arXiv: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, 2020

Nuclear Technology, 2021

Despite decades of debate on the topic, there is no consensus on what, precisely, constitutes the... more Despite decades of debate on the topic, there is no consensus on what, precisely, constitutes the boundary between airspace and outer space. The topic is mired in legal and political conundrums, and the easy solution to-date has been to not agree on a definition of space. Lack of a definition, some experts claim, has not limited space-based activities, and therefore is not a hurdle that must be overcome. There are increasing calls however in light of increasing (and expectations of increasing) space traffic, both orbital and suborbital. This paper summarizes the proposed delimitation of space, the current debate on whether or not the boundary should be defined and internationally accepted, and our assessment on the need to define it based on emerging space traffic management needs. A. Introduction The general notion of “air” and “space” is relatively well understood in terms of how mobility is undertaken in each. Air involves flight by either aerostatics (balloons and airships) or a...